CAVE CREEK — On October 25, 2021 The Black Mountain Foothills Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) awarded the DAR Medal of Honor to John Crane, Vice Mayor of Carefree, Arizona. The award ceremony was held at the Cave Creek Museum at 10:30 am, with a luncheon following at Tonto Bar & Grill in Cave Creek. Approximately 80 people were in attendance, representing a variety of local communities and DAR chapters.
The DAR Medal of Honor is the most prestigious honor awarded by the DAR. It is given to an adult man or woman who is a United States citizen by birth and has shown extraordinary qualities of leadership, trustworthiness, service and patriotism
Numerous people recommended Mr. Crane for this honor because of his long history of giving back to Carefree and other nearby communities through his leadership and volunteerism. John spearheaded the creation of a Carefree Veteran’s Memorial, and also developed a Carefree Memorial Day remembrance event to honor those who died while serving our country. His efforts have benefited not only Carefree, but also other nearby communities as well, including Cave Creek and Desert Hills. The Black Mountain Foothills Chapter was pleased to present this award to Vice Mayor Crane as a sincere thank you for his leadership, support and contributions to the communities we live in.
Mr. Crane grew up in rural New Jersey, attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania, and served in the U.S. Navy as a Nuclear trained submarine officer. He served on the fast attack submarine USS Parche (SSN-683) and deep submergence rescue vehicle DSRV-2 Avalon, working all over the world. After leaving the Navy, he entered the field of electronics and eventually formed his own company in a related field, which he still runs today.
“John’s gift is starting early to brainstorm possibilities.”, said Barbara Hatch, of the Veteran’s Heritage Project, who has worked with him for ten years. “We are honored to present this award to John and thank him for his service to our country and our communities.”, said Molly Zehnder, Regent of the Black Mountain Foothills DAR chapter.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a women’s service organization whose members can trace their lineage to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War. Today’s DAR is dynamic and diverse, with over 185,000 members in 3,000 chapters in the United States and abroad. DAR members annually provide millions of hours of volunteer service to their local communities across the country and world. DAR chapters participate in projects to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism. Over one million members have joined the organization since its founding in 1890.
If you are interested in learning more about DAR membership, please visit the Black Mountain Foothills Chapter website [blackmtnfoothills.weebly.com].
