[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 4, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S21]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING DR. JERALD F. COMBS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, in eastern Kentucky, one man has been 
at the center of efforts to expand eye care for nearly 40 years. Dr. 
Jerald Combs, who passed away last month, played an instrumental role 
in modernizing and extending access to optometric care across 
Kentucky's Appalachian region. Today, I recognize Dr. Combs as an 
outstanding Kentuckian whose work made a vast impact on the lives of 
his patients.
  When Dr. Combs began his practice in Martin, KY, in 1983, optometry 
in eastern Kentucky was an underdeveloped practice. Many residents 
lacked access to the eye care they needed, leaving far too many without 
good vision. Dr. Combs made it his mission to change that status quo 
and improved many lives in the process. His clinic served the entire 
eastern Kentucky region, attracting patients from far and wide who 
needed his care.
  Perhaps Dr. Combs' greatest legacy will be his efforts to increase 
optometry training opportunities in his community. Because of his work 
in this area, the University of Pikeville named their college of 
optometry in his honor. The school's Jerald F. Combs Endowed 
Scholarship gives students of all backgrounds the ability to study the 
subject, providing expertise to those who will stay in eastern Kentucky 
and help develop the field further.
  Throughout his life, Dr. Combs was committed to serving his community 
and our Commonwealth and earned many awards for his efforts. The 
Kentucky Optometric Association lavished him with praise, granting him 
both their Optometrist of the Year Award and Distinguished Service 
Award twice. He also served as president and a board member of the 
association for many years. Outside of optometry, Dr. Combs helped his 
community through the Knott County Youth Foundation, the Knott County 
Little League, the Kiwanis Club, and the Hazard Lions Club. He served 
on the University of Pikeville Board of Trustees, steering the school 
to success.
  I knew Dr. Combs personally and was saddened to learn of his passing 
last month. Few Kentuckians play as big or instrumental of a role in 
their community as he did. While we all mourn his loss, we can also be 
confident that his legacy, expanded access to eye care among Kentucky's 
most vulnerable communities, will last for many years into the future. 
I would like to express my personal gratitude for Dr. Combs' decades of 
service to the Commonwealth and encourage my Senate colleagues to join 
me in sharing condolences with the family, friends, and colleagues.

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