PHOTO: Former Glendale fire Chief Glenn Gray Crabtree died this month, six days shy of his 82nd birthday. Though Chief Crabtree retired 31 years ago, his impact on the Glendale Fire Department, on the city and on the Valley live on even after his death.
“(He left) really, really great legacy. You never wanted to let him down. So, even after he was gone, that was in the back of your mind. You always want to make sure you didn’t let Chief Crabtree down,” said former Glendale Fire Chief and current Buckeye Valley Fire District Chief Mark Burdick.
Mr. Crabtree, who went by his middle name Gray, started at the Glendale Fire Department in 1961, became chief in 1973 and retired in 1989. He was the department’s second paid chief. Retired Glendale Fire Captain Jay Shaver, who joined the department in 1978, said Mr. Crabtree did a lot to modernize the department in his 16 years as chief.