Alumni News
Optometry
General News
When Alton Williams, OD ‘73, was a freshman at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) in the early 1970s, he had a challenging commute to school from his home in Delaware.
He would get up at 5 a.m. every morning, hitch a ride from a neighbor to the edge of town where he caught a bus to the train station. There he would ride the rails to the North Broad Street subway to end of the line at Fern Rock Transit Center and then walk five blocks to the PCO campus at 1200 W. Godfrey Avenue.
Unfortunately, that route consistently made him five minutes late for class, which didn’t go unnoticed by the faculty.
It wasn’t long before his chemistry professor, Jacob Nevyas, PhD, DSc (Hon.) ‘71, approached the young student and told him that the commute was too intense and would affect his success at the school.
“Al had money through the state of Delaware for his tuition but he did not have money for books or living arrangements,” recalled Bonita Williams, who was not yet married to Dr. Williams. “We needed help.”
That help came from John J. Crozier, OD ‘48, FAAO, then director of Admissions at PCO who would go on to become one of the giants in the history of the institution by the time he retired in 1991.
Dr. Crozier had caught word of Dr. Williams’ commuting situation. He approached the young man and said, “I hear you’re commuting. You can’t do that.”
Mrs. Williams picks up the story from there.
“Al said, ‘I don’t have the money,’ and Dr. Crozier said, ‘You find a place to live and I’ll find the money.’ That was life-changing,” she said.
In searching for a place to stay, fate was on Dr. Williams’ side. The father of one of his classmates had purchased a townhouse, converted the bedrooms into dormitory rooms and outfitted them with brand new beds and desks. All for $10 a week. Not only was the cost right but the commute was now only two minutes from school.
“John Crozier stuck with Al from that day all the way through his career,” said Mrs. Williams. “For that reason, my family loves PCO. As far as I’m concerned, that portrait of John Crozier that hangs on the wall of the conference room needs to be the welcoming poster when you visit this place. He opened the door for Al and others.”
That love of PCO has continued all these years for Dr. Williams and his family, so much so that for more than 50 years he has been one of PCO’s biggest cheerleaders, recruiters and has mentored more than 20 PCO students, particularly African Americans.
And, Dr. Williams is at it again. He and his wife have befriended a married couple, Erique and Danielle Gumbs, who they believe would make great optometrists. And, on a recent tour of PCO and Salus at Drexel University, he tried to convince the couple that PCO was the right place for them.
But this one might be Dr. Williams’ biggest recruiting challenge. The Gumbs are already well-established in their respective careers and have two young children, ages six and two.
Danielle Gumbs earned her undergraduate degree in sociology from the University of Delaware, where she played basketball. She then went on to earn her master’s degree in social work from the University of California.
Erique Gumbs secured his undergraduate degree in psychology from Towson University in Maryland, where he also played basketball, and then a master’s in nursing from Johns Hopkins University. For the past nine years, he’s been working as a nurse practitioner, which is where he first met Bonita Williams and started a chain of conversations and events that led the Gumbs to a site visit to PCO/Salus at Drexel to help them decide if they both want to make a career change.
By all accounts, it appeared to be a positive visit for the Gumbs.
“I didn’t know what to expect, outside of it being an academic institution, but we saw a lot of things that were encouraging,” said Erique Gumbs. “The faculty and students were able to answer real questions and be honest. I got some of my juice back for school. I saw things that kind of gave me that spark.”
Danielle Gumbs said the couple has a lot to think about but added that they both had strong support systems from their families and the Williams.
“We have a lot of people in our corner,” she said. “I think I’ve fallen in love with the idea a little bit more after the tour.”
For his part, Dr. Williams is always singing the praises of PCO, and also the University’s Robert E. Horne Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), which helps increase underrepresented people of color into the profession of optometry.
“The curriculum here is quite grueling and challenging and I strongly urge any African American coming into optometry to consider the Summer Enrichment Program at PCO,” said Dr. Williams. “It opens up an avenue where confidence can be built.”
Dr. Williams said he’s not rushing through his career to retire because he loves what he does. And, he wants prospective optometrists to have the great educational experience that was afforded to him.
“I have had a fantastic experience in optometry and I had wonderful training here,” said Dr. Williams. “My affinity for this place is so high. Once I found out that Bonnie had already tried to recruit Danielle and Erique into the profession, I wanted to recruit them to one of the loves of my life, PCO.”
