American Optical History Table of Contents
![]() |
|||||
|
|
http://www.dickwhitney.net/RBWAOHistoryIndex.html
AO Stock certificate from 1869 - Courtesy of the
Optical
Heritage Museum
View Historical Listings / Timelines in American Optical's History-
AO
History Chronology Slideshow -
8mb Download of executable
Product Firsts at AO Rev 8-Feb-10
AO's Lensometer - a ground breaking invention for Ophthalmic Optics
May
2009 Lensometer Display (courtesy of the Optical Heritage Museum)
at the Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center
Download
April 1940 AO Vision Magazine (32mb pdf)
AO History as described in 1933 Document
Brochure from ~1960 titled "This is AO"
American
Optical logos' through the year Rev 9-Mar-10
AO Management
Photo by the Main Plant - ~late 1920's early 1930s
Donated by Jim Alden
Second Tuesday in June and Dec-
Next one is Tues. June 8th,
2010 at 12 Crane
St in Southbridge
AO's
first National Sales Meeting - Dec 29-31st, 1968
(Held at Southbridge High School)
Download Book provided by Wade
Cloyd
William
Beecher -
The founder
of AO in 1833
William Beechers home c1890 at 185 Main Street Southbridge (JEL
Digital Treasures image)
In
Memory Of:
Recalling
those AO employees who have passed on - Mar 11,
2010
AO's Transportation Fleet in Southbridge - May 1964 photo
Recollections
of Former AO Employees Mar 10, 2010
Check back for update soon - Stories are welcome!
Download this tour brochure from 1974
2mb pdf
The "AO" Optical Heritage Museum
The
"Universalist Church" Building at
368
Main St., Southbridge
Optical
Heritage Museum slideshow
5mb Download of executable
Click on screen to advance slide
A view of American Optical Southbride Complex(top) taken
from Notre
Dame Church (~1916)
Image from JEL digital Treasures:
CWMars
on-line digital Library
AO's
1921 Article titled "The story in a pair of Spectacles"
(3.5 mb pdf download)
How and why AO First made spectacle lenses in mass in 1888
AO's
Ophthalmic Lens Designers
Dr. Tillyer, Dr. Estelle Glancy
and more!
Order limited edition hardbound book by Tim Tillyer -
Titled "Doc- A Biography of Edgar Derry Tillyer"
email Tim for Details
Dr
Estelle Glancy in her own words! - AO and Evolution of a Lens Designer
Courtesy of Wellesley College
Don Whitney and Ophthalmic Optics
Dick Whitney and Ophthalmic Optics
Glass
Executive Manufacturing prior to Southbridge Closure
Longest running ophthalmic product
line in AO's history
AO's
Permalite coating (1980)
Worlds first tintable, abrasion
resistant coating for plastic lenses
AO's Photolite lens - Worlds first plastic photochromic lens
Todd-AO-
55th Anniversary celebrated
in 2010
Above photo showing movie Oklahamo still courtesy of http://www.in70mm.com/todd_ao/index.htm
Fiber Optics
Learn about AO / Fiber Optics
in Jeff Hecht's book "City of Light"

