If a hairstyle says a lot about a person, then Afro Tom's 'do has spoken volumes - both literally and figuratively.
Better known as Tom Crawford, he divides his time between living in Auburn and on Nantucket Island, off the coast of Massachusetts. Several years ago, Crawford decided to let his bushy hair grow, and within months he was the proud bearer of a resplendent afro.
“It became his trademark. He was known as Afro Tom or Burrhead from then on,” said Crawford's mother, Barb, from her Auburn home. Crawford worked for a time at Wegmans, and Barb said she had no problem describing him to others.
“They'd ask which department he worked in, and I'd say, ‘Oh, he's the guy with the big afro' ... they'd always know who he was,” she recalled. “'Oh, Afro Tom!' they'd usually say.”
Recently, though, Afro Tom decided that helping others was more important than his famous head of hair.
In April, a relative of Tom's was brutally raped and mugged in Syracuse, leaving her physically, emotionally and financially broken. In addition, his sister-in-law,
Chrissy, has long suffered from lupus, an often fatal disease of the immune system.
“I bartend at a restaurant in Nantucket called The Pearl, which is a fine-dining place,” Tom explained. “Oddly enough, some of the guys there had been paying me money every week not to cut my hair.
“After Julie's attack, I really wanted to help ... so I thought, 'People are paying me to keep the afro. I wonder how much they'd pay if I shaved my head, and donated all the money?'”
What happened next proved that Tom's heart was even bigger than his hairdo.
He began telling people of his plan, including customers at the restaurant, many of whom Tom said are well-to-do vacationers from places like Boston and New York City.
“I ended up raising more than $11,000, which I donated to Julie, to the Lupus Foundation in Chrissy's name and to some other charities,” he said. “I had guys offering $1,000 ... more donations came in than I could've imagined.”
One night at The Pearl after closing, a huge crowd packed into the restaurant for the head-shaving ceremony. “The original plan was for anyone who'd made a donation to have a swipe with the razor, but a lot of those guys had quite a bit to drink,” he recalled with a laugh. “So some of the women ended up cutting it, and a local hairstylist came and finished it up.
“The whole thing got to be a pretty big deal around town. And that night we set a record for the biggest number of people in the restaurant.”
Tom's largest donations were to his sisters, but he also contributed to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Association, which Tom described as “a big help” after Julie's attack. A donation also went to the YMCA.
“It's weird how many people don't recognize me,” said Tom, now with short-hair. “I've gone into the restaurant kitchen, and they told me I wasn't allowed in there, that the kitchen was for employees only,” he said. “'But it's me, Afro Tom!'” he remarked.
Afro or buzz-cut, Barb Crawford said the selfless behavior is typical of her son.
“That's just the kind of guy he is - always thinking of other people first,” she said.
“It became his trademark. He was known as Afro Tom or Burrhead from then on,” said Crawford's mother, Barb, from her Auburn home. Crawford worked for a time at Wegmans, and Barb said she had no problem describing him to others.
“They'd ask which department he worked in, and I'd say, ‘Oh, he's the guy with the big afro' ... they'd always know who he was,” she recalled. “'Oh, Afro Tom!' they'd usually say.”
Recently, though, Afro Tom decided that helping others was more important than his famous head of hair.
In April, a relative of Tom's was brutally raped and mugged in Syracuse, leaving her physically, emotionally and financially broken. In addition, his sister-in-law,
Chrissy, has long suffered from lupus, an often fatal disease of the immune system.
“I bartend at a restaurant in Nantucket called The Pearl, which is a fine-dining place,” Tom explained. “Oddly enough, some of the guys there had been paying me money every week not to cut my hair.
“After Julie's attack, I really wanted to help ... so I thought, 'People are paying me to keep the afro. I wonder how much they'd pay if I shaved my head, and donated all the money?'”
What happened next proved that Tom's heart was even bigger than his hairdo.
He began telling people of his plan, including customers at the restaurant, many of whom Tom said are well-to-do vacationers from places like Boston and New York City.
“I ended up raising more than $11,000, which I donated to Julie, to the Lupus Foundation in Chrissy's name and to some other charities,” he said. “I had guys offering $1,000 ... more donations came in than I could've imagined.”
One night at The Pearl after closing, a huge crowd packed into the restaurant for the head-shaving ceremony. “The original plan was for anyone who'd made a donation to have a swipe with the razor, but a lot of those guys had quite a bit to drink,” he recalled with a laugh. “So some of the women ended up cutting it, and a local hairstylist came and finished it up.
“The whole thing got to be a pretty big deal around town. And that night we set a record for the biggest number of people in the restaurant.”
Tom's largest donations were to his sisters, but he also contributed to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Association, which Tom described as “a big help” after Julie's attack. A donation also went to the YMCA.
“It's weird how many people don't recognize me,” said Tom, now with short-hair. “I've gone into the restaurant kitchen, and they told me I wasn't allowed in there, that the kitchen was for employees only,” he said. “'But it's me, Afro Tom!'” he remarked.
Afro or buzz-cut, Barb Crawford said the selfless behavior is typical of her son.
“That's just the kind of guy he is - always thinking of other people first,” she said.
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