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Board Members

Founder
Jerre Freeman, MD
(1933 - 2023)

Dr. Jerre Minor Freeman, a lifelong Memphian, was in private practice since 1968, specializing in cataract surgery, intraocular lens implant surgery, laser vision correction surgery and other surgical procedures. He holds over 20 patents for lens implants and surgical instruments and is the designer of the Punctum Plug, a surgical insert to help correct dry eyes.

Before receiving his Medical Degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Dr. Freeman received engineering training from Auburn University and served as a pilot with the U.S. Navy. He had two Fellowships, including the Heed Fellowship, at Harvard Medical School and trained in intraocular lens implantation in the Netherlands. A clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, Dr. Freeman served on the boards of numerous medical and eye organizations and journals. He was a past president of the Memphis Medical Society and a past president of the American Board of Eye Surgery (ABES). Dr. Freeman was also Board Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.

 

In 1978 Dr. Freeman founded the World Cataract Foundation and remained a driving force in its vision and growth. Since 1970 he led medical mission teams around the world to provide life-changing sight-restoring surgeries to the poor. Dr. Freeman was an internationally known speaker, author, inventor and surgeon.

 

Board of Directors

Gib Wilson 

WCF President

Retired CFO

Lehman-Roberts Company

 

Richard Myers 

WCF Vice President

Attorney, Glankler Brown

 
David Cuicchi, CPA

WCF Treasurer

Cannon & Company CPA

Pat Beech 
Past WCF President
Owner/Broker, Arlena Enos Realtors

Nancy Coe

Financial Advisor
 
Raleigh Crawford
Past WCF President
McVean Trading & Investments, LLC

 
Noble Crigler 
Low Income Apartment Development

James Christian Fleming, M.D. 
FACS Chair, Dept. of Ophthalmology
Hamilton Eye Institute
University of Tennessee
 
John Freeman, M.D. 
Ophthalmologist
Memphis Eye & Cataract Associates

Kimberly Freeman, M.D.

Internal Medicine
Wolf River Wellness
Richard Grant
Past WCF President
Retired Navy Captain
Former Commanding Officer
Naval Station, Memphis

Lori Hudson 
Past WCF Executive Director

Sandra Morris 
Public Relations Executive / Philanthropist

Dow McVean 
McVean Trading & Investments, LLC

Patricia Sherman, MSN, RN
President, Unity Hospice Care

Nancy Wilson 
St. Mary's School

Emeritus Board Members

Staff

Thomas C. Gettelfinger, M.D.

Memphis Eye & Cataract Associates

 

K.C. Lam, CLU, ChFC, CFP

Financial Planning Group of Memphis

 

John T. Van Dyck III, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Retired Ophthalmologist

Cristy Beech

Executive Director

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