Alumni News
1975
Tom Azman
recently celebrated 30 years in private practice, 28 of those years with his
brother, Irwin in Azman Eye Care Specialists.
Tom was recently appointed to the Maryland State Board of Optometry and
is also active in the AOA, the Maryland Optometric Association and the Greater
Baltimore Optometric Society, and was given the 2005 Optometry Recognition
Award. Tom and his wife Ruth live in
Baltimore, MD, and have four sons, 2 daughters-in-law and one grandson.
Michael Freeman and his wife Cathy live in Arab, AL,
where Mike also practices. They have two
children, Jonathan and Rose.
1976
Hernan Benavides and wife Rita live in Eufaula, AL.
Their daughter, Laura will begin optometry school at the UABSO in
August, 2005.
Danny Hartzog practices in Clayton, AL, where he and
his wife Emily reside. They have 2
children, Shea, 27, and Hollen, 23.
1978
Martin Habel lives and practices in Rainsville,
AL. He is the Vice President of the
Alabama Board of Optometry, where he is serving his second term. He and wife Sandra have 3 children: Matt, age 25, who is a 2nd year
UABSO student; Andrew, age 22, who is a civil engineer working in Orlando, FL;
and Jenny, age 17, who is a senior in high school.
Cham McMillin and his wife Conti,
live in Kingsport, TN and have 2 children, Abbye, 21, and Jake,
17.
1979
Dewey A. Handy celebrated 20 years in private
practice in June, 2004. He writes that
he has recently taken on a new associate, Dr. Kimberly Ragan. He and his wife Martha live in Jackson,
MS. Dr. Handy was the 2003 Alumnus of
the Year.
Stancil Handley writes, “January 1, 2004, I sold my
Alabaster, AL, practice to Vision First and now work 3 days a week in the
Columbiana practice, spending my other time working on the Double SS Ranch
which we own and operate in Columbiana.”
Handley was recently elected as President of the Shelby County
Cattleman’s Association and was appointed to a 4-year term on the Columbiana
Beautification Board. His daughter,
Frankie, age 26, will graduate nursing school in May, 2005. His son Philding, age 24, will finish a
4-year enlistment in the Marine Corps in April, 2005. And, KC, his youngest son, age 20, works with
Brasfield and Gorrie in commercial construction.
Freddie Mayes lives
and practices in Central City, KY.
Freddie is the President of the Kentucky Optometric Association, and
Treasurer of the County Board of Health.
Son Wes is completing his 2nd year of optometry school at
UABSO, and son Tyler is a 2nd year student at the University of
Louisville.
Gary E. Roquemore lives and practices in Jasper, AL.
Gary and wife Nancy have 2 children,
Dustin,23, who is studying Management Information
Systems at the University of Alabama, and Tyler,
15, who just started driving.
1980
Darlene Forsyth Harris lives and practices in
Anniston, AL. She has 2 children,
Jennifer, age 31, and Rod, age 30, and 2 grandchildren, Taylor Harris, age 2,
and Payton Harris, age 4 months.
Rod Horton of Palm Harbor, FL was named the 2004
Alumnus of the Year by the UABSO Alumni Association.
Mike Parker
lives and practices in Ft. Payne, AL.
Mike currently serves as President-Elect of the UABSO Alumni
Association, and is active in many other professional and civic
organizations. Mike and Laura have 2
children: Amelia, 24, will receive an
M.A. in Education in May, 2005 from the University of Alabama and son Adam, 20,
is a junior at the University of Alabama majoring in Business.
Wendy Waguespack practices in Baton Rouge, LA, where
she lives with her husband, R. Paul Ivey, and son Justin Ivey, age 15.
1981
Glenda Brown
reports that after 23 years of practice, she still loves optometry --
taking care of patients, keeping up with new approaches to patient care
and even managing employees. Glenda and Chip
(’80) have been married for 25 years and have 3 children, Mallory, 10,
Garrett, 19, and Meredith, 22, and one grandson, Phillip. She is active in her church with a women’s
and girl’s group and doing community vision screenings.
Tim Nichols practices in Albertville, AL. In 2002, Tim was named ALOA Optometrist of
the Year and UABSO Alumnus of the Year.
He and wife LeiAnn live in Guntersville, AL. They have 6 children: Dana, 29; Rob, 25; Ryan, 23; Chris, 23; Cole,
19; and Anna, 15.
Mike Quint lives and practices in Ocean Springs,
MS. He and wife Denise have 4 children,
Nicholas, 20, Anthony, 18, Jennifer, 13, and Savanna, 8.
