[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 116 (Friday, July 29, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. STANLEY PEARLE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 29, 2011

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
express my sadness over the passing of one of America's greatest assets 
to the field of optometry, and one of my dear friends, Dr. Stanley 
Pearle. The man behind the eyewear business Pearle Vision, passed away 
last week at the age of 92 in his home in Dallas, Texas.
  Pittsburgh-native Dr. Pearle graduated from Northern Illinois College 
of Optometry in 1939 and relocated to Dallas to take his board 
examinations and later marry his high school sweetheart, Elsie. He 
served in the U.S. Navy for a few years and after World War II he 
worked for several eye care companies, rising to a management position 
with Lee Optical in Dallas. Eager to start his own business he left the 
company in 1961 to open his first store. More than 40 years and 675 
company and franchise stores later, Pearle Vision remains a trusted 
household name with locations across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
  His contributions to the world of optometry are world renowned. Dr. 
Pearle's vision was to change how people were fitted for their eyewear. 
Initially, eye patients would visit an optometrist for a medical 
procedure but Dr. Pearle made it a more fashionable purchase and 
experience in a well-lit store with a vast array of frames to choose 
from. Pearle Vision has boasted that it is the first nationwide optical 
retailer and it is all thanks to the vision of Dr. Pearle himself. I 
knew his wife, Elsie Cohen who was a dear friend of mine. Dr. Pearle is 
survived by three of his four children, 10 grandchildren and 11 great-
grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Dr. 
Stanley Pearle. I appreciate the dedication and innovative changes he 
made to optometry. He will truly be missed.

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