Annie Crawley can trace much of her professional success back to “a black revolving door few knew existed in the basement of the Communications Building — the entry to the dark room, where magic happened every day.”
Now a Seattle-based underwater photographer/filmmaker (and Women Divers Hall of Famer), Crawley (BS ’90) credits Professor Brian Johnson with helping her discover what turned out to be a lifelong passion.
“Because of the photojournalism program, my entire world changed. With a camera in hand, I became a storyteller of life — from capturing the homeless and soup kitchens to being on the sidelines (shooting) quarterback Jeff George and the Flyin’ Illini basketball team with the likes of Kendall Gill and Steve Bardo.”
A close second on Crawley’s list of favorite spots: the Quad, where she remembers “some magic moments protesting.”
“Everything from homelessness to freeing Namibia, the Wall coming down in Germany, and so many other issues from my time there,” says Crawley, the 2025 co-recipient of the UI Alumni Association's Comeback Award. “One of the protests we always took part in was on 4/20 to peacefully protest the desire to legalize marijuana.
“I laugh as I write this as I think we all thought it should be legalized, but never truly thought it would because of how screwed up our government was and the relation we have with drugs. And so today, I'm laughing as it might have taken decades, but we know our protests were worth it.”
