My experience at Ohio State created a platform for me to have a wonderful practice but also a great experience as an optometrist. Community involvement started very early in my career, joining the practice of Dr. Jack Keith, who encouraged me to get involved with my community. I had the privilege of chairing the 1991 NEC World Series of Golf at Firestone Country Club in Akron overseeing 1000 volunteers and raising almost a million dollars for the Akron community. I also served as President of the Fairlawn Kiwanis and Fairlawn Chamber of Commerce in 1986 and was named Fairlawn’s Citizen of the Year in 1988.

I am very proud of my professional accomplishments as well. Early in my career, I became Zone 3 Governor, continuing through many Ohio Optometric Association (OOA) committees and serving as President of the OOA in 1995. I was named the Warren G. and Ruth P. Morris Optometrist of the Year in 1997. I also have served the profession nationally as chairman of the American Optometric Association (AOA) Professional Relations Committee, as well as chairing two AOA Nominating Committees. I have been on the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry’s COPE Committee for the past 12 years, chairing the committee six years ago and continue to be a consultant to the COPE committee. I am also most proud of serving on the Ohio State Board of Optometry for 10 years.

I thank The Ohio State University College of Optometry for giving me the education to represent myself, as well as my profession, proudly throughout my career in optometry.

David A. Berntsen, OD, PhD, FAAO completed his Doctor of Optometry degree in 2002 at the University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO). He completed a Cornea and Contact Lens Advanced Practice Fellowship (2004) and a PhD in Vision Science (2009) at The Ohio State University College of Optometry. During his studies, he was a two-time recipient of an American Optometric Foundation William C. Ezell Fellowship. His research interests include juvenile-onset myopia, contact lenses, and optical aberrations of the eye. Notably, Dr. Berntsen conducted the Study of Theories about Myopia Progression (STAMP), a two-year clinical trial evaluating theories of juvenile-onset myopia progression, which found evidence for an association between peripheral myopic defocus and slowed myopia progression in children. He has also conducted multiple adult and pediatric studies involving contact lenses and higher-order aberrations of the eye.

In 2010, Dr. Berntsen joined the UHCO faculty as an Assistant Professor, and his laboratory there continues to investigate juvenile-onset myopia and contact lenses. Dr. Berntsen teaches in both the professional and graduate programs and has mentored several NEI-supported professional students interested in a research career. He also volunteers as the UHCO faculty-student liaison to the American Academy of Optometry and as the advisor for the UHCO student chapter of the American Academy of Optometry. Dr. Berntsen lives in Houston, TX with his wife Monique (an OSU College of Nursing alumna) and their two children (Ella and Reed).

Dr. Thomas Quinn received his OD degree in 1979 and his MS degree in 1981 from The Ohio State University College of Optometry. Tom’s MS degree was earned while completing Ohio State’s Cornea and Contact Lens residency under the guidance of Dr. John Schoessler. Tom and Dr. Jerry Paugh were privileged to be only the third “class” of residents to graduate from this one-of-a-kind program. He became a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry in 1982 and then became a Diplomate in the Academy’s Section on Cornea, Contact Lens and Refractive Technologies in 1991. He was a full-time faculty member at Ohio State from 1981-83 then a part-time clinical instructor at the college from 1986 to 1993. He currently has a faculty appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor at The Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Tom practices in Athens with his wife, Dr. Susan Quinn (OD’82), Dr. Shane Foster (OD’08) , and Dr. Robyn Stout Sargent (OD’99). He enjoys serving as principal investigator for numerous studies exploring the performance of contact lenses and contact lens related products.

Tom is a member of the American Optometric Association (AOA), and is currently Chair of the AOA’s Contact Lens and Cornea Council. He has served the Ohio Optometric Association as chair of various committees, including currently serving as chair of The EastWest Eye Conference. Dr. Quinn also serves on the Advisory Board of the Rigid Gas Permeable Lens Institute and was honored with its national 2001 RGP Lens “Practitioner of the Year” Award. He is a contributing editor for Contact Lens Spectrum, the nation’s leading contact lens magazine and for over 30 years has enjoyed speaking in the areas of contact lenses and corneal physiology.

Tom enjoys traveling with his wife and partner, Susan, and takes special delight in spending time with son Brian (Chicago) and daughter Katie (New York City).

Tom also enjoys the stage and has performed in a number of well-known musicals, including The Wizard of Oz (Tinman), The Sound of Music (Captain von Trapp), and Harold Hill in both the 1996 and 2007 Ohio Valley Summer Theater productions of The Music Man. He most recently performed the role of Mr. Fezziwig in the Brick Monkey Theater Ensemble’s production of Appalachian Christmas Carol, which is performed each December at Nelsonville, Ohio’s historic Stuart’s Opera House.

Finally, Tom is a member of the classic rock (1954-1964) band Remember Then. In addition to performing across the state of Ohio, Remember Then will again be the opening act at the EastWest Eye Conference Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Party on October 10, 2014. He invites everyone to come share in the fun. Bring your dancing shoes!

