60 YEARS OF SERVICE, LEADERSHIP, AND HEART

From the Bindery floor to senior leadership, John Crawford has spent 60 years making an impact at GPO.

Some careers are measured in years. John Crawford’s is measured in impact.

This year, Crawford celebrates 60 years at GPO, a milestone that reflects not only extraordinary longevity, but a career defined by hard work, leadership, and a deep commitment to the people around him. Since joining GPO on May 10, 1966, he has helped shape the Agency through decades of change, from the days of manual passport production and paper-based workflows to the modern, highly automated operation GPO is today.

Crawford began his career as a journeyman bookbinder on the third shift in the Bindery before transferring to first shift just a month later. Early on, he was eager to take on more challenging work and quickly set his sights on growth.

“I looked around and decided I wanted to be the Superintendent of Binding,” Crawford said.

Above: Crawford early in his career.

That mindset helped define his career. Determined to keep moving forward, Crawford pursued more complex assignments, obtained a secret clearance to handle more sensitive work, and steadily advanced through the ranks. Over time, he moved from the production floor into leadership, eventually serving as Superintendent of Binding, Production Manager, and in senior roles that included a period of leading the Agency during a time of transition.

Along the way, Crawford played a role in several major operational improvements. He helped develop systems to better track work across the Bindery, including daily production controls, job-location tracking, and tools to verify incoming printed materials and quantities. Those efforts helped improve accountability, visibility, and workflow management in a large, fast-moving production environment.

One of the most significant chapters of Crawford’s career is his connection to passport production, especially fitting as GPO celebrates 100 years of producing U.S. passports in 2026.

Crawford remembers when passports were produced almost entirely by hand. Printed sheets were sewn manually, covers were attached by hand, books were trimmed on flatbed cutters, hand-numbered, and packed for delivery to the Department of State. Later, as GPO moved to automate the process, Crawford helped oversee the binding side of passport production when the Agency introduced automated passport production equipment in Building D.

That transition marked a major turning point, not just for passports, but for GPO as a whole.

For Crawford, progress has always been about more than machinery. It is also about the people behind the work.

Crawford said teammates are GPO’s most important asset, and that treating people with respect often brings out the very best in them.

That philosophy became a hallmark of his leadership style. Throughout his career, Crawford focused on supporting teammates, encouraging advancement, and holding high standards while making sure people had the opportunity to succeed. He credits lessons learned from teammates at every level, from co-workers to managers, and said one of the leaders who had the biggest impact on him was his Superintendent of Binding, Chuck Enterline.

Above: Crawford and teammates.

Even after six decades, Crawford says what has kept him at GPO is simple: he has always enjoyed the work and believed he could continue contributing to the Agency. Retirement was never something he focused on early in his career. By the time he reached the GS-15 level, he originally thought he might stay just long enough to secure his “high three.” Instead, he kept going.

“I really enjoyed my work at GPO and never gave much thought about doing anything else,” Crawford said.

Asked what reaching 60 years means to him personally, Crawford remains characteristically humble.

“It’s not a big deal,” he said. “God put me here, and He will tell me when it’s time to leave.”

Still, his impact is hard to overstate. Crawford has witnessed GPO’s transformation from a much larger workforce of roughly 8,600 teammates and a heavily manual production environment to a leaner, more digital, more automated Agency that continues to serve Congress, the Department of State, and Government customers across the board.

Above: Crawford displays the Congressional Record.

And while technology has changed dramatically, he says one thing has remained constant: GPO’s pride in delivering for its customers.

“We take great pride in delivering on Congressional needs, State Department needs, and the Government as a whole,” Crawford said.

For newer teammates, Crawford’s advice reflects the same ownership and accountability that shaped his own career.

“Contribute to GPO like you own it as your company,” he said. “Make it a better place when you leave than when you started.”

After 60 years, Crawford hopes people remember not just the positions he held, but the way he treated others.

“That I have been a part of GPO’s growth and been a contributor to its legacy,” he said, “and most importantly, that I have treated everyone, regardless of title, with respect.”

That legacy of hard work, innovation, and respect has left a lasting mark on GPO, and on generations of teammates who have worked alongside him.

Crawford’s impact on GPO is undeniable, but he is quick to point out that no long career happens alone. He credits the support of his wife, Lynda, throughout the years as an important part of what made his remarkable journey possible. Together, they raised three children, Tony, Nicky, and Tiffany, and now enjoy five grandchildren, Jaxson, Riley, Andrew, Elle and Cooper, a legacy of commitment that extends far beyond the Agency.

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