Joseph D Croft, Jr.

Joseph D. Croft, Jr. died on September 27, 2024, at age 88 after suffering two strokes. He was born on April 14, 1936, in Evanston, Illinois. He was the son of Joseph D. Croft MD and Julia Campbell Croft. He graduated from Evanston Township High School, Princeton University, Cornell University Medical School, and completed his training in internal medicine and rheumatology at Strong Memorial Hospital at the University of Rochester. After serving for two years in the Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health he entered the private practice of rheumatology in Washington DC in 1969. Following his retirement in 2007 he volunteered at the Mercy Clinic and he continued to participate regularly in teaching activities at Georgetown University Medical Center.

Dr. Croft’s devotion to his family and his commitments to patient care, education, research, and to the American College of Rheumatology were central components of his life. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including teaching awards from Georgetown University Medical Center and the American College of Physicians, Distinguished Alumni Award from Evanston Township High School (2011), and several awards from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). In 2014 he received the ACR Presidential Gold Medal, the highest award that the ACR can bestow, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in rheumatology over his career. Recipients have made important contributions in multiple areas such as clinical medicine, research, education or administration. He served as President of the American College of Rheumatology from 1999-2000.

The many happy moments he shared with his family were the highlights of his extraordinarily rich, joyful, and rewarding life. Dr. Croft is survived by his wife of 64 years, his high school sweetheart, Jane Grubb Croft, his son Joseph D. Croft III of Charleston, South Carolina and his wife Rebecca, his daughter Julia E. Croft of Bethesda, Maryland, four grandchildren Nicole E. Croft, Spencer E. Croft, Campbell H. Peterson, Peyton C. Peterson, and his sister Mary Anne Osborne of Dedham, Massachusetts.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Rheumatology Research Foundation, 2200 Lake Boulevard NE, Atlanta, Georgia, 30319.