Tommy Tucker and
wife Cheryl live in Greer, SC, with 3 children, David, 22, Julie, 20, and
Casey, 18. Tommy writes that David starts
optometry school in the fall.
Rick Weisbarth,
who completed a residency in 1981, lives in Suwanee, GA, with his wife
Pam. He is Vice President of
Professional Services for CIBA Vision North America. Rick is the President-Elect of the American
Academy of Optometry, and was recently inducted into the National Academies of
Practice.
1982
Chip Cowan, Jr. lives in Opelika, AL with his wife
Kim, and children Wes, age 17, and Blair, age 14.
Walter Eganmaier, a LTC in the Army Reserve, was mobilized to active duty from JAN
2003-APR 2004, serving at FT Bragg, NC, mobilizing and demobilizing
soldiers. He is now back in Evansville, IN, hoping to make partner this
year. Walter is currently a Trustee for the Indiana Optometric
Association. Wife, Marian (Bitsie), is a dietitian with The Heart Group,
Deaconess Hospital, and Chancellor Cancer Center. Michelle, 22, is now
attending her first year at Indiana University Optometry School and son Paul,
19, graduated high school and works at the library. The Egenmaiers send
along their best wishes.
Adam Gordon
married Becky Lark in August 2004. Son
Ben, 13, celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in June, 2005.
Franklin Neal Smith
lives and practices in Myrtle Beach, SC.
He and his wife Maria have 3 children, Anna, 13, Luisa, 9, and Andrew,
4.
Ann A. Williams, of Hattiesburg, MS, has “No news!
I have practiced in the same location in Hattiesburg for more than 20
years. My business partner, Lisa
Herrington, O.D., (’88) is also a UABSO alumna.”
1983
Julie Howard practices
part-time in Inverness, FL, where she and husband Steve live with their four
children: Kristen, 20, Walter, 17,
Spencer, 11 and Sam, 6. Kristen is a
senior at Samford University, and was named Miss Jefferson County. In 2003, Julie joined the West Coast Eye
Institute in Citrus County. She is also
active with the Citrus County School Health Care Advisory Committee and is past
chairman of the Life Choice Care Center in Citrus County
Joel C. Jenkins writes that he has “been on 11
international eyecare mission trips since 1996, 7 times as a team member, and 4
times as part of the mission leadership team.
He lives in Athens, GA, with his wife Ingrid and their children Chloé,
age 14, and Katarina, age 11.
Kent Stribling lives and practices in Philadelphia, MS.
He is a past-president of the Mississippi Optometric Association, and
has chaired the Education Committee for eleven years. Kent spends many hours coaching youth
baseball and soccer, and works with numerous other civic and charitable
organizations. He and Mitzi have 3
children, Taylor, 18, Tyson, 16, and Trent, 11.
1985
Britt Blackwell lives and practices in Rock Hill, SC, where he is one of the first four
optometrists in the nation to achieve Certified Medical Investigator Level 5
(highest level) with the American College of Forensic Examiners,
International. Britt and his wife Martha
have two children, Christina, age 17, and Phillip, age 12.
Christine Kispert King practices in Greenbelt, MD. She is
active in the Maryland Optometric Association as Treasurer, on the Legislative
Committee, and as a Regional Coordinator.
She is also very active in the local Lions Club, involved in pre-school
vision screening programs. Christine and
her husband Kevin live in Rockville, MD.
Pat Mullins practices in Tallassee, AL. He and his wife Conti have seven children,
Kari, age 21; Abby, age 18; Alex, age 14; Patrick, age 14; Hunter, age 12;
Carmen, age 9; Nic, age 9.
Bruce Reese lives and practices in Kinston, NC. He and his wife Joy have 4 children, Chad, 22,
Meredith, 19, Tyler, 17, and Cameron, 13.
1986
Billy Wayne Andrews lives and practices in Horse
Cave, KY. Billy is the President of the
Board of Directors for the Kentucky Repertory Theatre.
Loretta Dunne James writes “for those of you in the class of 1986: Julia, who was born 3 days after we
graduated, is now a freshman at the University of Alabama. Feel old?”
Hamp Moore recently
bought a new practice in Florence, AL.
Hamp writes that he is “pleased to serve as the Secretary Treasurer of
the UABSO Alumni Association.” He and
wife Melinda live in Florence with 4 children, Nathan, 15, Mary Claire, 6, Dean,
3 and Clayton, 3.
