Obituaries

Raymond Fred Keith, an Arlington resident, was a fourth-generation Washingtonian. He was blinded at 11 in a school-yard accident.

He was a 1958 graduate of the Maryland School for the Blind in Baltimore and a 1962 public relations graduate of American University. He received a master's degree in special education from Syracuse University in 1965 and a doctorate in special education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1976.

In the late 1960s, he was a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama, where he taught and developed programs for visually impaired children.

He was president of Ski for Light, an international program for blind skiers, from 1981 to 1988 and 1994 to 1996.

He also participated in the nonprofit organization Health Sports Program, which uses outdoor sports to help rehabilitate the disabled.

"Too many disabled people are out of shape," he told The Washington Post. "We're really into improving health and the quality of life. One thing you get is more energy for the hassle of living as a disabled person. Because it is a hassle."

In 1991, he received a decoration from the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, which recognized him as a "tireless champion of sports and recreation for the handicapped."

Survivors include his wife of 13 years, Billie Jean Hill Keith of Arlington; two stepchildren, Thomas Hill of Arlington and Caroline Fortenberry of Madison, Miss.; a sister; and three granddaughters.

-- Adam Bernstein

Leonard F. CroweComputer Programmer

Leonard Fulton Crowe, 83, a former computer programmer, died May 30 at his home in Laurel. He had Parkinson's disease.

Mr. Crowe retired in 1989 from Planning Research Corp. He previously worked as a systems analyst at the Department of Energy, the Federal Power Commission and the Federal Communications Commission.

He was a native of Canon City, Colo. He graduated from the University of Colorado and came to Washington in 1970. He worked for the Department of the Army as a cryptographer and intelligence communications specialist for 13 years.

He had no immediate survivors.

-- Patricia Sullivan