February 2, 2000

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Dr. Henry B. "Hank" Peters, creator of the first optometric clinical teaching program in Birmingham, died in Eureka, California, January 31, 2000. He was 83.

The University of Alabama School of Optometry building is now named after Peters, who was a professor and dean emeritus of the school.

During his lifetime, he contributed significantly to the reputation of two major schools of optometry, the University of California at Berkeley as associate dean and UAB as the founding dean and inaugural faculty member. During Peters' tenure as UAB dean, the optometry students established an outstanding record on state and national board examinations and he created the first optometric clinical teaching program in the Birmingham VA Medical Center. Peters retired in 1986 at the age of 70.

A memorial service will be held in Eureka, California, later this month. Pierce Mortuary Chapel will direct arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the Henry B. Peters Symposium on Interprofessional Relations, School of Optometry, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Peters was a native of California. He is survived by his wife, Anne (Ledin); and their daughter Elizabeth; his daughter Lynn; and sons Thomas (and wife Barbara), James (and wife Kathy) and Christopher; and their mother, Carol (Woodhams); two sisters, Leanore Mott (and husband Dorr) and Marilyn "Molly" Bates; a brother, Richard (and wife Ramona); five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

He was born November 2, 1916 to Thomas H. and Eleanor (Hough) Peters in Oakland, California. He earned a bachelor of arts/doctor of optometry degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1938 and his master's degree in public health from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1939. He served in the U.S. Naval Reserve during WWII.

While in private practice, he was active in education and research. His primary research effort, commonly known as The Orinda Study (1959), paved the way for school-based vision screening, and is still discussed in colleges and universities today.

In 1969, he was appointed dean of UAB's School of Optometry, the first school of optometry to be directly associated with a medical center. At UAB, he also served as professor of public health, senior scholar for several departments and as founding director of the UAB Research Foundation.

At UAB, Peters worked extensively with the Veteran's Administration to enhance the role of optometry in healthcare. He served on the board of directors of the National Health Council from 1969 to 1983, and was the first optometrist to be elected president of the organization in 1978. He was an active member of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, the National Board of Examiners in Optometry, the American Medical Association, the American Physical Therapy Association, the California and Alabama optometric associations and the American Optometric Association. He was named a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry in 1946 and remained active in the Academy throughout his career, serving as chair of several committees and as president from 1972 to 1974. The Academy selected Peters as the first recipient of the Carel C. Koch Medal for Interprofessional Relations in 1974.