Longtime Evangel administrator, assistant to retire

Evangel University's longtime vice president of business and finance, as well as his assistant of 35 years, are slated to retire this month.

George Crawford is ending a 39-year career at the university, where he started working in June 1974. His executive assistant, Betty Schoolfield, started in May 1978. Both are scheduled to retire June 28, according to a news release.

“George and Betty are classic examples of the kind of people who have made Evangel what it is,” Evangel President Robert Spence said in the release. “Their competence, dedication and commitment to professional growth have been an inspiration to us all.”

Crawford, who started at the school a month after Spence, was charged with oversight of Evangel's finances, including employee payroll and benefits and construction project supervision.

“I’ve not had any greater privilege than serving with President Spence,” Crawford said in the release. “He’s a genuine leader. It wouldn’t have mattered what field he chose. If he was in banking, he would have been bank president. If he was in the Army, he would have been general."

Schoolfield worked in banking for nine years prior to taking the job at Evangel, where her duties have included managing bank accounts, organizing meetings, directing phone calls, maintaining tax documents for the school's tax-exempt status and assisting with audits.

“Evangel is family. I’ve never felt a reason to leave until now," Schoolfield said in the release.