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Dr. Robert Mobley Helped found optometry school |
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Dr. Robert Mobley Helped found optometry school |
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St. Louis Post Dispatch, December 4, 2000.
Dr. Robert L. Mobley, who helped found the School of Optometry at the University of Missouri at St. Louis, died Thursday (Nov. 30, 2000) of complications from multiple myeloma at St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles. He was 69 and lived in St. Charles County.
In the early 1960's Dr. Mobley opened an optometric practice in Florissant. In 1973, he opened a second practice in Harvest, which later became Harvester Eye Care.
Dr. Mobley was a driving force behind the 12-year effort to open an optometry school at UMSL, said his colleague and friend, Dr. Gerald Franzel of Creve Coeur. The two doctors and many others spent years petitioning the Missouri Legislature to open the school, which offered its first class in 1980.
Dr. Mobley later became an associate clinical professor at the UMSL School of Optometry and served as preceptor, working with fourth-year optometry students.
Dr. Mobley attended Harris Teachers College, now Harris-Stowe State college, but joined the Navy before he completed his degree. He served four years. When he returned home he completed his bachelor's degree at Roosevelt University in Chicago.
Dr. Mobley later graduated with a doctorate of optometry from the Illinois college of Optometry in Chicago.
He was a past president of the Missouri Optometric Association and a life member of the American Optometric Association. In 1972, he was named Optometrist of the Year by the Missouri Optometric Association.
Dr. Mobley also co-founded the Rotary Club of St. Charles-Sunrise.
Among survivors are his wife, Susan K. Klose Mobley; two daughters, Julie Gustafson of Manchester and Mary Grace Mobley of University City; a brother Eugene Mobley of St. Charles; and two grandchildren.
Visitation will be at 1 p.m. today at Baue Funeral Home, 620 Jefferson Street, St. Charles, followed by a funeral service at 2:20 p.m. Monday at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the UMSL Skeffington Scholarship, c/o UM-St. Louis School of Optometry, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis, Mo. 63121.