Hall
of Fame
This web page was created to honor members of the C.C.C. Ophthalmic
Science Program - graduates, faculty and staff - whose contributions
and achievements to the ophthalmic community have brought honor to themselves,
the program, and the college. We want these leaders to be recognized
and remembered for their accomplishments, and hope that their involvement
and dedication will inspire those students who follow them.
Henry Bernkof
Mr. Bernkof was instrumental in the creation of the Ophthalmic Science
Program, and served as its first coordinator and instructor. Henry
is a licensed optician in New Jersey and New York, and ran an optical
business in Cherry Hill for many years. He is now enjoying retirement,
but still supports the program with the annual Rose Bernkof Memorial
Scholarship. This $1000. award is divided between the top three graduating
students who have submitted research papers for selection by the faculty.
Henry makes the donation to support each year's graduates, and to
honor the memory of his wife Rose, who was also an optician.
Camden County College, and the Ophthalmic Science Program,
will forever be indebted to Henry for his contributions and his inspiration.
Carol Atkinson & Allison Merget - Class of 1996
These talented students earned a trip to the Contact Lens Society
of America (CLSA) Annual Education Meeting in March of '96, which
was held in Palm Springs, CA. They were among a handful of students
chosen from optical programs across the nation to participate in the
meeting. All students were invited to submit a research paper on a
contact lens related topic, and winners were picked based on the quality
of those papers.
The contest is sponsored annually by the CLSA and some
very generous contact lens manufacturers. It provides an opportunity
for students to experience first hand the quality of the education
that is offered on a national and international level by the CLSA.
Elizabeth Becker - Class of 1993
Liz will be remembered as the program's first successful participant
in the College Bowl Competition. This contest is sponsored annually
by Silor Optical, and competition is progressively held at local,
state, and national levels as contestants are eliminated and winners
advance. The event follows the format of the popular game show Jeopardy,
but with optical content.
Liz advanced to the state level, and missed going to
the nationals by the smallest of margins. Never the less, it was exciting
following her progress, and although she didn't go all the way, she
blazed a path for others to follow (see Aaron Stefan and John Pfister).
Basil (Bus) Blair
The Ophthalmic Science Department would not enjoy its present strength
and success if not for the efforts of Mr. Blair. His years of service
as an adjunct instructor in ophthalmic materials, dispensing, and
optics have shaped the program, and the lives and careers of every
student who sought optical training at C.C.C. Bus Blair's acheivements
and contributions to the optical field span fifty years, as dispenser,
inventor, and teacher. Bus finally received high recognition for his
work, when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Academy
of Opticianry (NAO) in 1999.
Thomas Blair - Class of 1978
Mr. Blair was C.C.C.'s first African-American opticianry graduate.
During his stay, he was active in the Student Government Association,
Veteran's Affairs, and the campus newspaper. He was instrumental in
securing national accreditation for the Ophthalmic Science Program,
and authored the proposal that led to bus transportation to the campus.
Tom graduated with honors. He currently sponsors a scholarship for
optical students.
Tom has received numerous professional awards, including
1995 Georgia Optician of the Year, the 1997 O.A.A. Advancing America's
Opticians Award, and the 1998 Varilux Georgia/O.A.A. Achievement Award.
In each instance, he was the first African-American optician to be
so honored. He achieved A.B.O. Master Optician status in 1995, and
became President of the Opticians Association of Georgia in 1999.
Tom operates Precision Vision Optical Services in Atlanta.
Sheryl Friedman - Class of 1994
Sheryl won the 1994 National Varilux Competition. Her award winning
entry was a book written for children, which explains to the young
readers why some children need to wear glasses. The book has since
been approved for copyright.
Tom Leahy - Class of 1998
Tom was awarded a grant to travel to Newport Beach, CA to attend the
44th Annual Education Meeting of the CLSA. The award was given for
his research paper on Correcting Presbyopia with Contact Lenses.
John Pfister - Class of 1995
All previous College Bowl successes were extended when John won the
National Silor College Bowl at the OAA Convention in St Louis, MO.
He attended the convention with all expenses paid, and won an award
package to boot. The keen competition thrilled the large audience,
and when John came out on top, all the students and faculty members
shared in his proud achievement.
Emil Shell & Gina Sklar - Class of 1997
Both Gina and Emil enjoyed an all expenses paid excursion to San Antonio,
TX, in the spring of 1997. They attended the Contact Lens Society
of America (CLSA) Annual Education Meeting as winners of the research
paper contest offered every year by the CLSA. There they met other
students from around the country, heard lectures by leading contact
lens speakers, and even had time to tour the Alamo.
The contest is sponsored annually by the CLSA and some
very generous contact lens manufacturers. It provides an opportunity
for students to experience first hand the quality of the education
that is offered on a national and international level by the CLSA.
Aaron Stefan - Class of 1994
Aaron followed the example of Liz Becker (in fact Liz tutored him
for the competition), and advanced all the way to the nationals of
the Silor College Bowl. He received an all expense paid trip to the
OAA convention in Nashville, TN to compete against other winners from
all over the country. Although Aaron failed to win the big prize,
he represented our program well in bringing it national recognition.
