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Summer 2026
Honoring Tradition: Advancing Care
WRITTEN BY:
Abena Apea
Tradition on Display
The 2026 commencement ceremony carried the pageantry befitting an important milestone. But when Alfred A. Rosenbloom III, PhD, and Susan Tobert, MSW, presented Tracy Matchinski, OD ’95, with the medal recognizing her appointment as the inaugural Rosenbloom Family Professor in Low Vision Rehabilitation, the moment rose above ceremony. As graduates prepared to enter a profession grounded in both science and humanity, they witnessed how optometry moves forward through the knowledge, service, and mentorship passed from one generation to the next.
The significance of the occasion reached back decades—to the life and work of Alfred A. Rosenbloom Jr., OD ’48, MA, DOS (NICO), father of Alfred A. Rosenbloom III and Susan Tobert.
Tracy Matchinski, OD ’95, VOSH trip.
The Origins – Leading the Field
Long before low-vision rehabilitation was widely recognized as a distinct area of care, Alfred A. Rosenbloom Jr., OD ’48, MA, DOS, understood that preserving sight meant more than correcting vision; it meant preserving independence, and dignity, through quality of life. Over a career that spanned decades, he helped expand the role of optometry, shaping both how it is practiced and how it is taught.
A 1948 graduate of Northern Illinois College of Optometry (NICO), which later merged with Chicago College of Optometry in 1955 to become Illinois College of Optometry (ICO), Dr. Rosenbloom joined the College’s faculty and began what would become a lifelong association with the institution—first as a faculty member, then as dean, and ultimately as president. As his responsibilities grew, so too did his role in advancing the emerging field of low-vision rehabilitation. Known throughout the profession as a teacher, author, mentor, and advocate, Dr. Rosenbloom helped bring greater visibility and legitimacy to a field that was still developing within optometry.
In 1954, while continuing his work at NICO, Dr. Rosenbloom helped establish one of the nation’s first low-vision rehabilitation services at The Chicago Lighthouse. At a time when specialized resources for visually impaired individuals were limited, he advocated for a more comprehensive approach to care—one focused not simply on eyesight, but on preserving function, independence, and quality of life.
Low-vision rehabilitation would eventually become part of the curriculum and clinical practice at ICO and optometry programs across the country. Dr. Rosenbloom helped inspire new teaching models, clinical innovations, and specialized residencies within the field. Through humanitarian outreach and international collaboration, Dr. Rosenbloom helped expand low-vision rehabilitation far beyond Chicago and the United States. He helped establish low-vision clinics in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Nepal, while participating in more than 20 missions with VOSH-Illinois to expand access to vision care in underserved communities around the world.
Through his leadership, teaching, and humanitarian service, Dr. Rosenbloom helped reshape the profession’s understanding of low-vision rehabilitation and its responsibility to aging and visually impaired populations. Over time, the values that shaped Dr. Rosenbloom’s career became deeply woven into both the practice of optometry and the culture of ICO itself.
In 2015, the College dedicated The Alfred and Sarah Rosenbloom Center on Vision and Aging at the Illinois Eye Institute, reinforcing ICO’s longstanding leadership in low-vision rehabilitation and patient-centered care. When Dr. Rosenbloom passed away later that year, his commitment to advancing care through education, mentorship, and service endured.
When Leadership Becomes Tradition
For Alfred A. Rosenbloom III and Susan Tobert, establishing the professorship was not simply about honoring their father’s accomplishments, but about continuing the values that shaped his life’s work: service, education, mentorship, and compassionate patient care.
Selected by ICO leadership as the inaugural Rosenbloom Family Professor in Low Vision Rehabilitation, Dr. Tracy Matchinski represents a fitting continuation of that tradition. Having studied under Dr. Alfred A. Rosenbloom, Jr. and later collaborated with him through SVOSH and humanitarian outreach, Dr. Matchinski became part of the next generation of leaders shaped by his example.
