West Virginia Executive Spring/Summer 2020 | Page 117

1970
1975
1980
1973 Graduated from
Marshall University
1977 Graduated from Southern
College of Optometry
1977 Opened White
Eye Care Center
“It is very rewarding to play
a role in the professional
development of others. I am
happy to contribute what I can
to a profession I love dearly.”
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
1985 Married wife, Ruth
1985 Sons, Tony and Paul,
were born
1987 Daughter, Joanna,
was born
1991 Started coaching
youth basketball
2004 Elected to Logan County
Chamber of Commerce
board of directors
2012 Named presidentelect
of the WVAOP
2015 Elected president
of the West Virginia
Board of Optometry
2016 Elected to the Logan
County Board of Education
2019 Named West Virginia
Optometrist of the Year
by the WVAOP
of West Virginians is a direct result of his
practice, which he opened in Logan after
finishing optometry school. Today, White
Eye Care Center provides full-spectrum
eye care from routine exams to diagnosis
and treatment of all kinds of eye and
vision disorders. Together with his partner,
Dr. Lonnie Lucas; his associate, Dr.
Ethan Adkins; and their 14 employees,
the team offers a wealth of knowledge.
White would not be where he is today
without the support of his family and
the mentorship of other health care
professionals.
“My father was a first-generation
college student, and my mother made it
clear at an early age that my sisters, Kathy,
Cindy and Karen, and I would go to college
too,” he says. “Dr. Kessel and Dr. Mullins
instilled in me a desire to help ailing people,
and my wife, Ellen, inspires me every day
to do what is right. Ellen is my foundation
and the reason for anything I might
accomplish. I have been fortunate to be
surrounded by people who inspire me to
work hard, serve others and never give up.”
White pays this debt forward by mentoring
young people in the optometry
field, including his now-partner Lucas.
White, Lucas and Adkins are also clinical
adjunct faculty at Kentucky College of
Optometry and bring students to their
practice for externships.
“It is very rewarding to play a role in
the professional development of others,”
he says. “I am happy to contribute what I
can to a profession I love dearly.”
White’s impact on the optometry field
has not gone unnoticed. In 2012, he was
named president-elect of the West Virginia
Association of Optometric Physicians
(WVAOP), and in 2013, he was appointed
to the West Virginia Board of Optometry
where, in 2015, he was elected president.
In 2019, he was named West Virginia
Optometrist of the Year by the WVAOP.
Much like the optometry field, White
is passionate about his community, where
he spends a great deal of time contributing
to its betterment. He is a member
of the Logan County Chamber of Commerce
board of directors, Logan County
Board of Education, Southern West Virginia
Community and Technical College
board of governors and Logan Regional
Medical Center’s board of trustees. A
special interest in the well-being of West
Virginia’s youth has led to his involvement
with the Handle with Care program and
Children’s Home Society of West Virginia’s
WE CAN program. He is also one of
the founding directors of the Logan and
Mingo Child Advocacy Centers, the mission
of which is to help disadvantaged and
traumatized children.
One goal he continues to work toward
is creating opportunity for Logan’s youth
so they can stay home in Logan County
and have a prosperous life.
“The reason I invest so much in our
youth is simple: our children are our
legacy,” he says. “I try to help by being
involved with organizations that work
with children. I talk with kids every day
about realizing their potential and following
their dreams and how hard work
will serve them well. My success is largely
due to my parents’ guidance, and many
of our kids don’t have that kind of support
at home. I know it’s a very tall task,
but I hope to help shift our culture in that
regard.” •
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