Dr. Gordon Isreal Harris

April 13, 2020 marks the passing of Dr. Gordon Israel Harris, born 10/31/1929 and survived by his two sons Paul Alan Harris and Louis David Harris and his companion Barbara Macchiaroli. He lived his entire life in New York and was devoted to his family, his profession of optometry, and his service to the community, through his 65-year involvement in Kiwanis, and his other pursuits including singing in the Huntington Men’s Chorus, bowling, the Model A Ford Club, and his first passion, photography. He is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School and then getting his optometry degree from Columbia University. He practiced on Long Island his entire career, beginning with adding optometric services to the store run by his father and optician Seymour Harris. In later years he consolidated the three practices into one, closing the Northport and Centerport office, while maintaining the Greenlawn office. Within the profession of optometry, he distinguished himself as a Fellow in the American Academy of Optometry and a Diplomate in the Contact Lens Section. For nearly his entire career he was involved in optometric research and education, beginning by being part of the research team at the Optometric Center of New York headed by Bill Ludlam. He built and calibrated many of the unique instruments developed for the longitudinal myopia research project which spanned the 1960’s and early 70’s. He moved onto the faculty of the State University of New York, State College of Optometry as it was founded in the early 1970’s and taught in the labs and worked in the clinic, while also serving the research work by continuing to develop instruments to measure different aspects of the eye and visual system. Gordon was a role model for all, and he had a soft spot for those in need. He was proud of his family and involved them in all he did. Going to the weekly Kiwanis luncheon with him and hearing as he gave his “Happy Dollar”, to working alongside him at the annual pancake breakfasts, or getting up at the crack of dawn on holidays to put the flags up on Main Street in Huntington, he always smiled and you knew he loved life. We will all miss having him here with us. Thank you for all you gave, because you certainly gave everything you had.

Dr. Gordon Isreal Harris

October 31, 1929 - April 13, 2020