Scott Pike '68 OD '70 To Receive Massih Prize

Scott Pike '68 OD '70In recognition for a lifetime of service to the profession and his community, Pacific University College of Optometry alumnus and former faculty member Scott Pike ’68 OD ’70 is the recipient of the Kamelia Massih Prize for a Distinguished Optometrist.

Pike will accept the prize during the university’s graduate and professional commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 18.

In his over five-decade career, Pike has not only dedicated himself to educating future optometrists but also to providing eyecare to underserved populations and creating service opportunities for Pacific students.

Pike earned his bachelor’s degree from Pacific in 1968 and his doctor of optometry degree in 1970. He served two stints on the College of Optometry’s faculty, from 1974 to 1977 and from 2006 to 2019. He acted as the college’s clinic attending doctor from 1994 to 2016. Pike also spent two years as a faculty member at the Southern California College of Optometry.

Pike was in private optometric practice for 30 years with a specialty in contact lenses. He practiced for 18 years in Montana and 12 years in Beaverton before retiring in 2006.

A 50-year member of the American Optometric Association, Pike served 28 years as a member of the vision care section of the American Public Health Association and was the section chair from 2002 to 2003.

Pike continues to be passionate about providing eyecare services to underserved populations, particularly in Central America. Since 2007, Pike has served on the board of directors for AMIGOS Eye Care, a nonprofit affiliated with the College of Optometry dedicated to providing vision care to underserved people locally and worldwide. He has traveled with AMIGOS on several international service trips since the organization’s founding in 1975.

Pike is also the co-founder and president of Enfoque Ixcán, a nonprofit dedicated to providing vision care for people in the remote Ixcán region of Guatemala. Since its founding in 1997, Enfoque Ixcán has made 20 mission trips to Guatemala, providing vision care for more than 23,500 patients and service opportunities for 149 Pacific students.

Pike also served as the optometric consultant for Pacific Islands Medical Aid, a nonprofit serving the healthcare needs of the Line Islands in the central Pacific Ocean. He made three mission trips with the organization.

In 2020, Pike received the Pacific University Alumni Association’s Outstanding Alumni Award in recognition of his longtime service work.

In addition to his service to the optometric profession, Pike served five years on the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors and was president from 2003 to 2005. As Pacific’s undergraduate student body vice president during the 1967-1968 academic year, Pike helped write the resolution changing the university’s mascot from Badgers to Boxers.

The Kamelia Massih Prize for a Distinguished Optometrist honors a Pacific University College of Optometry alum who has made a significant impact on the profession. It was established by the family of Kamelia Massih, who was born and raised in Iran before coming to the United States to pursue her education. She completed her doctor of optometry degree at Pacific in 1985 and opened her own practice, Beaverton Vision World, in 1989, followed by a second location in Portland. She died in March 2010 following a three-year battle with cancer.

Massih cared deeply about others, giving countless hours of time and financial resources to a wide range of local and national charities.

“Kamelia had a keen affinity for Pacific University,” said her brother, Fariborz Maseeh, upon the establishment of the prize. “Our family hopes this gift will recognize excellence of optometry graduates of Pacific University and will inspire other alumni to carry on Kamelia’s passion for serving our community and those in need.”

PAST MASSIH PRIZE RECIPIENTS
2023 | Lee Ann Remington ’83, OD ’84, MS ‘92
2022 | Cristina Schnider OD ‘82
2019 | Nada Lingel ’79, OD ’81, MS ’88 ‘00
2018 | Shinji Seki OD ‘79
2017 | Edward “Larry” Jones OD ‘85
2016 | Douglas R. Weberling ’72 OD ‘74
2015 | Willard B. Bleything ’51 OD ‘52
2014 | Kirk L. Smick ’66 OD ‘67
2013 | Dori M. Carlson ’88 OD ‘89
2012 | Stanley J. Yamane ’65 OD ‘66
2011 | James H. Berglund OD ‘60

Monday, May 13, 2024