Jim Day

Jim Houston Day, Sr., O.D., (born June 25, 1928; died April 6, 2019), was an optometrist at Day Optometry Clinic in Gardendale. He was born in Griffin, Georgia, and moved to Birmingham as a child. He attended Edgewood Elementary School and Phillips High School before joining the United States Army, where he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and was stationed in San Antonio, Texas, and Greenland. In 1950, he graduated from Northern Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, Illinois, and married his wife, Mildred Leake Day.

Both his father, Francis Jasper (F.J.) Day, and his son, Howard, were also optometrists. In 1972, he served as President of the Alabama Optometric Association and earned the President's Award in 1979. He was appointed by the governor of Alabama to the State Board of Optometry twice, serving from 1980-81 and 1982-86. For his service to the profession, he was recognized as Optometrist of the Year in 1992. He retired in 1998 after practicing for 48 years.

In 1977, he was named as Gardendale's Man of the Year and received a Beautification Award in 1990. He was a member of the Gardendale Civitans and was Scoutmaster of BSA Troop 266 in Gardendale. In his free time, he enjoyed traveling, photography, and time with his family. He was also a member of the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham.

He and his wife have five children, Marjory, Jim, Susan, Howard, and Roger.

He died in 2019 and was buried at Elmwood Cemetery.

References

• (April 8, 2019) Obituary North Jefferson News