Summer 2008 - ICO Worldwide - Illinois College of Optometry

EYE ON FACULTY: A GENTLE MAN - DR. DICK TENNANT
Dr. E. R. Tennant
There are so many experiences and
people in the ICO tapestry that were
pivotal in the careers of so many. One
of the most memorable people during
my time at the college, from being a
student, resident and faculty member,
was Dr. Tennant. I remember as if it
was yesterday when he stopped his discussion
of some optical concept, turned
and looked directly at us, and said:
“Boys and girls, you must always
remember that the people you see are
more than eyeballs. We don’t walk out
to the waiting room and say, ‘Next eye
in!’ We treat the whole person, with
compassion and integrity each and
every time.” With his dry humor and
wisdom he impacted my career beyond
measure. He encouraged my decision
to enter a residency program, welcomed
me as a young faculty and was
always there to lend an ear when needed.
Even today, I embrace his spirit,
integrity and memory as I apply myself
to our profession and the future of our
profession, our students. He was and
still is a role model extraordinaire.
Sunny M. Sanders, OD ’78, FAAO
Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs,
Eye Care Center
Assistant Professor
Southern California College of
Optometry
Thank you for the opportunity to
express my appreciation for having
experienced Dr. Tennant during my
years at ICO.
The ultimate professional, Dr. Tennant
demonstrated great respect and
appreciation for not only his fellow
faculty but, without exception, for his
students as well. His patience, his
humor, his way with words, the twinkle
in his eye - Dr. Tennant made his
classes a delight even when the material
may not have been. While many faculty
may be appreciated, few are truly
remembered with affection.
Dr. Tennant will always be remembered
as someone special.
Carol Marusich, OD ’81, MS, FCOVD
I am not a good writer but
he was a TEACHER and
what is known as a “class
act.” His wife, Shelby, was
also outstanding and
Barbara and I are very
happy we were able to have
spent time with them both.
Howard Woolf, OD ’67
One day we were complaining about the long hours
in class and clinic. Ernie (as we called him) said,
“If you don't like this, you shouldn't be doing it!”
Best advice and teacher I ever had.
James A. Darling, OD ’69,
Galena, IL
My friendship with Dick Tennant goes back to 1955,
when Northern Illinois College of Optometry and
Chicago College of Optometry merged to become
the Illinois College of Optometry. Dr. Tennant’s
faculty service, by every standard of excellence was
without peer.
He was generous and gracious to his faculty colleagues
and to his students, whom he taught with
great vigor and skill. They named him “Teacher of
the Year” so often that it almost became an ICO tradition.
More than 25,000 students have known his
intellectual zest, personal integrity, thorough grasp of
subject specialties, unique lecture style, enthusiasm
for optometry as a fulfilling career, and his personal
qualities of compassion, quiet humor and affability.
One of my favorite stories about Dr. Tennant comes
from his usual 8 a.m. class in geometrical optics. One
day, a student was talking during the lecture. Dick
noticed and stopped speaking for about 10 seconds.
The classroom turned to complete silence. Dick said,
“Now John,” or whatever the fellow’s name, “if you
don’t pay attention, I’m going to tell your mother.”
The class broke up in laughter; the student got the
message.
To capture the totality of an individual as rich and
many-sided as Richard Tennant is virtually impossible.
Just as he had great respect for the learner, so
his colleagues and innumerable former students
regarded him with profound respect and admiration.
Dick Tennant was very special. As Sir Isaac Newton
said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing upon
the shoulders of giants.” Dr. Tennant is, for us, such
a giant.
Alfred Rosenbloom, NICO ’48
Former ICO Dean and President
All teachers should know the influence
they have on the rest of the LIVES of
their students. I have been fortunate
enough to have had three help me get
where I am today. Each instilled a
self-confidence that I needed at just the
right time. My mother used to tell me
I was a lucky person and my wife
believes the same.
In college, a teacher I regarded highly
encouraged me simply by saying I had
the ability to make something of myself.
I applied to ICO. Though I was never the
greatest student, I could learn things that
were taught, especially if it came to
numbers.
Optics came easy for me until second
semester. I had only spoken to Dr.
Tennant once in private previously, when
I asked him for a recommendation for a
scholarship (which I got). I was struggling
in second semester optics, and no
one could have known what it was doing
to my self-confidence. We got our
midterm back and I did so poorly I
feared the consequence of failing the
course.
But after reviewing the test, Dr. Tennant
did something I will never forget. He
asked a question which had nothing to
do with optics but that combined logic
and mathematics. I figured the answer in
my head while everyone was beginning
to write calculations down on paper. I
looked around and saw everyone with
their heads down and hands at work.
Dr. Tennant looked at me, as if to say
“Well?” So I raised my hand and gave
him the answer. He said, “I knew you
could do it.” I think I got a C in that
class but probably deserved less.
Confidence restored, I continued on my
journey to where I am today: happy and
grateful to all the people that helped me
get here. Dr. Tennant was not only a
good teacher, he was a good man.
Ray Goga, OD ’75
ICO MATTERS SUMMER 2008 / 16