Your Story

What is your hometown? Clarkesville, GA

When did you graduate from UAB School of Optometry? 1983

Your career in Optometry

Name of your employer(s)/Practice and title, including location. I have a Private Practice, Jenkins Vision Care, in Athens, GA.

Why did you choose a career in Optometry? I chose optometry to be in a health profession that involved a significant amount of math (optics).

Where do you hope to see your optometric career in 5 years? I hope to still be practicing in 5 years, but to be within another 5 years of walking away from practice ( or maybe still practice a day or two per week).

Which optometric issues concern you the most? I am concerned about the corporate influence upon optometry and hope that private, independent optometry can remain a viable option for future O.D.'s.

Your UABSO Experience

What were your most memorable moments at UABSO? One memory is that in May of 1982 I had the opportunity to play a round of golf at Augusta National because my brother, who was finishing medical school at Medical College of GA, worked on the medical staff at the Masters that year and had the opportunity to play one round there. He offered to let me take his place. I drove from Birmingham to Augusta the night before and called the UABSO clinic the next morning. I spoke to Dr. Bradford Wild and told him that I did not think I felt like coming to clinic that day. I did not tell him why. He said he hoped that I would feel better and would take care of my clinic schedule. Amazingly, I felt great right after I hung up the phone.

Who were your mentors at the School of Optometry? Why? During my time there I had no idea how good the school was and how good the faculty was. We had the all-stars of optometry. I don't want to leave anyone out, but Drs. Alexander, Amos, Marbourg, Nowakowski, Semes, Wild, Eskridge, Rutstein, Bartlett, Kleinstein, Peters, and Classe were the best of the best.

What is one piece of advice you would give current UABSO students? I would say there are plenty of good times and tough times during optometry school. However, always stay focused and be glad you are at UABSO. You will be well prepared for your future.

Fun Fact about You

If you were not an optometrist, what would you be? If not an optometrist, I probably would have become a biologist or an engineer.