Dr. Richard Merrill retires after 50 years as Andalusia optometrist
Published 1:00 pm Saturday, February 8, 2025
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The staff at Ensight Eyecare joined Dr. Richard Merrill, fourth from right, for a retirement reception in honor of his 50 years of dedication as a local optometrist. (PHOTO BY ROBERT BLANKENSHIP)
Originally setting his site on a career in aviation, Dr. Richard Merrill switched gears into the medical field, leading to a 50-year career as a local optometrist that ended with his retirement in January.
An Andalusia native, Dr. Merrill was raised by a family that had a strong and lasting impact on the community. His parents were Henry Clement and Ruth Hudson Merrill. His family, specifically W.C. Merrill and E.R. Merrill, began Andalusia Manufacturing and constructed many of the buildings and homes in Andalusia. His father began his own construction company and added to the family’s construction legacy, including the building that is now Regions Bank.
Dr. Merrill attended and graduated from Andalusia High School in 1959, but not before being part of the 1958 football state championship team, playing left tackle for the Bulldogs.
Merrill’s success on the football field landed him a one-year scholarship to Marion Military Institute and after that he attended Mississippi State University where he earned a degree in Animal Science. After earning his degree, Merrill decided to switch gears to pursue a career in aviation. He attended and earned a degree in Aviation Management from Auburn’s School of Engineering in 1965. A chance encounter would set a new course for Merrill.
“About a week or two before I graduated, I saw these two Navy recruiters set up at a table outside one of the buildings,” he said. “I walked past them, but got to thinking that I would go back and talk to those guys. They explained that if I could pass a test I could go into what they called the AOC Aviation Officer Candidates program at Pensacola. I passed it and was sworn into the Navy.”
The goal for Merrill joining the Navy was to gain flying experience to pursue a career with an airline.
“I had a degree from Auburn and I figured if I joined the Navy and flew for a few years I could get a job with Delta,” he said.
Over the coming years, Merrill spent time training in Milton, Pensacola, and Corpus Christi, Texas. Among the training he took was learning how to land on an aircraft carrier. After Texas, he was assigned to the Patuxent River, Maryland Naval Air Station before being deployed to Southeast Asia where he was stationed in Thailand.
“We flew radar coverage over all of Vietnam and report every radar contact. We had planes in the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I flew through two typhoons, one of those at night. The auto-pilot couldn’t keep up with it so you had to disengage and handle it yourself,” he said.
Merrill deployment lasted about seven months and he was awarded two Air Medals for his service.
About that time, his brother-in-law, an optometrist, Dr. Carl McInnish in Brewton, began encouraging Merrill to consider optometry as a career. He spoke with the dean of the then-new UAB School of Optometry and was told if he could pass a physics and psychology class he would be accepted to attend.
“I was about to get released from the Navy, but I had one year of active reserve to go through. I requested to serve in Milton as a flight instructor for my last year. That was approved, so I spent my days as a flight instructor and attended Pensacola Junior College at night to take the psychology and physics classes, which I passed and was accepted into optometry school as part of the third class of UAB’s School of Optometry,” Merrill said.
After graduating, Merrill opened his own optometry office, Merrill’s Optometry, on the Andalusia downtown square in 1975. In 1985, Merrill bought the practice of Dr. Dan McInnish upon his retirement and moved to an office on E. Three Notch.
Serving his patients over the following decades, Merrill said his education at UAB and the efforts of Dothan optometrist, Dr. Marnix Heersink, helped him and other optometrists across the region be successful.
“At the time, UAB School of Optometry was groundbreaking education. They were teaching things that weren’t event allowed in our state yet, but we were taught them anyway. They expected those laws to change and made sure we were prepared.
“I sent all of my patients to Dr. Heersink for cataract surgeries. When I saw his first surgery, I couldn’t believe how good it was. He would do the surgery and the next day the patient would be back in my office for the follow-up,” Merrill said.
Along with improvements in equipment and instruments, Merrill said staffing is another big change.
“When I started, it was me and a girl at reception. She would send the patients back and I would examine them. Then we would order the frames and lenses. At one point, I bought my own equipment so I could cut the lenses to fit the frame and I would stay into the night cutting lenses. At that point, I was doing it all,” he said.
About five years ago, Merrill said he began thinking about retirement. He reached out to Dr. James Barton about selling him his records. After agreeing, Merrill joined Dr. Barton at Ensight Eyecare and began working fewer hours until his official retirement in January.
Merrill said his only plans for retirement is to enjoy his family and focus on the 14 acres he and his wife, Marilyn Merrill, own.
“I’ve had a good career as an optometrist in Andalusia and appreciate all the patients I’ve seen over the years,” he said.
Source: Andalusia Star
