This autobiography covers the life of a teacher, playwright, author, and critic, as well as a son, husband, father, friend, and well known personality, Dr. Jerry L. Crawford. Beginning with his first memory, a third birthday in his native Iowa in 1937, Dr. Crawford presents a lively, highly personal account of his difficult childhood during World War II, his education, his unusual service in the United States Army, his development as an actor, director, teacher and author/playwright while serving on the faculty of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, travelling as a national theatre critic, and working at a major theatre festival. The account includes his experiences in New York and various cities in the United States and Scotland as a playwright, along with years of service all across the United States as a critic for both the American College Theatre Festival and the American Community Theatre Association. Also, as with any Memoir, the material also serves as a personal view of America from the 1930's to the present. The Memoir is written with the dramatic flair of a seasoned dramatist and an amusing story teller. Dr. Crawford dodges no issues pertaining to either his professional or personal life. His relationship with his wife and children is filled with penetrating love and conflict, as are some of his professional experiences. The inspiration to write this Memoir came from a request by his children to help them more fully know him. PAST LIGHT speaks to them, his friends, and anyone who knew or met this man. It is an engaging read for anyone interested in one of our nation's talented teachers, writers, and personalities. (Crawford's self-probing in the conclusion is especially noteworthy, with possible insights into the lives of the readers in their own right.)