If you were to look for a person from the Aurora area who is loyal to his home and roots, who has had success through entrepreneurship and hard work, and who is dedicated to community service, you would need to look no further than Dr. Bill Park.
He is also the Illinois Optometric Association Optometrist of the Year, recently receiving that award at an association meeting.
But to his family, friends, patients and community, Dr. Park did not need to receive an award for them to appreciate all that is good about him and his work.
His “Aurora story” began long ago when his father, Jean T. Park, emigrated to the U.S. from Canton, China, at the age of 13. He worked in restaurants, and was eventually drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in World War II. Returning to China after the war, he again came to the United States to settle in this area with his wife, Lily.
“During the war, he learned cooking and cooked for Gen. Patton. That’s where he learned to do large, bulk meals, and how he probably got interested in the restaurant business,” Dr. Park said.
Jean Park took ownership of the well-known (especially to longtime Aurorans) Paradise Inn in downtown Aurora in the 1950s when original owner Arthur Gin passed away.
“I saw my Dad working seven days a week, and both my parents worked really hard,” Dr. Park said. “I worked six days a week when starting my practice but it was an easy job compared to my parents.”
The Park family, which grew to include nine kids, took up residence on the East Side of Aurora. The kids all progressed through the East Side school system.
“I was a ‘science kid’ in school with my friend Ken, and won some ribbons at science fairs,” Dr. Park said. “My ninth-grade science teacher, Mrs. Kenton, told me I would probably become a doctor.”
He attended Aurora College (now Aurora University), graduated in 1972, and did additional course work for a year while thinking of medicine as a career. He decided on optometry during that time, and began studies at the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago in 1973.
After graduating from the college in 1977, he joined well-known Dr. John Ioratti at the Aurora Eye Clinic, staying at that practice until 1982, and founded his own clinic in North Aurora that same year.
Dr. Park purchased his building on Route 31, and has added to and modernized it over the years. A second new wing was built and the entire facade was redone in 2004. His son, Quentin, and daughter, Lena, joined him in the practice in 2004 and 2006, having followed in their father’s footsteps as graduates of the Illinois College of Optometry.
“We never pushed them,” said Dr. Park’s wife, Margaret. “As doctors, it was an unwritten idea that they would join their father’s practice.”
Throughout his years of serving his patients with state-of-the-art eye care, Dr. Park’s involvement with and commitment to the community has been amazing.
He has been a member of the Exchange Club of Aurora (which has prevention of child abuse as its national project), the Mercy Hospital Foundation Board and the North Aurora Lions Club. He moved up to become president of each of those organizations.
He wrote weekly articles for a North Aurora newspaper to help educate people in optical health, and gave talks at elementary schools. He did vision screenings at Mercy hospital in Aurora and at the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles.
Not having enough on his plate, Dr. Park worked with the Exchange Club to provide eye screenings for kids who could not afford glasses, and helped to start the Diabetes Wellness Center at Mercy hospital. The center provided eye exams to help detect diabetes. Drs. Quentin and Lena Park also volunteered in this endeavor.
Dr. Park and his wife Margaret will celebrate their 50th anniversary next year. I asked Margaret about her husband’s long career and community service.
“We knew that he has always loved what he does,” she said. “We had to support him so that he could be his best every day for his patients. The long hours — the kids and I understood that. He has so much energy.”
And is the energetic doctor thinking about retirement any time soon?
“I don’t have retirement in mind,” Dr. Park said. “I like the smile that comes when people can see well, and when I see the ‘wow factor’ when patients get their new prescription glasses – especially kids.”
Tom Strong is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
