Dr. Charles Reese Stewart of McKinney, Texas passed away June 30, 2015 at the age of 96. He was born October 20, 1918 to William Henry and Lydia (Reese) Stewart in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Charles married Dorothy Sue Wolaver on August 19, 1942 in Lubbock Texas.
Charles attended Oklahoma University before entering the Army Air Corp. He served his country as a Flying Fortress pilot in the South Pacific. After the War, he enrolled at Ohio State University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude, receiving his B.S. in optometry in 1948, his M.Sc. in Physiological Optics in 1950, and his Ph.D. in Physiological Optics in 1951. He founded the College of Optometry at the University of Houston in 1952, and served as Dean until 1961, at which time he went into private optometric practice in Waco, Texas. He then returned to the College of Optometry in 1978 to serve as Interim Dean and Associate Dean until he retired in 1982.
While living in Waco in the 1960s, Charles picked up his saxophone and clarinet again and formed his own 16 piece Dance Band, playing many venues in the Central Texas area, including the first ever on-campus dance at Baylor University. Upon retiring from the University of Houston in 1982, he then attended the University of North Texas for three years studying music arranging.
Charles was a member of the Texas Optometric Association, the American Optometric Association, the American Academy of Optometry, the Southwest Contact Lens Society, the American Public Health Association, Epsilon Psi Epsilon, Beta Sigma Kappa, Sigma Xi, Masons, and Shrine. He served as a member of the Advisory Research Council of the American Optometric Foundation for twenty years, was a Diplomate (Contact Lens Specialist) of the American Academy of Optometry, and member and past president of the Southwest Contact Lens Society. He was a Clinical Investigator throughout the 1970’s for Bausch & Lomb, Soft Lenses, Allergan Pharmaceuticals, Corneal Sciences, Continuous Curve, and Syntex Opthalmics. His research interests were in fusional movements of the eyes, school vision programs, and contact lens fitting. His professional publications included articles dealing with visual testing of school children, eye movements, the optometric curriculum, and contact lenses. He served in many capacities for various Judicial Councils, Council of Governments, and Health Service Agencies. He was named Texas Optometric Association Optometrist of the Year in 1978, and Southwest Council of Optometrists Optometrist of the Year in 1979.
Charles is survived by his loving wife of 72 years, Dorothy Sue Stewart of McKinney, Texas; daughter Linda Sue Younger and husband Frank, and daughter Nancy Anne Yater, all of McKinney, Texas; grandchildren Jeff Lucas, Debra Wilson and Adrianne Smedstad; five great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; sister-in-law Mina Stewart of Indianapolis, Indiana; and many loving nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his son, Samuel Weston Stewart.
A memorial service is planned for Saturday, July 18, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. at the Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home in Allen, Texas, followed with visitation at the family home in McKinney, Texas.