Dr. James E. Croley III, ’72, felt prepared and empowered when he started classes at the prestigious University of Miami medical school many years ago. While others underestimated his background, he never questioned the strength of his Cumberlands’ education. “I was more than prepared for medical school,” Dr. Croley said. “My peers came to me for answers.” The confidence he carried into medical school was generations in the making.
Dr. Croley comes from a long line of alumni who were shaped by the Cumberlands’ experience, where opportunity, faith, and hard work are closely intertwined. “My grandfather lived in Williamsburg on Croley Bend. He walked to school every day, rain or shine, then attended Cumberland when it was a junior college,” he said. “He went on to University of Kentucky and became a pharmacist. A kid from Croley Bend built a successful career.”
The belief in the transformative power of a Cumberlands’ education carried into the next generation.
“My dad owned a dental practice in Eastern Kentucky and was Cumberland College through and through. He served on the board of trustees for 28 years,” Dr. Croley said. “I don’t know how many students he encouraged to attend because he believed it was a place where they could access an education they might not have had otherwise.”
Raised in that context, Dr. Croley inherited a deep connection to Cumberlands and carried forward a mindset rooted in service and purpose, which would shape both his career and his calling.
Today, a board-certified ophthalmologist in Cape Coral, Florida, Dr. Croley specializes in advanced cataract treatment and serves as the founder and medical director of the Cataract and Refractive Institute of Florida. Over the course of his career, he has earned national recognition, including being named America’s Top Ophthalmologist by the Consumer Research Council of America, Ophthalmologist of the Year in 2006, and a Marquis Who’s Who Top Doctor in 2020.
His influence extends well beyond the operating room. He has served in leadership roles at both the state and national levels, including six years on the Council of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and five years on its Political Action Committee. In Florida, he served as president of the Florida Society of Ophthalmology and held a longtime position on its board. In addition to his clinical and leadership work, he is also the author of two books, The Blinding of America and Believing Is Seeing.
Even now, as he steps back from the pace of full-time practice, his sense of purpose has not faded; it has simply taken a different shape. His commitment to serving others is deeply connected to the values first cultivated at Cumberlands.
For Dr. Croley, Cumberlands has always been more than a place; it is the foundation that shaped his family’s story, strengthened their faith, and opened doors that might not have otherwise existed. “Cumberlands is a unique institution. It teaches the right things, cares about its students, and does things the right way,” he said. “It creates a path for success that students can follow.”
It’s a path he has walked himself—and one he now hopes to help preserve for others.
For Dr. Croley, the decision to commit to a planned gift is about continuing a legacy that began long before him. “I own ten acres on U.S. 41 in southwest Florida, and that land is in a trust,” he explained. “Someday, it will go to Cumberlands.”
“My family has a deep connection to Cumberlands. Whatever I can do to support the institution, I want to do. This is one way I can honor my father and create a lasting legacy.”
Through legacy commitments like Dr. Croley’s, donors can extend their impact and ensure future students have access to the same life-changing education that shaped their own lives.
“I want students from Appalachia, where I grew up—students who may not otherwise have the opportunity—to have a place where they can succeed,” he said. And because of the legacy he is committed to building, many more will.
Create a Legacy
You can create a legacy, too. For more information on making a planned gift, please contact:
Tyler Smith
Office of Planned Giving
[email protected] · 606-539-3571