Whitney's AO History Page

American Optical History Table of Contents

Web	www.dickwhitney.net
www.opticalheritagemuseum.org

http://www.dickwhitney.net/RBWAOHistoryIndex.html

A view from the air in the early 1970s of the AO Southbridge Facility -
The AO Main plant is shown in the upper left, power plant smokestack in the middle.
The Lens, Frame and Warehouse buildings are the three prominent ones in the upper part of the photo.
Note the "claw" on the Glass Plant to vent the heat from the glass operation
Optical Heritage Museum photo

AO Southbridge Facilities

View Historical Listings / Timelines in American Optical's History- Rev July 19, 2010

AO History Chronology Slideshow -
8mb Download of executable

Product Firsts at AO- Rev August 16, 2010

AO's Anti-reflection coating development / product historical info- Rev August 16, 2010

Interactive Maps of AO complex, Walking tour and Optical Related sites in Southbridge

AO's Lensometer - a ground breaking invention for Ophthalmic Optics- Rev Aug 3, 2010

May 2009 Lensometer Display (courtesy of the Optical Heritage Museum) Rev Aug 3, 2010
at the Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center

AO and WWI

This show being aired includes AO/Optical Heritage Museum
Variable Density Goggles borrowed for this production

Explorer: 24 Hours After Hiroshima premiere on
August 17th, 2010 - 10pm EST on the National Geographic Channel.

AO and WWII war effort

Recollections of Former AO EmployeesRev Aug 19, 2010
Check back for update soon - Stories are welcome!

Download this tour brochure from 1974
2mb pdf

Download April 1940 AO Vision Magazine (32mb pdf)

Southbridge - 1907 photo of AO, Bausch and Lomb and Zeiss Execs (a rare get together of Industry leaders)
Optical Heritage Museum photo

1907 and 1908 Photos of AO, Bausch and Lomb and Zeiss Mgt/ article on 1888 Tarriff for importing lenses to US.

AO History as described in 1933 Document

Brochure from ~1960 titled "This is AO"

American Flags at AO

American Optical logos' through the year

AO Management Photo by the Main Plant - ~late 1920's early 1930s
Donated by Jim Alden

AO Reunion Luncheons

Second Tuesday in June and Dec-
Next one is Tues. June 8th, 2010 at 12 Crane St in Southbridge

The People of AO

In Memory Of:
Recalling those AO employees who have passed on - August 16, 2010

AO's first National Sales Meeting - Dec 29-31st, 1968
(Held at Southbridge High School)
Download Book provided by Wade Cloyd

AO "Then and Now"

The AO Southbridge Powerhouse

The AO Southbridge Warehouse

William Beecher -
The founder of AO in 1833

William Beechers home c1890 at 185 Main Street Southbridge (JEL Digital Treasures image)

AO's Transportation Fleet in Southbridge - May 1964 photo

Info on Future AO Sculpture

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 Ophthalmic History

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 DesignersRev 23-Aug-10
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

AO Low Vision Aids

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

AO / Polarized lenses

Todd-AO-
55th Anniversary celebrated in 2010

Above photo showing movie Oklahamo still courtesy of http://www.in70mm.com/todd_ao/index.htm

AO Fiber Optics

AO Scientific Instruments- Rev 12-Aug-10

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

AO Frames

AO Frames Sales Force of 1947

AO Safety

AO Putnam CT Plant

Dave LaMarre / Wes Reed Article on AO Sunglass History (1975)

Ear Protection Boston Herald article - April 1962

AO & Lens Impact Strength

AO Monoplex Plastic Eye Division info / 1949 Brochure /recollections Rev Aug 10, 2010

1971 AO Product Directory Catalogue

Pope Pius XII and his gift - AO Glasses in early 1950s

AO Paintings

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

AO Main Plant History

Newly discovered 1940s model of the AO Main Plant (Optical Heritage Museum)
Jeanine McElroy helps to assemble the puzzle!
June 16, 2010 Dick Whitney Photo above

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