Here is Dr. Marvin Schechter to share his story.
1. What is one of your most cherished memories?
I practiced as an optometrist for 57 years. I took care of a lot of people and kept them in good shape. I enjoyed doing this type of service and I was fortunate in having scholarships to get my training. And I received the best training available. Most of my patients were blue collar. Just regular people, good people, and I enjoyed helping them.
2. What has been your greatest accomplishment?
That’s a tough one. The most important thing is while I was practicing optometry I met a lot of people who needed some help and encouragement outside of their vision health. In addition to taking care of their vision problems I really got to know families and their kids. I made sure a lot of the kids that I took care of were encouraged to go on and become successful people in life and be a positive addition to the world. I wanted to encourage them to go on and do good things. A lot of times when you’re taking care of patients you take care of more than just their vision.
3. What advice would you give to your younger self or a younger generation?
I’m a big believer in education. And I believe that education and training are essential for success. I’d advise kids to stay in school. I hope they get their full education before they cut themselves off from the things that will help them become more successful in life.
4. Who has had the biggest impact on your life?
I’ve had many people help me throughout my life. The greatest help that I ever received was, when I was in high school I had an advisor who was fantastic. When I graduated I had 8 or 10 different scholarships to pursue and further my education. It was basically because my advisor helped me and he took a lot of pressure off of my family who was straining to make sure I got the education I needed. I did well and it paid off. I was very lucky.
5. What do you love most about where you are today?
There are many things that I like about Paul’s Run. I think that this is a very well-run facility. Everybody that is here really pitches in and tries their best to get us through any challenges. This coronavirus has been an enormous challenge. The staff here do their best to make people happy. The Paul’s Run leadership, especially our Executive Director, really bend over backwards to try to keep everyone happy and aware of the fact that we are all in this together and to keep all of us safe.
