Summer 2008 - ICO Worldwide - Illinois College of Optometry

O B I T S
1938
Frank E. Gradisek died on May 18 in
Lorain, Ohio. He was born in Lorain on Feb.
18, 1916, and was a lifelong resident. After
graduating from NICO, he went into private
practice for 45 years, retiring in 1983. His son,
Dr. Robert Gradisek, continues to run the
practice, which is now in its 70th year.
1939
Max Honeyman died January 1, 2008.
Paul W. Thomas died August 13, 2007.
1940
Leon Regner of Kenosha, Wis., passed
away in May.
1943
John C. Erlander, Fort Myers, Fla.
1947
George C. Schilling of Holmen, Wis.,
died August 3, 2007.
1948
Nedra Brown of Mokena, Ill., died
March 14, 2008.
Frank Kajiwara of Las Vegas, Nevada,
passed away April 23, 2008.
1949
Herman Gelles
Edward L. Gilbert died July 23, 2007.
E. Lawrence Hill of Holiday, Fla., passed
away June 12, 2008.
Harvey G. Knapp of Baraboo, Wis., died
October 1, 2007.
Marvin Miller died of cancer May 6, 2008,
in his home in Wilmette, Ill. A passionate
fighter for civil rights in the 1960s, Miller
devoted his life to liberal causes, working to
build understanding and cooperation between
different religious communities along the
North Shore of Lake Michigan. He and his
wife Rayna, who died in 2001, were founding
members of the Interfaith Housing Center of
the Northern Suburbs, a fair housing organization.
He served on the executive committee of
the New Trier Democratic Organization and
was a founding member of the North Suburban
Peace Initiative. Miller also served briefly in
the Navy during World War II before completing
his doctorate in optometry at the Northern
21 / ICO MATTERS SUMMER 2008
Illinois College of Optometry. He later left
the field to manage a family-owned business
and run other small businesses. He only
recently retired from his job as financial secretary
for the Sts. Peter and Paul Greek
Orthodox Church in Glenview. Miller is survived
by two sons and five grandchildren.
Jared Nesset of Alamogordo, N.M., died
in November, 2007.
Robert Webb, otherwise known as Doc,
passed away on Feb. 5 in Ashland, Ky. He
was 85. A veteran of WWII, he attended
Monroe College of Optometry after the service,
then opened a private practice in Grayson.
In addition to optometry, Webb was a longtime
fish and wildlife advocate, serving on the
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission for
32 years.
1950
James W. Kensett of Chanute, KS, passed
away on May 6, 2008.
James W. McCullough passed away on
December 26, 2007.
Morton W. Silverman, 81, of Boca Raton,
Fla., passed away on July 9, 2008. An active
advocate for the profession of optometry and
public health, Silverman won numerous
awards and accolades, including ICO’s
Presidential Medal of Honor for Distinguished
Service to Optometry, Rhode Island’s
Optometrist of the Year, and the Distinguished
Service Award for Lifetime Achievement,
given by the American Public Health
Association.
Silverman served two terms as President of the
Rhode Island Optometric Association, and he
was involved in major legislation that created
substantial changes in the optometric profession.
He also served as a member of the R.I.
Board of Examiners in Optometry, The R.I.
Department of Welfare, Office of Medical
Service, and the R.I. Health Dept.
Comprehensive Health Planning Executive
Committee.
In addition to his private practice in Warwick,
R.I., Silverman was a professor of optometry
and public health at Nova Southeastern
University. He had also served as clinic director
at Southern California College of
Optometry.
According to an attendee, Silverman’s funeral
was, “a beautiful service with bag pipes playing
at Mort’s request, the tropical foliage lush
with the light drizzle of rain as a backdrop
through stained glass windows in the front of
the chapel.” Silverman wrote his own the eulogy,
which was, “inspiring and filled with
honor.”
Bruce S. Thomas died on May 11, 2008.
William Burns Yates, a lifelong resident of
Lakeland, Fla., died February 24, 2008, while
under hospice care in Jupiter, Fla. A native of
Bowden, Ga., Yates moved to Lakeland with
his mother as an infant. He graduated from
Lakeland High School in 1941, where he
played Dreadnought football, and attended the
University of Florida on a football scholarship.
He served in the United States Air Force
(USAF) throughout World War II, completing
his optometric education after the war before
serving again in the USAF during the Korean
War. Yates then set up his optometry practice
in Lakeland and also maintained a small
Angus ranch in Medulla. A member of the
Lakeland Lyons Club and the American
Legion, Yates was preceded in death by his
wife of 52 years, Dorothy, a daughter, his
brother, and his parents. He is survived by his
son Thomas and his wife Kathleen
Cunningham of Jupiter, two grandchildren,
and three great-grandchildren.
1951
Edward R. Seefelt died March 17, 2008.
1955
Patrick H. Crotty of Auburn, Neb., passed
away on March 3, 2008.
Robert L. Hartsell died Dec. 30, 2007.
1973
Thomas W. Rice of Marquette, Mich., died
May 11, 2008.
1987
Randy David Ford, surrounded by his
family and loved ones, lost his battle with
cancer on June 11, 2008. He was 49.
Randy was the embodiment of optimism with
his incredible strength of body, mind and
spirit. He taught us all a lot about living and
loving. Please visit his web site at
www.randyford.net to see him, his paintings
and reread his amazingly insightful letters
about life.
In the words of his cousin, Lydia: “Thank
Randy for making the world a better place; we
were so fortunate to know him, touched by his
kindness, his love and his wonderful spirit.”