Please excuse me if this is a re-post. I tried to post it yesterday but I don't think I was successful
Today I had the priviledge of attending the funeral of Dr. DeClue. As I listened to the pastor of the church deliver the eulogy and tell the attendees of his many and outstanding accomplishments I couldn't help but think of some discussions and advice he gave me over the years:
- 1977: Dr. DeClue (Doc) encouraged me to go back to school and become an optometrist. At the time I was working as an optician at a practice where he was the employed OD. 1994: He congratulated me as I received my degree from the University of MO School of Optometry and remined me of the advice he'd given me 17 years earlier.
- He's the only OD I know who closed his practice for one month EVERY year and spent 30 days traveling with his wife all over the world.
- Because he was so active socially, politically and was so well known in the community I had no doubt he could have won just about any election. I asked him one day why he didn't run and he replied, "Bob, it is better to be a king maker than a king."
I was joined by 3 other African American ODs at the funeral. They are all a number of years younger than me but I know they too appreciate the fact that we might not be where we are had it not been for the courage and perserverance of Doc.
Finally, some years ago I came up with a professional and personal motto that says
"Blindness is a loss of vision, not a loss of sight." The pastor wound up her remarks by stating that one of the most memorable things Dr. DeClue did was help people make the most of one of God's most precious gifts; the gift of sight. With all respects, I take exception: Doc's greatest gift to his family, his patients, his community (and especially to me) was the ability to focus on our individual and collective vision.
