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“It was at this Ft. Lauderdale meeting, where I Conclusion
was introduced to Hugh Laubheimer. Being that I During the transformative decade of the 1970s the
was the ASO Facilities Chair at the time we spent American Society of Ocularists set in place a frame-
a lot of time on and off the phone over the next work of policies essential to the Society’s function to
10 years. Hugh and I became good friends. It was the present day.
through my friendship with Hugh that I was able Highlights of these changes are:
to acquire the knowledge of the early history of n New standard of a two-year term of presidency
the ASO. With Hugh’s encouragement, I took on
the responsibility of ASO schedules, meeting an- n Formation of set committees
nouncements and newsletters. Coordinating this n Establishment of two meetings a year
type of communication was essential to the future n Joint Scientific Session and A.D. Ruedemann Award
of the ASO.” Lecture in conjunction with the AAO
—Walter Johnson n Educational curriculum with a purpose of training
It was during the next two meetings in 1979 (spring ocularists and continuing education for members
in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida and fall in San Fran- n Creation of an ocularist certification process
cisco, California) that discussions continued regard- (NEBO)
ing the formation of the separate certifying body for It was most certainly a decade of major
ocularists. John Kelley, Sr. had located and discussed achievement for the ASO.
the situation with a firm of psychometricians in Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania. For a reduced fee, they agreed References:
to take on our (yet to be named) certifying body as 1. Workman, CL. American Society of Ocularists.
a client. The ASO Board of Directors planned on the Today’s Ocularist. Winter Edition. 1972;1(1):7-9.
official formation of this certifying body at the next 2. Workman, CL. American Society of Ocularists.
meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Hugh Laubeimer Today’s Ocularist. Winter Edition. 1972;1(2):5-9.
had legal training earlier in his life and as a newly des- 3. Workman, CL. American Society of Ocularists.
ignated Executive Director of the ASO, he formulated Today’s Ocularist. Winter Edition. 1972;1(3):4-6.
the charter. 4. Kelley, JJ. Proposal: Educational Program for
At the 1980 Spring Meeting in San Juan, Puerto American Society of Ocularists.Today’s Ocularist.
Rico, The National Examining Board of Ocularists 1972;1(1):5-6.
(NEBO) was born. This was just the beginning of the
7
overwhelming task that the NEBO Committee was 5. Johnson, WJ. Course#934 Letters from ASO Leg-
undertaking for the next few years. The members of ends: A Historical Perspective. Lecture presented
this committee spent endless hours on the phone at: Annual Meeting of the American Society of
and at meetings throughout the country bringing the Ocularists. October 20, 2007; Chicago, IL.
ocularist certification process to fruition. 6. Jahrling, RC. The American Society of Ocularists
Due to both the excellent educational programs from formation to NCHA (1956-1981): A chronol-
offered by the ASO, and the advent of ocularist ogy. The Journal of Ophthalmic Prosthetics.
certification through the formation of NEBO, the 2004;9(1):1-10.
society was growing at a very attractive pace. At this 7. Jahrling, RC. The National Examining Board of
point, the ASO would never look back. Ocularists (1980 to Early 1982): A chronology.
The Journal of Ophthalmic Prosthetics.
2005;10(1):37-54.

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Michael Hughes and
John Kelly, Jr. for providing some of the photographs
used in this article.

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