Dr. Shaler Richardson

Created in tribute to Dr. Shaler Richardson, these endowments support a chair in the College of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology. Richardson was born in Lake Charles, LA, on February 27, 1891. He was awarded his doctor of medicine degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1913, and served a two-year internship at the Memphis City Hospital. He entered the Army Medical Corps and served two years during World War I, emerging as a major. In 1922, he engaged in the private practice of ophthalmology in Jacksonville, FL, and in 1946 was elected president of the Florida Medical Association. In 1961, he was awarded the association’s highest honor, its Certificate of Merit.

Richardson was a leading figure in every type of work for the blind throughout his state. He passed away May 27, 1963 and was survived by his wife, Mrs. Nada Coffee Richardson, a daughter and two sons.