Obituary for Craig A. Woodworth

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Life Story for Craig A. Woodworth

Craig A. Woodworth, Electrical Engineer

Craig A. Woodworth, a lifelong resident of the Buffalo area, died on September 2, 2017. He was a graduate of Buffalo Technical High School and served as a radio operator in the 65th Combat Engineer Battalion assigned to the 25th Infantry Division from 1946 to 1949 during the Occupation of Japan reaching the grade of Technician 4th grade. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree and was employed by Niagara Mohawk for over 34 years. While serving as Underground Engineer, he was responsible for the design of electric service to large downtown Buffalo buildings and for special underground cable projects including 20 miles of 230,000 volt underground cable from Gardenville Station to the Huntley Station. He worked three summers for Niagara Mohawk prior to regular employment including one in 1944 for predecessor Buffalo Niagara Electric Corp and, following regular employment, was employed part-time as a consultant for 16 years ending in 2008. He was a Life Member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers and Eta Kappa Nu, the National Electrical Engineering Honor Society.
Mr. Woodworth was active in the Presbyterian Church and served as a trustee, elder and deacon. He and his wife Ruth received the Man & Woman of the Year awards at Kenmore Presbyterian Church in 1997. His avocation was trains especially steam locomotives. He was a member of four railroad historical societies including the Niagara Frontier Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society which presented him with a Most Valuable Volunteer Award for 1991. He was a member of the Niagara Mohawk Pension Club. He and his wife travelled to all 50 states and eleven foreign countries. He enjoyed presenting travel programs to many church, historical and civic organizations including the Buffalo Museum of Science. He was an amateur historian concerning railroads and electricity. He wrote articles and presented programs for several organizations including the Buffalo Historical society.