August 23, 2007

Stanley Pearle

Stanley Pearle was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1918, an identical twin whose brother Merle also became an optometrist. His grandparents had emigrated from Russia, and he grew up in a working-class neighborhood shortly after World War One, during the deadly flu epidemic. His parents were separated, and he and his brother never really knew their father, but their mother raised them in a home where uncles served as surrogate fathers. His Jewish education was limited in childhood, though the family lit Friday night candles. Sports, especially baseball, and the Boy Scouts were central to his youth. In high school he met Elsie, whom he would later marry.

After high school in 1936, difficult Depression years led Pearle to work in a wholesale jewelry business, where he met optometrists working in jewelry stores. Turning down a raise to stay, he chose instead to attend optometry school in Chicago, graduating in 1940. He came to Texas that year, taking jobs first in San Antonio and then Dallas. He and Elsie married in September 1940 and started married life in a modest Dallas apartment before air conditioning. After Navy service during the war, including time in Hawaii, the family lived in Corpus Christi from 1945 until moving to Dallas in 1952. They raised four children: David, Linda, Gary, and Roberta.

In Dallas, Pearle built his optical career, first through jewelry store departments and Lee Optical, then founding Pearle, opening his first store in Savannah, Georgia, around 1960 and expanding nationwide as a public company. The chain eventually became Pearle Vision, later owned by Luxottica. He and Elsie kept an active Jewish home, belonging to Temple Emanu-El, and Elsie was recognized for her community work. Deeply affected by the Holocaust, Pearle became active in politics and Jewish causes, serving as a Jewish Federation president and helping start local political and community efforts. He also served as president of the United Way of Dallas and founded the Pearle Vision Foundation to provide eye care to those in need.

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