 Fall Homecoming & CE Registration Ends Soon
Registration to attend SCO's Fall Homecoming and CE Weekend has been extended to Friday, September 26, so alumni and guests have a few more days to confirm their final registration details and make plans to join us for what promises to be a great weekend. Late registrations after Friday may be made by contacting Jeanie Snider at (901) 722-3216 or by registering on site. Join us for 19 hours of COPE-approved CE and special events, including a Kick-off party, Alumni and Friends Dinner and After-party and so much more. Class reunions will be held for alumni whose graduation ended in '4' or '9.' Joe Ellis, OD '87, will receive SCO's Lifetime Achievement Award, and Lindsay Elkins, OD '07, will receive the Young Alumni Award. SCO has received word that a late block of rooms opened up at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Memphis, so be sure to visit Doubletree's website or call their national hotline for availability. Visit our Homecoming page to learn more about all the exciting events set to get underway in two weeks!
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AOA President Visits SCO Campus
Dr. Cockrell Urges Student Involvement in Advocacy
 AOA President David Cockrell, OD '81, pictured with SCO President Richard Phillips, OD '78, visited campus earlier this month to address an assembly of students, faculty and staff. Dr. Cockrell outlined recent legislative advances that have benefited optometry and explained the importance of student involvement sooner, rather than later, in advocating for the profession. In his remarks, he noted that he never expected to lead the AOA when he was a student and predicted that future leaders will continue to emerge from SCO's student body. The 13th SCO graduate to lead the AOA, Dr. Cockrell also noted that SCO has produced more state association leaders than any other optometry school.
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Alumni Join Hayes Center for Practice Excellence Panel
New Students Encouraged to Focus on Future
 Several alumni joined a "Focus on the Future" panel held by the Hayes Center for Practice Excellence for SCO's 136 first-year students. Moderated by Hayes Center Interim Director Glenn Goldring, OD '78, a panel discussion shared advice with students on steps they can take over the next four years to ensure their post-graduation success. Alumni participants included Whitney Hauser, OD '01, Mike Gerstner OD '97, Ty Sloan, OD '80, Do Nguyen, OD '12, Chris Cooper, OD '97, and Tina Grosshans, OD '14. The annual program is part of SCO's Career Counseling Initiative.
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Nominations Sought for Honorary Degrees
Deadline is October 31
SCO invites submissions for names of distinguished ODs and other individuals for consideration of honorary degrees to be awarded at commencement in 2015. Recipients must be of sufficient stature and character as to honor the college; anonymous submissions will not be accepted. Specific criteria must include at least two of these:
- Distinguished record of scholarship;
- Outstanding contributions to society through humanitarian efforts, public service or education;
- Outstanding contributions to optometry or the optometric profession.
Nominations and supporting details should be sent to Academic Affairs (Honorary Degrees), c/o SCO, 1245 Madison Ave., Memphis, TN 38104, or emailed to degrees@sco.edu. The deadline is October 31.
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CLASSNOTES AND UPDATES
News about SCO's Alumni and Faculty
Cliff Rainey, OD '51, has been selected as the Grand Marshall in the LaGrange, Georgia Christmas Parade. Dr. Rainey has practiced in LaGrange for more than 60 years. Read more in this newspaper story.
Morton Thomas, OD '82, was recently profiled in this newspaper story published by the Nashville Tennessean.
Tonyatta Hairston, OD '01, recently wrote an article about disposable contact lenses for Review of Optometric Business.
Marc Carozza, OD '06, lost his Arkadelphia, Arkansas practice to a fire earlier this month. Our thoughts go out to him and his staff as they work to rebuild.
Eric Combs, OD '11, and Alicia (Back) Combs, OD '11, recently started their own private practice in Liberty Township, Ohio. In addition to Combs Family EyeCare, the couple also recently bought an existing private practice in Middletown, Ohio to serve as their second location.
Joy Ellenberger, OD '11, was recently interviewed about vision therapy for this TV news story.
Kacy Barker, OD '12, and her husband, Matthew, welcomed a son, Ethan Matthew, pictured, on July 11. He measured 20.75 inches and weighed 6 lbs., 15 ozs.
Travis Thompson, OD '13, recently purchased Hardin Valley Eyecare and Optical in East Tennessee. He's the sole owner of the practice.
Lekha Samuel, OD '14, joined Dr. Jason Singh, Executive Director of OneSight Foundation, in sharing their experiences providing eyecare in Gambia to a recent campus-wide assembly of SCO's faculty, staff, residents and students.
Sarah Thompson, OD '14, recently joined Tarboro Eye Associates in North Carolina.
A note to Class of 2014 alumni: SCO's yearbooks have arrived and will be mailed to you soon, so please be sure that Institutional Advancement has your most recent mailing adddress.
Faculty and SCO Updates
Whitney Hauser, OD '01, and Al Kabat, OD, were interviewed by Review of Optometry about their work with SCO's TearWell: Advanced Dry Eye Treatment Center.President Richard W. Phillips, OD '78, was interviewed as the guest on the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce's "Chairman's Circle" radio show to air this next weekend. An online version will be made available soon.  Glen Steele, OD '69, received the Skeffington-Alexander Award and Marc Taub, OD, received the Armand Bastian Award at the recent International Congress of Behavioral Optometry. Several other faculty members also attended the UK conference, including Paul Harris, OD, Karen Kehbein, OD, Pam Schnell, OD '01, and Melissa Zarn, OD.John Mark Jackson, OD '99, and Nancy Chan, OD, wrote an article about tear film power in last month's issue of Contact Lens Spectrum. Chris Borgman, OD, recently authored articles in Optometry Times and Optometry & Vision Science. Marc Taub, OD, and Pam Schnell, OD '01, were recently invited to edit the World Council of Optometry's annual publication, World Focus, which will launch on World Sight Day and be distributed at the American Academy of Optometry meeting in Denver. In Memoriam:- Ira Spencer, OD '50; Fort Scott, KS
- William O. Perkins, OD '67; Counce, TN
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 UPCOMING EVENTS
Note the Dates for SCO's Events!
- Oct. 9-12: SCO Homecoming and Fall CE Weekend
- Oct. 10: Alumni/Child Admissions Forum
- Oct. 15-18: Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians fall meeting
- Oct. 30-Nov. 2: Mississippi Optometric Association fall meeting
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