Centennial
As we approach summer and the irresistibly nice weather makes it hard to stay inside, the idea of sitting outside might be a welcoming idea. Upon making that decision, you might realize that many of our campus benches are dedicated to some of our most notable faculty, staff and alumni.
If you choose to sit outside, you may notice a bench in dedication to John S. Biernacki, OD ’52. As one of the first benches purchased in the University’s bench campaign back in 2015, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Optometric Association (NEPOA) dedicated it in memory of Dr. Biernacki, who was a member of the Association for the entirety of his professional career.
Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. in 1926, Dr. Biernacki received his bachelors degree from Columbia University before serving in World War II in the Pacific Theater. Upon his return, he received his Doctor of Optometry degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) in 1952.
Upon completing his education, Dr. Biernacki opened his practice in Wilkes-Barre and remained there for over 50 years. Next to his family, his profession was his passion. He was instrumental in starting the externship program at PCO and over the years mentored more than 75 optometric interns.
Current director of PCO’s Externship Program, Satya Verma, OD ’75, FAAO, FNAP said, “I knew Dr. Biernacki very well. He was a great gentleman and a professional, who cared for his profession and wanted to give back through being a preceptor for the program. He was one of the earliest practitioners in the ‘70s who became a part of the Externship program and since his retirement, his daughter Donna McLaughlin, OD ’81, who is also a PCO graduate and owns Biernacki Eye Associates is also a preceptor for the externship program.”
Throughout his life, he was an active member in his community, a life member of Lions International, a chairperson of the Heart and United Way campaigns, and much more.
In 2012, Dr. Biernacki received the prestigious Albert Fitch Alumnus of the Year award and a few weeks later, had the honor of hooding his granddaughter Julie McLaughlin, OD ’12, into his profession.
Dr. Biernacki passed away in December 2013 at the age of 86 and NEPOA wanted to find a way to honor his memory. Kenneth Savitski, OD ’87, president of NEPOA and the University’s Alumni Association at the time of the bench dedication decided that a bench on the Elkins Park campus was a fitting tribute to the man who played such a key role in the passage of state optometric legislation and attended monthly NEPOA meetings up until six months before his death.
“We in NEPOA called Dr. John ‘the father of optometry in northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Dr. Savitski. He noted that many of the optometrists who practice in that area went through Dr. Biernacki’s office as externs and that Dr. John helped to guide them and countless others through their early years in the profession.
When interviewed about this honor for her father, Donna McLaughlin, OD ’81, said that she thought he would be “very humbled and very thrilled.” She added, “My dad always preached involvement with optometry and told the students he mentored to ‘be and do everything you can for it’ always saying, it’s a career, not a job.”
Dr. Biernacki personified the profession of optometry, particularly in northeastern Pennsylvania. He was always cognizant of how far the profession had advanced since he first practiced and actively sought to continue that advancement. He was proud of what optometry had become as a profession, according to Dr. McLaughlin. “He practiced until he was 82 years old,” she said. “I think the naming of the bench in his honor depicts what his life was about: moving the profession forward.”
