[A contribution to Gathering Blacksburg History: Airport Acres]
Don and Nedra Croy bought the Airport Acres house at 507 Fairview Avenue in March, 1955 for $8,700 with a 20-year mortgage at 5.25%. Their house payments were $53 per month.
Edwin Don Croy was born on November 28, 1931 at his family’s home in McCoy, Virginia. The house still exists at 6313 Centennial Road. His parents were Jennings Croy and Georgie McCoy Croy. Don was the third of five children: Betty Croy Gearheart, Dean Croy, Edwin Don Croy, William Daniel “Tiny” Croy, and David Croy.
Don graduated from Blacksburg High School in June, 1949. At the age of 19, in 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force. He went to boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base in an Antonio, Texas. He was then stationed at Scott Air Force Based in Belleville, Illinois.
From there, he was stationed at FEAMCOM at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. Don spent the winter of 1951 at Tachikawa, and the spring of 1952 on the island of Iwo Jima.
Don served as part of the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard for the unannounced visit to Iwo Jima by U.S. President-elect Dwight Eisenhower on his way to Korea.
After 11 months at Iwo Jima, Don returned to the U.S. and was stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Panama City, Florida.
On September 12, 1953, he married Nedra Hope Albert, also a native of McCoy, Virginia.
Don was discharged from the Air Force on October 31, 1953.
On July 17, 1950, Don went to work for C & P Telephone Company. The company’s name changed from C & P, to Bell Atlantic, to Verizon. He retired on September 1, 1990 after 40+years of service.
Lane Stadium was built in 1965 and Don was asked to help with sideline communications and coaches’ headsets. Lane Stadium was first used on September 24, 1965, for a freshman football game between Virginia Tech and University of Maryland, which ended in a 8-8 tie.
Don set up headsets for Virginia Tech’s football coaches for nearly 50 years. He served under five head football coaches: Jerry Claiborne, CharlieCoffey, Jimmy Sharp, Bill Dooley, and Frank Beamer. Don traveled with the team and estimates he attended over 400 games, missing only one game due to cancer surgery. Two weeks later, he attended the West Virginia game, against the protests of his wife. He retired from working with the team in 2013 at the age of 82.
Don has two children, Donita Gail Croy Price, born December 20, 1959, and Christopher Dale Croy, born May 2, 1965. Both were born at Radford Community Hospital.
Don is among the oldest residents of Airport Acres, and the oldest homeowners. Mrs. Frank West of Fairview Avenue is over 100. Betty Jo Davis Everett of Rose Avenue is xx. She lived as a teenager on Fairview Avenue, then she and her husband, Mills Everett, bought a house on Rose Avenue in xx. The Wests bought their Fairview Avenue home in xx.
In 1955, Don recalled that what is now Margaret Beeks Elementary School on Airport Road was a corn field owned by Mr. Hubbard. After turning from Main Street onto Airport Road and passing Preston Avenue and Draper Avenue, Don stated that one passed through “nearly a forest.” Only one house stood on the stretch between Preston Avenue and Fairview Avenue.
To be continued.
Transcribed by Anne Giles from an interview conducted on December 19, 2023.