Optical Heritage Museum
collection-
AO Gift to Charles Prentice c1900; he designed the
first
trial lens set for the Industry and AO
Feb 2010 photo of Optical
Heritage Museum collection of AO
Trial set from the early 1900s
(restored by Donna Silverberg- Assitant Curator)
Dr.
Bernie Grolman 2002 Interview on his Non Contact Tonometer Invention (provided
by David Taylor)
AO Clock - Time set in 1916 synchronized by Radio
AO Wellsworth
Nov 1919 Catalogue cover
showing a Fits-U-Windsor style Frame
Dave LaMarre / Wes Reed Article on AO Sunglass History (1975)
Ear Protection Boston Herald article - April 1962
AO Monoplex Plastic Eye Division 1949 Brochure
1971 AO Product Directory Catalogue
Pope Pius XII and his gift - AO Glasses in early 1950s
AO
Main Plant Demolition ("DOD Project" /
Southbridge
Hotel and Conference Center)
Construction
Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center - Former AO Main Plant
Clarifying when AO closed in Southbridge
A rare view of the AO Main Plant (Left - new brick construction,
Right Old wood building) ~1895
Image from JEL digital Treasures:
CWMars
on-line digital Library
March 12. 2009 photos of the Former AO
Main Plant, now the Southbridge
Hotel and Conference center.
November
1945 AO News Article about "Steeple Tom"
Dick Whitney photos
A
look inside the AO Main Plant Clock Tower
Former AO Lens Plant "2L",
now building 50 and Power plant image from
http://local.live.com/
AO Parking lot (behind Main Plaint) ~1938; John Wells had the
marking for latitude and longitude put on the roof of the car shed,
to use in his approach to the Southbridge Airport
AO Southbridge Facilities Rev 12-Jan-10
Read
about the Oct 8, 2005 Walking Weekend "AO Complex" tour -
Article courtesy of the Southbridge Evening News
Check
out the CWMars on-line digital Library
Southbridge Images courtesy of Jacob Edwards Library
AO Flood's
- 1938 and 1955 Destruction at Southbridge Facility
Download Audio Excerpt of WESO August 19, 1955 Broadcast taped by
Robert Haynes
Image provided Courtesy of Walter
Alan Stewart Famiily
For more info, also check out the recollections page below
Ophthalmic Industry Heritage Info
Recollections
of Former AO Employees
Stories are welcome!
Daniel Wells Schreck, Direct descendant of George W. Wells (Portrait)
in Southhbridge at
Wells
Family Reunion - June 2004
AO 1933 Emblem with George Wells for the 100th Anniversary
In
Memory Of:
Recalling
those AO employees who have passed on
The AO Reunion of May 28, 2002
AO Reunion Group photo (Courtesty of Village Photo)
AO
1933 Jon Swanson Medallion
Courtesy or Jay \Galst
June 2004
Don
Whitney 1958 Talk
on
AOLITE (AO's CR-39 plastic lenses)
AO
Reporter Magazine from 1972 (include article on AOLITE)New
18-Feb-10
download pdf
The influence of CR-39 (sixty years after its introduction) - 2006 article by Dick Whitney
AOLITE Plastic Lens Casting Background (Don Whitney 1975 Writeup)
Family photo in front of the AO Main Plant in the Fall of 1954
AO
Wellsworth Workers "Americanization" Education - April 1926
Check out Mass Moments Look back at AO's 150th (June 18, 1983)
The
June 1983 AO Parade - celebrating 150 years!!
Photos of AO Employees in the 1920's ?
Snapshots in Time (Past Regional Newspaper Coverage describing AO)
Excerpts / Articles of Interest from the American Optical News
Quinebaug Valley Historical Society Text (G.Wells 1909 Speeches)
AO Life Publication (1930 Excerpts)
The AOCentenial Historical Publications (1933)
125th Anniversary Articles (1958)
150th Anniversary
Historical Notes (1983)
Learn about the
underground Tunnel on the AO Complex
AO Postcard of Southbridge Facility at its prime- 1965 (Date Approximate)
Photos below were taken on
the Stairway
in the Main Plant Center building
which remains with the
DOD
Facility Demolition / Construction.

Aug 1999 photo and Jan 2002 in the newly opened Southbridge Hotel and
Conference Center
"AO Room"
at UC Berkeley
School of Optometry
Photos of the Fall, Winter, and Spring at AO Southbridge (1999-2000 photos)
About the
Author (Dick Whitney) and his AO Background
My 35th year Anniversary with
AO/CZV on 9/16/09
Interested in the History Antique Spectacles?
Check out the top 25 Countries visiting this site:

http://www.dickwhitney.net
Comments or Suggestions?e-mail Dick Whitney at r.b.whitney@verizon.net