Dr. Fortuna’s mother, Karen Fortuna, wrote us, “We were very happy to hear that our son Allen, AJ to us, was chosen as one of Ohio State Optometry’s 2014 Centennial Notables. We thank you for this honor that you have given him.”

“AJ first told us that he was going to be an optometrist when he was 12 years old. We still have the paper he wrote on career day telling of his chosen profession. I don’t know why we kept it, since his career choice changed so many times, but it always came back to this. He was very happy when he was informed that he had been accepted at Ohio State. From the moment he moved into Epsilon Psi Epsilon (the εψεhouse), he knew he found a new family. He made many wonderful friends there, and they have continued to honor him by naming a room after him and also placing a plaque above the doorway of their meeting room. He loved his years spent at The Ohio State University College of Optometry and he loved his εψε family.”

“AJ earned his BS degree in Chemistry from Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA before attending Ohio State. His academic and professional achievements earned him membership in the Beta Sigma Kappa International Optometric Honor Society. AJ had a great affinity for children with eye problems and those who could not seek proper care due to financial limitations and was looking forward to helping those less fortunate by volunteering his time. Unfortunately this never came to be. ”

“The impact our son had on his peers in his short life has amazed us. They continue to honor him with a Facebook page. We always knew he was special, but it has been a comfort to us to find that others thought so too. I am attaching a picture of the plaque they have hung at the εψε house. Again, we thank you.”

Dr. Jack Thomas Keith, 79, died June 5, 1998. Born in Springfield, Ohio, he was a graduate of Springfield High School in 1935. He attended Wittenberg University in 1936, where he was president of the freshman class, and graduated from The Ohio State University College of Optometry in 1941. He practiced in Cleveland for two years and in Akron from 1943 to 1993 when he retired. Dr. Keith was past president of the Akron Jaycees, the Summit County Optometry Association, the Ohio Optometric Association, the Ohio State Board Examiners, the International Association of Board Examiners, and the West Akron Kiwanis. He was a member of Adoniram Lodge F&AM, Valley Akron Consistory, and Tadmor Temple Shrine. Dr. Keith is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Violet, and six loving children.

Dr. David Roncone has practiced in various modalities in his career (group optometry, ophthalmology referral center, and Department of Veterans Affairs). He is currently practicing at The Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Centers, where he completed his Primary Care Hospital-Based Optometry Residency in June 2000. Dr. Roncone became a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry in December 2000 and the second Clinical Refractive Diplomate in the country in The American Academy of Optometry’s Section on Cornea, Contact Lens, and Refractive Technologies in November 2009. He was awarded the Mahoning Valley Professionals 20/30 Club 40 under 40 Award in November 2009 for excelling in his profession and in community service. He received National Board Certification in Medical Optometry from the American Board of Certification in Medical Optometry in August 2010. Dr. Roncone’s research has been published five times in peer-reviewed professional journals, and he has lectured at numerous conferences. A member of the American Optometric Association, the Ohio Optometric Association, the National Association of VA Optometrists, the Optometric Council of Refractive Technologies, the Ohio Vision Foundation, the Mahoning Valley Professionals 20/30 Club, and the Pacentrano Club of Youngstown, Ohio, Dr. Roncone enjoys playing bocce, watching movies, attending athletic events, and spending time with his wife Angela, son Vito, and family members and friends.

Dr. Mike Polasky received his OD degree in 1969 and served on the faculty of The Ohio State University College of Optometry for the next 35 years. He taught more than 2,125 students the science and art of clinical refraction, binocular vision, and patient management and served on the clinical faculty in Primary Care, Binocular Vision, Aniseikonia, and Contact Lenses. At one time or another, he was on every college committee, including the Admissions Committee (as Chair for 12 years) and the Executive Committee (as Assistant Dean for Student Affairs). During his tenure, he was instrumental in the creation of many teaching aids and instructional media study materials, but he is perhaps best known for his “Aniseikonia Cookbook,” and the famous sign outside his door which displayed his “Office Hours:”

Dr. Polasky received the Optometry Alumni Association’s first Distinguished Teaching Award in 1989 and was given the honor of addressing the graduating class that same year at the annual doctoral hooding ceremony. He is a three-time recipient of the Epsilon Psi Epsilon professional ‘s “Mote Award” and a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. He served five years on the National Board of Optometry examination preparation committee.

The Epsilon Psi Epsilon professional fraternity of optometry named its teaching award after Dr. Polasky. At his retirement in 2004, Interim Dean Karla Zadnik said: “The College says a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for a job well done. Literally thousands of optometry students have learned respect for the inquiring mind from Mike, and many more have benefited from his deft guidance. His colleagues wish him a productive retirement, [but] he cannot be replaced and he will be greatly missed.”

He is now retired and living in Hilliard with his wife, Wendy Clark, who was responsible for the Instructional Media department at the College of Optometry for over 25 years.