ST. LOUIS.—John F. Amos, OD, will be inducted into the National Optometry Hall of Fame during a ceremony at Optometry’s Meeting on Thursday, June 27, at 7 pm.

Amos received his BS and OD from the Illinois College of Optometry and his MS from Indiana University. He joined the U.S. Air Force, and while serving as an optometry officer, was awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service in Vietnam. In 1972, he joined the faculty of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry (UABSO), where he went on to publish papers in every major optometric journal and two major textbooks, as well as present hundreds of continuing education courses across the country.

Amos served six years as the chair of the department of optometry and director of the professional program for the UABSO. He was named interim dean in 2000 and dean in 2003, a position he held until 2009, shortly before he retired. Amos has been selected as “Optometrist of the Year” by state, regional and national optometric associations. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Optometric Associaton (AOA) and was elected as a “Distinguished Scholar” of the National Academies of Practice. 

In 2004, he was named the UAB National Alumni Society Honorary Alumnus of the Year. He received honorary doctorate degrees from the Southern California College of Optometry and Salus University in 2010. He was the recipient of the Life Service Award from the American Academy of Optometry in 2012.

Amos serves as the immediate-past president of the Partnership Foundation for Optometric Education, president of the Optometric Historical Society and member of the Evidence-Based Optometry Committee of the American Optometric Association. He wrote a history of the legal/legislative highlights of the Alabama Optometric Association and is writing a book and position paper reviews for the journal Optometry and Vision Science.

The National Optometry Hall of Fame is administered by Optometry Cares – The American Optometric Association Foundation, and new inductees are determined by a selection committee that represents the AOA, the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, the National Optometric Association and the American Academy of Optometry.