When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
In Remembrance
Earl Franklin Craton,DC,PhC, who grew up on a farm near Mitchell, South Dakota, passed away in Enid, Oklahoma on January 13, 2002, a little less than six months before his 100th birthday.
Born July 6, 1902 in Downing, Wisconsin, Dr. Craton graduated from the Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa in 1925 and joined his sister, Ruth Payton, in practice in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He moved to Enid in 1929 to practice, and married Helene Renfro in 1930. He later married Florence Van Osdol and moved to Beaumont, Texas in 1957. His final practices were in Fort Worth and at his home office in Lake Granbury, Texas. He returned to Enid in 1996 to tend to his fruit orchard.
"He conducted independent research of nerve signal interference, and as a result of his research, was able to achieve a higher quality of service for his patients, for which they were truly grateful," observed his daughter, Yvonne. "He was known for his ability to fix the hard cases."
Dr. Craton received the Texas Chiropractic College's Centennial Award in 1995. He enjoyed gardening and golf (scoring his age on his 80th birthday),
Dr. Craton is survived by daughters Mavis Miller and Yvonne Kennedy; brother-in-law Alfred Kennedy; eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.