Father to Children’s Vision: Marshall M. Parks, MD

Abstract

Some consider Dr. Parks to have been the true father of pediatric ophthalmology as a subspecialty within ophthalmology. He would have declined the description, saying that he was one among several who founded and fostered the discipline. Yet even he was occasionally wrong, and others (including this one) are entitled to their own points of view. In any case, as a founding father, he was a giant among us. This was more effectively so for his willingness not only to allow others to stand on his broad shoulders for a better view of the future, but also to assist them up onto his shoulders. Many of you know of his organizational accomplishments, and here are only selected roles he has fulfilled: President of the American Academy of Ophthalmology; Chairman of the American Board of Ophthalmology; President of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology; Founder and first President of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS); and Founder and Chairman of the National Children’s Eye Care Foundation—now the Children’s Eye Foundation, the Foundation of AAPOS. In each case, his bedrock values, his steady hand, and his sagacious counsel helped the organizations thrive and grow to better places. Moreover, his generosity of spirit, wisdom, and time contributed to nearly countless professional lives. In his mature years, the national and international awe-inspiring magnitude of his contributions was recognized. For example, he received the American Ophthalmologic Society’s Howe Medal, was inducted into the Knights of St. John of Malta, and was selected as one of the 10 most influential ophthalmologists of the twentieth century!