Acers Society
Honoring Dr. Thomas E. Acers
Benefiting Ophthalmology, Resident & Fellow Education
The Acers Society was established by the alumni of the University of Oklahoma Department of Ophthalmology in the spring of 2004 in recognition of its first full-time Chair, Dr. Thomas E. Acers. The Society exists to support ophthalmology resident and fellow education of the highest quality. Proper training and supervised clinical experience of tomorrow’s ophthalmologists will best serve both patients and the profession. Members of the Acers Society share this commitment.
Acers Society Launched by Alumni
It began as a conversation at last year’s Alumni Meeting in Anaheim: how best to honor Dr. Acers, the first full time Chair of the Department and founding President of the McGee Eye Institute. A committee of Alumni, representing every generation of the program’s graduates, brainstormed ideas and settled on the concept of an Endowment, in Dr. Acers’ name, to benefit the Residents and Fellows of the Department.
On May 8th, at a reception in conjunction with the annual Alumni/Residents Meeting, the society’s namesake and membership were honored. Dr. Acers, proudly assisted by Jackie, presented plaques and certificates to 20 Life members, 20 Annual members, and the two newest Alumni members, recent graduate Dr. Donald Ural Stone and soon to be graduate Dr. Sterling Cannon. The event was a huge success and a fitting tribute to “the Chief.” In true self-deprecating Acers fashion, Dr. Acers remarked “that he would have sold his name long ago if he thought that it was worth anything!”
Membership in the Acers Society is open to Graduates of the Ophthalmology Program at the University of Oklahoma as well as interested supporters of the Program. Membership categories are:
Life Membership: A commitment of a $10,000 donation, to be billed to the member at $1000 per year for members age 40 and over, and at $500 per year for members under 40.
Annual Member: Donation minimum of $250 per year. Continuing Members accumulating a $10,000 total donation will achieve Life Membership status.
Anyone interested in learning more about the Society should contact the Development Office at DMEI-Development@dmei.org or any of the following committee members.
Acers Society Committee Members
Co-Chairs:
William S. Clifford, M.D.
Scott C. Sigler, M.D.
Committee Members:
W. Stanley Muenzler, M.D.
Roland A. Walters, M.D.
P. Lloyd Hildebrand, M.D.
Donald E. Beahm, M.D.
Ann Acers Warn, M.D.
James H. Little, M.D.
ACERS SOCIETY MEMBERS
AS OF JUNE 9, 2004
LIFETIME MEMBERS (Commitment of $10,000 or more):
1. Sterling Baker, M.D.
2. Ray M. Balyeat, M.D.
3. Donald E. Beahm, M.D.
4. Bill and Jean Clifford
5. Jim Dunagin, M.D.
6. Stephen and Cynthia Fransen
7. Luther L. Fry, M.D.
8. Robert D. Gourley, M.D.
9. P. Lloyd Hildebrand, M.D
10. Dr. and Mrs. Rick D. Isernhagen
11. James H. Little, M.D.
12. Steven N. Montgomery, M.D.
13. W. Stanley Muenzler, M.D.
14. Mark H. Scott, M.D.
15. Scott C. Sigler, M.D.
16. Michael L. Soper, M.D.
17. Scot A. Sullivan, M.D.
18. Ann Acers Warn, M.D.
19. David E. Zuech, M.D.
ANNUAL MEMBERS (Commitment of $250 annually):
1. Lee and Mary Kathryn Anderson
2. Charles P. Bogie, III, M.D.,Ph.D.
3. Sterling Cannon, M.D.
4. Denise Chamblee, M.D.
5. Russel Crain, M.D.
6. Steven Dewey, M.D.
7. Wilmer A. Harms, M.D.
8. James L. Henry
9. Jay C. Johnston, M.D.
10. Ronald Kingsley, M.D.
11. Robert E. Leonard, II, M.D.
12. Rebecca K. Morgan, M.D.
13. David W. Parke II, M.D.
14. Ronald J. Pinkenburg, M.D.
15. John A. Robinson, M.D.
16. Nelson R. Sabetes, M.D.
17. Jeffrey Shaver, M.D.
18. Drs. R. Michael and Rhea Siatkowski
19. Donald U. Stone, M.D.
20. Roland A. Walters, M.D.
21. Kurt Weir, M.D.
22. Larry W. Weidner, M.D.
The Acers Society BY-Laws
1) Purpose
- The Alumni of the University of Oklahoma, Department of Ophthalmology propose to initiate an Alumni Fund (the “Fund”) for the expressed purpose of supporting the continuing education and well being of Residents and Fellows. The goal is to establish a permanent endowment for this purpose.
