Page 3 An Open Letter From Carl Rothman-Longtime OANY Member  December 13, 2018 An Open Letter to the OANY Membership, A few of you know me well. Many do not really know me at all but I thought that I’d like to write an open letter to the organization and its members regarding some good news I have to present. I was a very early member of the OANY and at one time came to meetings regularly for many years. I could never be very active in the organization because, as some of you know, I was a NYC teacher and guidance counselor at the same time as I ran my full time business. For me, my plate was full. There may be those who have noticed that I haven’t been to a meeting for a very long time though I am a paid up member. I thought I owed the organization, and those who may have noted my absence, an explanation. Let me begin by explaining to those who don’t know me that I am the founding owner of Windsor Park Vision Center in Oakland Gardens, Queens, an optical office that just passed its 38th anniversary, quite a long run for any small business to have remained in existence and I am proud of that. To that end, and to explain my prolonged absence from meetings, I began the process of selling my ownership more than a year and a half ago. It can be astounding how long it can possibly take to negotiate the terms of a sale of a relatively small business like mine, but that is how long it took. The negotiation procedure was time consuming and arduous, and between working at that and continuing to work at my business, I just couldn’t find the time to attend meetings. That said, the sale did proceed to a closing which was completed on November 14. So I am no longer a primary owner of Windsor Park Vision Center and that responsibility has changed hands to a very competent person. Said another way, I am now fully retired and glad to be there for sure. This is a happy letter indeed but written with some of the self doubt and introspection that comes with getting older and experiencing big life changes. So, this letter is not only a letter of explanation but is also meant to serve as a fond farewell to everyone at OANY, and to all of my suppliers and reps who I’ve developed relationships with over the years. I truly enjoyed my membership there, the monthly opportunity to see some of the friends and acquaintances I made over the years, and the benefit of keeping up with new products and innovations in our industry through some of the wonderful presentations by a most competent group of presenters. I’ll close by saying that I will miss my business, I will miss being in the optical field, and I will surely miss the monthly meetings with a most wonderful group of people. I truly wish for all of you the same relative success that I have experienced and certainly, that when it comes time for you to leave it behind, your exit is as good as mine has turned out to be.  All the Best,  Carl Rothman Editor’s Note: On a personal note, I have known Carl Rothman since the early 80’s when he was an account of Tri-conic Laboratories. He then worked with me when I joined Barry Optical in 1995 and we continued to work together when I joined Tri-Supreme in 2005. Carl is a true gentleman and was a pleasure to do business with. Carl, I will miss you and wish you nothing but the best of health and happiness in your retirement. Remember, if you ever get really bored, please feel free to join us at an OANY meeting. Good luck to you always.  Mark Cohen  Editor