Gil Cromshaw: From Teacher to Chiropractor
By Valerie Robertson
Dr. Gil Cromshaw could have set up practice anywhere in the country, but he was drawn to the warm climate and beaches of southeastern North Carolina. When an offer of a chiropractic practice opportunity in Leland came up in 1994, he readily accepted and has been here ever since.
Gil grew up on a small farm in rural central Pennsylvania. He remembers people coming from miles away to buy the corn his father grew in the summertime—not because it was necessarily so much better, but because they knew he would pick it fresh for them and make sure they were happy with what they took home. This early lesson in customer service has inspired Gil the rest of his life.
After graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1984, Gil taught high school science and anatomy/physiology at a hospital in the Baltimore area for six years. He then decided to move to the West Coast for a job opportunity in the Silicon Valley. While living in San Jose, California, he learned about the merits of chiropractic treatment and decided to become a chiropractic physician. He completed his degree at Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in San Jose. When it was time to set up practice, he wanted to return to the East Coast, to a coastal area with warm weather, and picked out Wilmington on the map. While at the state boards taking his licensing examination, he learned that a practice was available in Leland.
“What I really liked when I got here was that Leland and Brunswick County were pretty rural and since I grew up in a rural area, I understood the importance of people getting to know you and trust you. People on this side of the bridge really wanted to stay over here for their services, and it made for a good opportunity for me.” He enjoyed the people of Brunswick County. “People were just really friendly and seemed to open up to me and my style of practice.” His practice serves patients in a 40-mile radius of Leland.
The transformation in North Brunswick County in the last five or six years astonishes him. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s an area that’s just exploded. There was nothinghere in 1994, development-wise—very little as far as any real housing choices. It’s like there’s a new Leland and an old.” He acknowledges, “There’s a part of me that’s nostalgic for when it was a little quieter here, but I also see that there are better opportunities for people in general over here now.”
Gil met his wife Bonnie who is originally from this area, and they were married in 1996. Gil and Bonnie live in Wilmington with their nine-year-old son, Keenan, where she is quite active with Keenan’s school.
Chiropractic was a logical career choice for Gil, as he has always been interested in health and how the human body works. Chiropractic care goes beyond just treating back pain, and he enjoys sharing his knowledge of how attending to the spine and nervous system can promote a person’s overall health. Committed to patient education, his web site offers a wealth of helpful information for those who want to learn what chiropractic has to offer.
His interest in a healthy lifestyle extends to his hobbies. An avid runner, he’s run several half-marathons and a number of 10K races, and tries to run two or three times a week.
One of his favorite pursuits is the study of military history, particularly that of WWII, since his father served in that war. “I also enjoy studying the Civil War period. Since the war was fought nearly entirely in the South, living here gives me the opportunity to experience it more directly.” Since moving here he has enjoyed visiting Civil War sites, such as Bentonville, Ft. Fisher, and the Shiloh Battlefield in Tennessee.
Gil loves to read, particularly books about military history, American history, and fiction. He’s particularly interested in today’s world events and the war on terrorism and two recent favorites he’s read are The Kite Runner, which gave him a strong understanding of what it’s like to grow up in Afghanistan, and Three Cups of Tea, about an American mountain climber who started a chain of balanced-education schools in the heart of Islamic extremist areas of Pakistan. Both provide insight into these cultures and perhaps strong lessons on how to deal better with terrorism at its roots.
Gil and his son share a passion for video games—particularly WWII video games—and Gil is quick to explain how much can be learned about history from gaming. “I know some people might laugh, but my son has learned a tremendous amount of military history, geography, even politics and language to some degree from these video games.” That said, he also says they’re just a lot of fun to play!
Dr. Cromshaw feels very connected to the community he serves, and tries to emulate the lessons he learned from his father about the value of customer service. “It’s extremely important that I know that my patients get a clear understanding of their health problem, that I am honest with them about whether I can help them or not, and to deliver better service than they expect. We all win when that happens.”
To learn more about Dr. Cromshaw, visit Cromshaw Chiropractic at 304 Village Road or his website at www.cromshawchiro.com.
Opinions in the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent management views.