School gym named after Joe Crane

September 22, 2013 at 6:00 a.m. | Updated September 22, 2013 at 6:00 a.m.

Joe Crane holds the certificate he received at the naming ceremony of Crane's Gym at Hatton-McCredie Elemetary School at his Williamsburg museum. The gym was named in his honor as the school's long-standing principal.
Joe Crane holds the certificate he received at the naming ceremony of Crane's Gym at Hatton-McCredie Elemetary School at his Williamsburg museum. The gym was named in his honor as the school's long-standing principal.

After 55 years, the gymnasium at the Hatton-McCredie Elementary School finally has a name: Crane's Gym.

Joe Crane, owner of Crane's Country Store in Williamsburg, was the Hatton-McCredie Elementary School principal 1970 to 1993.

On Friday, Crane was asked to go to the school for a monthly flag ceremony he started as principal more than 40 years ago.

"They have kept the flag ceremony going continuously since then on the third Friday of the month," Crane said.

Crane was asked by current Hatton-McCredie Principal Brian Jobe to attend Friday's flag ceremony. Crane received flowers and a surprise - the announcement that the school's gymnasium was named "Crane's Gym" in his honor.

Jobe said he knows about Crane's Country Store and Crane's Museum.

"So I thought Crane's Gym sounded pretty good," Jobe said.

Crane thought so, too.

"It is certainly an honor to have my name placed on the gym," Crane said.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.