Kelly Spetalnick and husband Tom (’86) live in
Atlanta, GA. Kelly reports that she is
“semi-retired from optometry and a full-time mother of teenagers learning to
drive. Eek!”
1987
Irwin H. Fingerman moved to a larger office in Pinson, AL after 14 years at the old
location. Irwin and his wife Cathy live
in Hoover and have 3 children, Shera, 22, Levi, 19, and Seth, 17. Daughter Shera graduated magna cum laude from
the University of Alabama, and Seth was named to the All State Basketball team
by the Birmingham News.
Martha Wright of
Orange Beach, AL, has been associated with the Bay Eyes Cataract and Laser
Center in Foley, AL for 10 years. She
and husband Tom Denton have 2 children, Leslie, 15, and Kevin, 12.
1988
Gregory R. Jackson lives and practices in Mobile,
AL. He and wife Sally have 3 children,
Bragan, 16, Sarabeth, 14, and Danlton, 11.
Sam Pierce lives
in Trussville, AL, with his wife Kylee and daughter Julianna, age 9. Sam is SECO Trustee for Alabama, Chairman of
the Advisory Board of Eye Health Partners of Alabama and a member of the PRC
Committee of the American Optometric Association.
Chuck Stevenson lives in DeFuniak Springs, FL with
his wife Jill and 3 children, Betsy, 13, Charlie, 11, and John, 7.
1989
John T Bender, Jr. lives in Enterprise, AL with his
wife Karen, and their children Shelby, age 12, and John, III, age 8.
Warren S. Schmitt and his wife Karen live in Sorrento, FL.
Warren was an examiner for the Florida State Board of Optometry
Competency Exam in 1995, 1996 and 2002.
He also participates in AOA Vision USA Program, the Jeppsen Vision
Program for the Needy and the Lions Club Exams for the Needy. Additionally, Warren graduated from law
school, receiving his Juris Doctorate in 2000.
Yvonne T. Shook, from Charlotte, NC, is in her 15th year of solo private
practice. She had her husband James have
three children, Daniel, 6, Sarah Grace, 6, and Matthew, 5, who attend a magnet
elementary school in German language immersion.
Greg Williamson lives in Brooks, GA with his wife Amy
and 3 children, Zachary, 15, Jacob, 13, and Rachel, 11.
1990
Michael D. Brown reports that he enjoys caring for “America’s Heroes” at the Huntsville,
AL VA Hospital, where he is the Optometry Clinic Chief. He is a Clinical Associate Professor at the
UABSO, an Instructor in Family Medicine at the University of Alabama School of
Medicine, and is Optometric Consultant to the von Hippel Lindau Family
Alliance. He is also authoring online CE
articles and a book chapter on optometric management of diabetes. Mike is a youth soccer coach, a Sunday School
class coordinator, a member of the Board of Directors for the Fern Bell Recreation
League and on the President’s Council of Harding University. He and his wife Sandra live in Huntsville and
have 3 sons, David, 16, Daniel, 13 and Joshua, 11.
Jan Clenney Lenz lives and practices in Muscle
Shoals, AL. She and husband Jason have 2
children, Alex, age 11, and Olivia, age 8.
Derrell Ray Spurlock, III lives in Athens, LA, and practices in Minden, LA. He is President of the Louisiana Board of
Optometry Examiners. He and Chris have 3
children, Chip, 23, Emily, 19, and Rudy, 12.
Maurice Zadeh recently
celebrated 10 years of service in Roswell, GA.
He serves as Treasurer for the Georgia Optometric Association and head
of the “Division of Advancement’ for the Georgia Optometric Association. He and his wife Hangameh
and two children, Shandon, 8, and Melody, 4. Maurice enjoys volunteer work at this
childrens’ school.
1991
Lynn Hammonds
is Secretary of the Alabama State Board of Optometry, and works on the SECO
Awards and Logistics Committee. Lynn is
past-president of the UABSO Alumni Association.
She and husband Mike have a daughter, Laura, age 9.
Gene Harrison
and his wife Martha live in Trussville, with their sons David, 12 and Ben,
10. In addition to his practice, Gene is
the Director of Commissioners for the Trussville Baseball Association.
Donna and John Whitlow live
in LaGrange, GA with their 2 children, Jennifer, age 7,
and John, age 4.
1993
Cathy and Shawn Doty lives and practice together in New Bern, NC. Cathy is the VSP “People First” Southeast
Regional Winner for 2004, is a board member of the Better Vision Institute and
is the NC State Optometric Society’s Children’s Vision Committee Chair. They are building a new satellite office in
Bayboro, NC, to open in summer of 2005.
