SPRING 2020
CLASS NOTES: SPRING 2020
1930s
1940s
1949
J.J. Abrams (NICO) has announced his retirement after 70 years in practice. From 1950-2005, he enjoyed a solo practice in the Westside neighborhood of Indianapolis. He then joined his son, John Abrams, MD, at Abrams EyeCare Associates until 2020. In 2019, the State of Kentucky honored Dr. Abrams, naming him a Kentucky Colonel.
1950s
1960s
1962
A. William (Bill) Meyer is enjoying retirement with his therapy dog, spending Wednesdays visiting the patients at the Travis Air Force Base Hospital in Fairfield, Calif. He is proud to share that his son, a Sonoma County Fire Captain, led a strike team to fight the 77,000-acre Kincade fire.
1969
Robert P. Rutstein was the recipient of the Springer Award Lecture given by the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, where he holds the distinction of Professor Emeritus. The title of his lecture was “Retinally Induced Aniseikonia: An Under Recognized Cause of Binocular Vision Symptoms in Adults." Established in 1999, the purpose of the award is to invite distinguished vision scientists and clinicians to share their knowledge with optometry students, faculty, residents, and practitioners.
1970s
1971
D. R. Gordon received the President's Award from the Illinois Optometric Association during their fall convention.
1973
Joseph Ruskiewicz, Assoc. Professor at PCO/Salus University, is the principal investigator of a multi-center U.S. clinical trial, sponsored by Eyenovia, to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the investigational drug, MicroPine, to help slow myopic progression in children.
1977
Bob Livingston was inducted (posthumously) into the KMA Sports Hall of Fame. A multi-sport standout in the 1960s, he was the team captain for the Shenandoah (Iowa) Mustangs, leading them to their only state appearance.
1980s
1983
Mark Hennen received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Optometric Association for his longstanding leadership and service on behalf of the optometric profession.
1987
Millicent Knight, Senior Vice President, Customer Development Group at Essilor of America, received the Optical Women's Association's Pleiades Award. This award recognizes her exceptional action in advancing the leadership role of women in the optical industry.
1990s
2000s
2000
Mamie Chan was awarded the 2019 OD of the Year Award from the Great Western Council of Optometry. She was also named a new board member of Women in Optometry.
2008
Matt Jones was elected President-Elect of the Illinois Optometric Association during its fall convention.
2009
Erica Ittner welcomed baby Raife William Marker on Jan. 15. She is also a faculty member at ICO.
2010s
2010
Zanna Kruoch (ICO Resident) received the Optometric Educator Award from the American Optometric Association.
2011
Jackie Keller and husband Craig Keller ’11 welcomed baby Emma to their family on Jan. 13.
Marian Longo was married to Paul Jones on Oct. 26.
2014
Abby Jakob welcomed baby Max on Jan. 10.
2015
Jessilin Quint (ICO Resident) was named to the board of Women in Optometry.
2016
Jenna Koskey has joined the optometry department at Kaiser Permanente Kona Medical Office. Prior to moving to Hawaii, she worked as an optometrist for the PeaceHealth Medical Group in Eugene, Oregon.
2018
Jasmine Ghotra opened her own solo practice, Precious Eyes, in Abbotsford, BC, on the first day of 2020.
2019
Madeline Bartels has joined the practice Fichte Endl & Elmer in Amherst, N.Y.
2020s
Friends and Family
Mea Culpa
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The following abbreviations denote predecessor names of the Illinois College of Optometry.
NICO: Northern Illinois College of Optometry
CCO: Chicago College of Optometry
MCO: Monroe College of Optometry
