Speech-Language Pathology
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The Salus University community was saddened by the passing of Dr. A. “Gus” Michael Iatesta ’52, emeritus member of the Board of Trustees and former chairman of the Board, on February 26.
Dr. Iatesta was someone who was passionate about his family, his profession, his patients and PCO, according to Dr. Thomas L. Lewis, the University’s immediate past president, who worked closely for years with Dr. Iatesta and considered him a friend. “Gus was an amazing person,” he said. “He was so proud of how far PCO (Pennsylvania College of Optometry, which established Salus University in 2008) had come from when he was a student under Albert Fitch.”
He was the last optometrist to serve as Board chairman and during his tenure the PCO Graduate Programs in Blindness and Low Vision with Master of Science and a Master of Education degree programs were established. Additionally, the College initiated its affiliation with Hahnemann University, and the Irving Bennett Business and Practice Management Center opened.
Dr. Mark Boas ’86, assistant professor and member of the Board of Trustees, recalls how Dr. Iatesta helped get the PCO Interprofessional Soccer team full uniforms after he met him in the bathroom of the Adams Mark Hotel during a break in Board activities, “while I was putting on a not so impressive PCO soccer team uniform. He saw and listened, and then decided we needed to properly represent our profession amongst the lawyers, physicians, dentists, and other professional in the league.”
After his graduation, Dr. Boas accepted an offer to be Dr. Iatesta’s associate at his Clifton Heights eye care office and says today, “I saw how he was so beloved by his patients after decades of taking care of their eye care needs. It was there that I learned what it meant to be an optometric professional, a private practice, community oriented doctor… his service to the profession by his involvement in the POA served as an fine example for me, and it was he who influenced me to serve as a volunteer in the local society and state organization. There was no one who so steadfastly supported organized optometry at all levels and served as an example and an advocate for our profession.”
Dr. Iatesta remained an active Board member after his chairmanship ended. In 1995 he received one of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry President’s Medals to commemorate the College’s 75th Anniversary. In 1997 the Alumni Association named him the Albert Fitch Alumnus of the Year. Always generous to the College and University, Dr. Iatesta established an endowed scholarship fund in 1986. Dr. Iatesta was also the Class of 1952’s only class representative, holding that office until his death.
Always interested in and supportive of PCO and then Salus, generous with his time and advice and a true gentleman, Dr. Iatesta will be missed by many in the Salus community. He is survived by his wife, Lee, daughters, Michele Stevenson and Pamela A. (Pierre) Vieyres, and five grandchildren.
