Getting to Know Dr. Crayton

If you talk to any one of Dr. Crayton’s loyal patients, they’ll be quite candid in their assessment of what makes him so special, from his “brilliant smile that fills a room,” to his ability to “really listen to what his patients are saying”, which then enables him to accurately diagnose and treat their particular, individual symptoms. 

Dr. Crayton is also one who enjoys a good story, and perhaps his most famous anecdote surrounds the manner in which he relocated to Bay County from Racine, Wisconsin.

“I just started driving south, stopping at hardware stores along the way, and when I came to a store that didn’t sell snow shovels, I knew I was ‘home’,” kidded Dr. Crayton.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Crayton has been practicing Rheumatology for almost two decades.  He is a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and of the American Board of Rheumatology.  In addition, Dr. Crayton is the only Rheumatologist in the region who has a Masters Degree in Hospital Administration and, as a true patriot, has served in the U.S. Army as well as the Army Reserve.

In his spare time, Dr. Crayon enjoys playing jazz with the group he helped to establish – “The On Call Band”, and recently debuted his inaugural CD – “First Impressions” – under his stage name, “HULON”.  Interestingly, it was Dr. Crayton’s roommate, during his short stint at Lincoln University prior to entering the University of Wisconsin, who taught him how to play and love jazz, which led to his current success as a musician.

From a civic perspective, Dr. Crayton is a Rotarian who embodies the Rotary theme of “service above self” within his medical practice, as well as with his generous philanthropy.  Dr. Crayton, along with his wife Dinah, created the Crayton Foundation, the sole mission of which is to assist minorities in their quest to attend college.  The first scholarship the husband and wife team endowed was at the Florida State University/Panama City Campus with the Crayton Health Scholarship, specifically for students interested in entering the healthcare field.  Most recently, they established the Crayton Health Sciences Endowed Scholarship within the Lincoln University Foundation, Inc.  As an undergraduate of this historically Black university, Dr. Crayton understood the challenges of minority students.  “Lincoln is very close to my heart since a lot of the faculty was responsible for developing me into the person I became.”

As an avid supporter of the arts in Bay County, Dr. Crayton serves on the Board of the Bay Arts Alliance, and recently sponsored their entire 2010-11 season.  In addition, Dr. Crayton serves on the board of B.A.S.I.C. and has donated a percentage of sales of his CDs to their fundraising efforts.  Dr. and Mrs. Crayton remain actively involved in other area charities and have three children.