Michael A. Griffin and his wife Stacy announce the birth of a daughter, Keelyn Isabel. The Griffins live in Dothan, AL.
1994
Julie Young Campbell practices in Callaway, FL, working 3 days a week. She and husband Troy stay busy with their
three small children Madeline, 4, Mitchell, 2-1/2, and Marshall, 5 months.
Tammy Hogan Love opened a private practice in Bowling Green, KY, in October, 2004. She and husband Tracy welcomed Grace Madison
Love to the family in September, 2004.
Tammy is a member of the local health department board, and is involved
in church activities.
Michelle M. Reeves practices optometry in Greenville, SC.
She is the current President of the South Carolina Optometric
Association. She works as a volunteer
with the Special Olympics and her church, and works with the PTO at Our Lady of
the Rosary Catholic School. She finished
her first marathon in February, 2005.
Michelle and husband Andrew live in Simpsonville, SC, with 2 daughters,
Meredith, 6, and Madeline, 3.
1995
Cliff Caudill practices
in Lexington, KY, and has recently completed requirements to become a Fellow of
the American Academy of Optometry in Tampa, AL.
He and his wife Lesley live in Nicholasville, KY.
Kristel Whitley Causby lives in Waynesville,
NC, and practices in Clyde, NC. She
and her husband Cory Scott Causby have a daughter Laurel, 1-1/2.
Robert B. Duvall and his wife Amy live in Bowling Green, KY, with three children,
Alexander, 8, William, 5, and Grayson, 6 months. In addition to his practice, Robert serves as
Chairman of Deacons in their church.
Carrie Weaver Stock lives and practices in Winston-Salem, NC.
She and husband Michael have a daughter, Haley, who is 2 years old.
1996
Samantha and Steve Beaty live
in Fulton, MS, where they share a practice. They are members of the First Evangelical
Church of Tupelo, and Steve is a member of the Rotary Club.
Nancy Herlevich spent a week in Nicaragua in May, 2004, working with a Nicaraguan
optometrist who had been unable to practice due to lack of funds and
equipment. 550 patients were fitted with
glasses in that week. Nancy is also
involved with the Gainesville Christian Ministries quarterly screenings for the
local poor/homeless community, where they treat 40-50 patients at each
screening.
Andrea and Chris Howard live and practice in Crestview, FL, where they have been in private
practice for 6 years. They have a son
Ethan, 2, and expect a second child in December, 2005.
Larry Nicastro has practiced for eight years in
Huntsville with Ken Moultrie (’83). Larry
and his wife Dottie have 2 children, Joseph, 1½ years old, and Gabriella, born
10/17/04.
1997
Shaye Simpson Hurd reports that she has been Secretary and Treasurer for the past three
years for the Coastal Carolina Optometric Society, which is a local chapter of
the South Carolina Optometric Association.
She and husband Mark live in Goose Creek, SC, with their son Mark Allen
Hurd, age 1.
Jennifer Bradley Lemmon married Louis in March, 2004, “gaining not only a husband but also two
wonderful children.” Jennifer practices
at Oliver Eye Associates in York, SC.
She and Louis are very involved in their local church.
Marie Letson practices
part-time in Huntsville, AL. She and her
husband Brent Bourland welcomed their first child, daughter Carley Elizabeth
Bourland, in June, 2004.
Karen Smith Vanoy married Will Vanoy in August, 2004, and they live in Leeds, AL. Karen practices in Gadsden. She serves on the Downtown Design Review
Board for the City of Gadsden and on the Board of Directors for the Theatre of
Gadsden.
1998
Mollie Glenn lives in Elizabethtown, NC, with her
husband Rick and their daughter Grace-Anna Marie Glenn, age 4.
Rodney Landreth and his wife Dinah live in Northport,
AL. Rodney maintains two practices,
Pickens Eyecare in Reform, AL, and Tuscaloosa Eyecare in Northport, AL. He is the President of the Rotary Club of
Reform, and a board member of Lakewood Property Association. They have one son, Blake, age 4, and one on
the way, due in March, 2005.
Mallory Sanderfur Roberts lives in Hartford, KY with
her husband Jason. She practices
optometry in Beaver Dam, and was named the 2004 Kentucky Young Optometrist of
the Year.
Kim Walters lives and practices in Weaverville, NC,
where she recently built a new free-standing office building. She had her husband Daniel have one daughter,
Teel, who is three years old.
William Womble lives and practices in Fayetteville,
TN. He and his wife, Deanna have 3
children: Drew, age 6; Emma, age 3; and
Evan, 7 months.
