justplainbil

If those letters sound vaguely familiar, it may be that at one time you read from an eye chart to determine the quality of your vision. Those letters, LEFODPCT, are found on the 20/20 vision assessment line on the eye chart, which has been used for over a hundred years.

The topic for this week’s blog entry was originally intended to focus on those things we remember from times past, quite often nonsensical words or phrases that for some reason have stuck in our memory. But, as serendipity or coincidence would have it, I just received an email that a long-time supporter of the Boys Club I’ve been a part of for over 66 years has passed away. Doctor Edwin Wright passed just shy of his 92^nd birthday.

Dr. Wright administered well over 10,000 free medical examinations and health screenings for Oakland Boys Club members over a 30-year period starting in the 1950s. It was during the 50s that I was a teen staff member who administered the eye test for hundreds of club members. Because of sheer volume alone in the number of Dr. Wright’s exams, I memorized those letters that indicated that a member’s vision was OK. It’s now 66 years later and I can still recall them easily.

But this story is more than just LEFODPCT. It’s even more than all those eye exams. You see, Dr. Wright was instrumental in identifying members’ medical problems during those exams, issues which most likely would have gone undetected since he provided the only contact with a physician that the majority of club members had.

So, in addition to a desire to share my nonsensical ability to read the 20/20 vision assessment even with my eyes closed, I want to recognize an unsung hero at the time of his passing. His benevolence impacted the lives of thousands, including my own, both in youth and continuing to this day. 

Here’s to Dr. Wright, a true champion of champions!

Thank you sir.