Remembering David Crowe, who inspired so many

Last week, Cape Girardeau lost a great man.

Dr. David Crowe was blessed with a unique mind. His intellect allowed him to become an orthodontist, and he helped improve smiles of countless youth and adults over many decades. His kind demeanor put his patients at ease. They will miss him.

David dipped into the arts as well. He was widely known in Southeast Missouri for his outstanding photography, having his photos placed in a number of public places, including throughout Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was passionate about his photography, traveling far and wide to find and document the beauty of earth and people. We will miss his artistic vision and prowess he shared with us.

But David, we think, will be most remembered for the work he did with autism. That mission began with his son, Taylor.

Taylor's story, though still unfolding, has been documented to some degree in this newspaper several times before. When he was a young boy, Taylor lost his ability to talk and communicate. The boy was frustrated and had a hard time coping. Taylor's autism was discovered before much was known about it. The early prognosis was not good. A doctor told David that Taylor would never have friends, would never learn to drive, would never go to a regular classroom. He was told Taylor was very likely to become violent as a teenager, and it wasn't too early to think about institutionalizing Taylor. David would not accept that outlook.

David took an intense interest in Taylor and his autism diagnosis. Taylor would certainly need help outside of the traditional education system, but David thought it was important that Taylor have normal interactions with typically developing peers.

That meant Taylor would need friends. It is not easy for autistic children to make friends. Oftentimes autistic children have quirks or mannerisms -- such as not making eye contact -- that make developing relationships difficult.

David, through personal relationships, many of them from his church where he has served as deacon and elder, was able to develop a new social concept for Taylor. Taylor had a "circle of friends" with whom he could interact without teasing, bullying or judgment. These friends would treat Taylor with respect and dignity. They would include him as part of their group and provide interactions for Taylor to adopt and use for his own.

The ability to socialize opened new doors for Taylor. Soon Taylor expressed an interest and talent for art. He loved to draw. David, wanting to focus on the things Taylor could do, not what he could not, helped Taylor with the resources to develop that skill. After a lot of individual instruction, Taylor went to college at CalArts. He also learned to drive and obtained his driver's license.

In 2003, David founded The Tailor Institute, a place where adults on the autistic spectrum could have programs "tailored" to their strengths and help them develop into independent adults who can enter the workforce. Crowe's vision was to focus on what autistic people like Taylor can do, not what they cannot.

David's vision for his son is now a vision that other parents of autistic children can embrace. Taylor has spoken to large crowds of people who work in the autism field or are affected by autism. David's vision, through Taylor, has offered hope to thousands.

Taylor has been drawing editorial cartoons and other cartoons (a series of "What's great about Southeast Missouri" cartoon ran for several months in our Sunday Good Times section) for about two years now.

It was Taylor's idea to draw a cartoon recognizing his father. Knowing Taylor's story adds a great deal of context to today's editorial cartoon. David died last Friday after a courageous battle with brain cancer.

We offer condolences to Taylor, with whom it's been a pleasure to work, and to David's wife, Missy, and sons Austin and Adam.

David certainly made the most of his many talents, and leaves behind a timeless legacy.