1999
Daniel Sullivan lives in Boone, NC, with his wife
Heidi and daughter Caitlin, age 17, where he also owns a practice.
2000
Dana Rendall Agnes practices in Charlotte, NC, where
she and her husband Peter also live.
Ellis Cosby writes, “I have been employed by James E.
Strom, O.D., P.C., since graduation in 6/2000.
My partner recently retired and I am now the owner and single
practitioner. The name will soon be
changed to J. Ellis Cosby, O.D., P.C.”
He and wife Vicky have 2 children, Shelby, age 14, and Candace, age 11.
Vivianle Freeman is an Air Force Captain, serving at Ramstein Air Base in Germany since
2003. She and husband Michael and 2
children, Kammerin, 2 and Eliott, 8 months.
Laurel Meier Jordan writes that she is no longer on active duty with the Navy. She and her husband Brian live in
Fredericksburg, VA.
2001
Rose Darby
and her husband Anthony live in Jacksonville, FL with their son Andrew, born on
9/26/04.
Susan Hosmer Persall and husband Sean live in Hartselle, AL where she owns Hartselle Eye
Care. She is board member of
VisionAmerica, a member of the Hartselle Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary
Club, and actively supports local schools and youth activities including sports
and academic groups.
2002
Emily Ché Flores practices in Cullman, AL. She and her husband Romero (’05) live in Mt.
Olive, AL, and recently welcomed a new addition, daughter Sarah Kinley, born in
April, 2005.
Sally Wong Moore serves as Advisory Board Secretary of VisionAmerica of Mobile, AL. She had husband David live in Daphne, AL,
with son Jacob, who is almost 2 years old.
Wende Waggoner Wu writes that she started her own
private practice in Santa Fe, NM,
in July, 2004 and will be joining a 2nd practice in Spring, 2005 in Los
Alamos, NM. Wende was awarded the 2005 Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS) Fellowship in Primary Care, where she will
work in an interdisciplinary setting to study public health policy development
and implementation at the local, state and national levels. As a member of the central New Mexico
Optometric Association, she is involved in community glaucoma screenings,
legislative lobbying for optometry laws and other community projects. She is the secretary of the Vision Care
Section of the American Public Health Association for 2005-2007, and is also
involved in the Small Business Association for women in Santa Fe. In her spare time Wende enjoys motorcycle
riding, skiing and camping.
2003
Brad Hines and his wife Leslie live in Memphis,
TN. In January, 2004, Brad joined as a
full partner in the Optometry Group in Memphis, a practice which has 3 full-time
O.D.’s focusing on primary care.
Matthew James recently
moved back to Alabama from Franklin, TN, and is working for Dr. Jack
Schaeffer. He and his wife Kandi live in
Birmingham with their two children, Olivia, 7, and Langston, 1.
Joy Anderson McDonald and husband Frank recently moved to Jackson, MS, where Frank completes a
residency in Ophthalmology, and Joy is employed by Ophthalmology Group (Jackson
Eye Institute).
Dawn Dachelet Wilczek lives in Pell City and joined her father’s (Ron Dachelet, ’73) practice
in Anniston, AL, where she is a member of the Anniston Rotary Club. She and Thomas welcomed their first child,
Abigail Grace in January, 2005.
2004
Ashley Holloway Bowers was married in August, 2004 to Scott Bowers in North Carolina. Ashley works for a private practice north of
Atlanta and is involved with the Greater Atlanta Optometric Association and the
Georgia Optometric Association.
Parisa Tackett Dudley lives with husband Paul in Birmingham, AL, where they are in the process
of building a new house. In addition to
her work, Parisa is active in the Junior League of Birmingham, the Birmingham
Museum of Art and the Alpha Gamma Delta Alumnae.
Amy Harris Lambert recently married Jay Lambert, and
they live in Newnan, GA. Amy practices
in Tyrone, GA.
Lan Quang O’Donnell has
built an office one mile east of the Sandestin Resort in the Florida
panhandle. Lan practices optometry there
Mondays through Wednesdays, and husband Michael practices dentistry Thursdays
and Fridays. They have also bought an
existing dental practice in DeFuniak
Springs, FL, where Michael practices Mondays through Wednesdays. Lan works with Chuck Stevenson, O.D. (’88) in
DeFuniak on Thursdays and Fridays. They
have joined the South Walton and Destin Chambers of Commerce, and plan to
continue to be involved with annual mission trips through the Tennessee Baptist
Missionaries.