SCENE + HEARD Opticians Association of Massachusetts Celebrates 75 Years at Historic Fall Meeting By Staff Tuesday, December 16, 2014 12:00 PM SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass.—The Opticians Association of Massachusetts (OAM) held its 2014 fall meeting Nov. 8 and 9, 2014, in Southbridge, Mass., for the fifth time in the historic home city of the American Optical Company and the Optical Heritage Museum. Highlights of the event included a 75th Anniversary Gala, a tour and history class at the Optical Heritage Museum, a visit by the Opticians Association of America’s board of directors, and a large selection of continuing education courses complete with a speaker presenting via Skype from Singapore. View the following slideshow to see who was in attendance at the festivities during this historic event. For more pictures, see OAM’s Faceboook page. 1/9 OAM’s past presidents convened at the 75th Anniversary Gala. OAM members attended their first museum tour/optical history class at the Optical History Museum with curator, Dick Whitney (r). The Opticians Association of America board of directors gathered on the steps to the entrance of the historic American Optical Company. John Parrelli, who operates four Parrelli Optical locations in Massachusetts, was named Optician of the Year. Christopher Allen, the executive director of the Opticians Association of America, received the President’s Award. Essilor, Luxottica, Hoya, Europa International, Rochester Optical, and Boston Eye Design were among the sponsors of the 75th Anniversary Gala. Other sponsors of the 75th Anniversary Gala included Carl Zeiss Vision, Younger Optics, AccuRx Inc., and ClearVision. ClearVision also sponsored a photo booth where attendees adopted a temporary new look. The AO eyeglasses frame statue in front of the Southbridge Hotel & Conference Center provided the perfect photo opportunity for the OAA board of directors.