The first-ever Fred Friedfeld Memorial Scholarship was one of 26 scholarships recently awarded at SUNY College of Optometry.
Karen Levy, Class of 2017, was the first recipient of the scholarship established in honor of the late Fred Friedfeld, founder of ClearVision Optical.
This past summer, the Friedfeld family created the scholarship to recognize current graduate students in optometry based on academic merit and financial need. Peter Friedfeld, son of Fred Friedfeld and Executive Vice President at ClearVision Optical, presented the award.
“My father touched so many people throughout his life and in his 65 years since he founded ClearVision in 1949,” says Peter Friedfeld. “He believed in education, and was a mentor to so many. The endowment fund that has been established with SUNY Optometry helps to ensure that his presence continues in an industry he loved.”
Fred Friedfeld became an optician after serving in the U.S. Navy and worked for several years in New York City, learning the optical trade. He founded ClearVision Optical at the age of 22 as a distributor of eyewear, and developed a lifelong reputation for personal service. With his wife, Mimi, who joined him in 1955, Fred grew his one man organization into one of the largest family-owned eyewear distributors in North America.
Inquiries about the scholarship fund can be sent to the attention of Ann Warwick, VP of SUNY Optometry and executive director of the school’s Optometric Center of New York at awarwick@sunyopt.edu.