Like Dr. Rosenbloom, Dr. Matchinski has dedicated her career to teaching, mentorship, advocacy, clinical care, and international service. Through her work with students, patients, and SVOSH programs, she continues the commitment to low-vision rehabilitation and humanitarian outreach that defined Dr. Rosenbloom’s career.
Her selection to hold the Rosenbloom Family Professorship in Low Vision Rehabilitation is especially significant—not only because of her accomplishments, but because of the energy, leadership, and vision she brings to the next chapter.
In many ways, the professorship reflects the enduring power of tradition—knowledge shared, values lived, and leadership carried forward from one generation to the next.
Tradition Comes Full Circle
As the Class of 2026 crossed the commencement stage and prepared to begin their own careers, the presentation of the Rosenbloom Family Professorship in Low Vision Rehabilitation became more than a ceremonial recognition. It reflected the enduring values that continue to shape the profession: leadership grounded in service, knowledge shared through teaching and mentorship, and a commitment to treating every patient with dignity and compassion.
For the students witnessing the moment, the legacy of Dr. Alfred A. Rosenbloom, Jr. was no longer simply part of ICO’s history. Through the teaching, service, and advocacy of Dr. Matchinski and the Rosenbloom Family Professorship in Low Vision Rehabilitation, it became part of optometry’s future.
As the need for more and new optometric services and training continued to expand, Dr. Rosenbloom had a concept for a "center" that would be part of ICO. He worked diligently, collaborating with other professionals on his ideas. When the center finally became a reality, he chose to name it The Alfred and Sarah Rosenbloom Center on Vision and Aging to honor his wife, Sarah, who supported him throughout his career and was also deeply involved in the optometric profession by hosting student events, participating in VOSH missions and volunteering in the Alumni Office.
And that is how traditions endure—not as something preserved unchanged, but reimagined through each new generation of clinicians, educators, and leaders committed to helping others see the world more clearly.
Mrs. Uher would be proud to see a recent ICO graduate wanting their family to be centered as part of the ceremony. She believes that the ceremony reflects the values of ICO as an academic institution, “It takes many departments to pull off the ninety minute ceremony – facilities, security, communications, student affairs, the print room, alumni office, faculty members, and the business office, really too many to mention, as every department contributes. When something is needed, and there is always something needed -- often on the same day, they get it to you. Lots of people talk about ICO being a family, but it is true. There are so many quality people there.”
Dr. Colip appreciates Dr. Mullen’s thoughtful intentions that have had an impact on generations of alumni, “Charlie wanted to institute academic traditions that inspired pride and celebrated higher education. His influence became such a rock for our commencement program. You can see the students joking at rehearsal, but the day of the ceremony is always different. It is a celebration of their hard work. When you put on a doctoral robe and that pipe organ fires up, well, it is a representation of the students’ blood, sweat, and tears, the sacrifices their families have made to get them there. It is a very special day.”
One of the strategies Mrs. Uher used to ensure a flawless ceremony, even when stress was running high, was to ensure everyone had all the information they needed for the event, “I always wanted people to know my responsibilities. I wanted a backup, just in case. Before the ceremony started, I would stand by the stage and everyone knew where to find me with questions. ’What if my cap doesn’t fit? Where are the bobby pins?’ And when everyone finally marched down the aisle, I would sit in the front row, taking notes I could use for next year.”
Mrs. Uher fondly recalls her drives home after the ceremonies, “I remember feeling relieved, happy, and proud. I always felt a lot of satisfaction when the ceremony ran smoothly. The people on the stage might not always know everything that went into it or if there were little mistakes here or there, but that never mattered. I can give you details about what made the graduation ceremony work well each year, but it always comes back to the people of ICO.”
Following Mrs. Uher’s retirement, the ICO Commencement Ceremony is now under the leadership of Erik Mothersbaugh, OD ’12, Dean of Student Affairs, and Director of Student Engagement, Mrs. Debra Albers. They have continued to make improvements to planning and execution of the event and even this year implemented changes to enhance the graduate’s experience. “Commencement is an event that is rooted in tradition while remaining ever-evolving,” stated Dr. Mothersbaugh, “Just like ICO itself.”