- The name of the Fund is the “Acers Society” in honor of Dr. Thomas E. Acers, founding Director of the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute and first full time Chairman of the Department. Dr Acers agrees to the use of his name for this purpose.
2) Governance and Administration
- A Board of Alumni Directors (Board) will meet at least once a year prior to the Annual Alumni Meeting. Society members will vote annually for Directors who will serve for 5 years. Nomination for the post of Director may come from a vote of the current Directors or upon nomination by Society members. The Residency Training Director and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology will serve as ex officio nonvoting members of the Board.
- The Board will be composed of not less than three Directors, who will elect a Chair to serve a term not to exceed three years.
- All Alumni Fund assets are property of the Dean McGee Eye Institute Foundation and are restricted for the purposes noted above. The Alumni Fund will be managed as a donor restricted account within the Dean McGee Eye Institute Foundation. Its assets will not be subject to granting policies and procedures established by the Dean McGee Eye Institute Foundation but are available for use as noted in Section 5 below. The Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Oklahoma is responsible for the administration of the Fund and granting of monies from the Fund. He or she will provide an annual accounting of the Fund’s activities to the Board at its annual meeting or as requested by the Chair of the Alumni Board.
3) Membership
- The goal of the Acers Society is to enable all Alumni to “give back” to the Residency and Fellowship Training Programs. As such, the Society will strive to include all Alumni in its membership.
- Membership in the Acers Society is open to graduates of the residency and clinical fellowship programs in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Oklahoma as well as interested supporters of the Program as approved by the Alumni Board.
- Memberships will fall into three categories:
Life Membership: A commitment of a $10,000 donation, to be billed to the member at $1000 per year for member’s age 40 and over, and at $500 per year for members under 40.
Continuing Member: Donation minimum of $250 per year. Continuing Members accumulating a $10,000 total donation will achieve Life Membership status.
Graduate Member: During the first year after completion of training, program graduates may access “Graduate Membership” for dues of $100. Thereafter, they are eligible for membership at the “Continuing Member” or “Life Member” level.
- Donations will be tax deductible.
4.) Recognition
- Acers Society Membership will be recognized in the DMEI Newsletter and in the Annual Meeting Program.
- A Commemorative display, to be sited in the DMEI, will acknowledge the contributions of Acers Society Members.
- The Acers Society will hold an annual reception on the Friday prior to the Annual Alumni Meeting. Current Residents and Fellows will be invited.
5) Financial Philosophy
- To facilitate the growth of the Fund, distribution will not commence until the aggregate amount reaches $50,000. Thereafter, distributions from the Fund will be limited to 5% of the corpus plus 50% of new donations during the preceding year. Any change in this policy must be approved both by the Board and by the Department Chair.
- The Board will designate an anticipated annual distribution for each Training Cycle Year (July 1 to June 30) during the Annual Meeting. Residents and Clinical Fellows or the Program Director may apply for funding at any time to assist with:
Meeting expenses (AAO, AFIP, ASCRS, ect.)
Clinical texts, except the AAO BCSC books
Clinical and/or educational equipment
Emergency expenses for bereavement travel, unexpected medical expenses, etc.
This list may be updated at any time by a vote of a majority of the Board.- The Fund may also be used to cover expenses deemed appropriate by the Board such as guest speaker expenses or coverage of the gift for the Tulos Coston Lectureship.
- The Residency Training Director and Department Chair must approve all requests for funds, except those initiated by and approved by the Board.
- The Fund may also be used to cover expenses deemed appropriate by the Board such as guest speaker expenses or coverage of the gift for the Tulos Coston Lectureship.