Sheldon Wechsler of Berkeley died of cancer on March 20, 2013, with his family by his side.
He grew up in the Bronx, NY, where he enlisted in the Navy as soon as he graduated from high school. He served as a radioman in the Pacific during World War II and was proud of his service throughout his life. He also served in the Air Force Reserve after the war.
He graduated from the University of California School of Optometry and established a distinguished and multifaceted optometric career of 40 years, specializing in contact lens wear. He maintained a private practice in optometry in Palo Alto where he participated in city and county affairs; he moved into teaching in optometry schools at the University of California, the University of Alabama and the University of Houston and lectured worldwide to members of health professions; he followed with work at Vistakon, a Johnson & Johnson company in Jacksonville, FL, where he directed the development and introduction of the Acuvue disposable contact lens. Throughout his career he was an active member of many professional organizations, wrote widely for books and journals and spoke for his profession on radio and television.
He retired from Vistakon as vice president of professional affairs and returned to Berkeley. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area allowed Shel to reconnect with classmates and other alumni at UCB, to sail on the bay and enjoy membership in the Berkeley Yacht Club and to follow his favorite college and professional sports teams. He was able to indulge in his love of music and reading and became an enthusiastic cook.
He is survived by his wife Dorothy; his daughter, Gail, of San Francisco; his son, Keith, of Altadena, CA; his brother, Monroe, of Chapel Hill, NC; and by many nieces and nephews as well as in-laws and friends, who will always miss him.