soul
of blessed memory
Donald Golden: A Man Of Vision
O
ne time referred to as an
“Emperor of Eyeglasses” and
a “Czar of Contact Lenses” by
the Detroit Free Press, optical vision-
ary Dr. Donald L. Golden, a Miami
resident, passed away July 30, 2018, at
the age of 99 — two months shy of his
100th birthday.
Donald Golden was the one of the
first (if not the first) doctors to lever-
age newspaper, radio and television
advertising to build his business as a
young optometrist in the 1940s.
“He was often shunned by his
optometrist peers because he was
an ‘advertising doctor,’” explained
son Richard Golden. “Back in the
late 1940s, doctors seldom, if ever,
used advertising as a medium to
promote themselves. There was a lot
of pressure on him, both legally and
professionally, to stop. He persevered,
having the foresight to continue an
unorthodox path that would ulti-
mately pay off in spades. When you
fast forward 10, 20, 30 years, most
optometrists and others in the medi-
cal field jumped on the advertising
bandwagon — including his harshest
critics.”
When Dr. Golden opened his
first optometry office in 1946 in
Downtown Detroit’s First National
Building, contact lenses were a new
concept — one he believed strongly
in. As a result, he was a champion of
the innovation and became a contact
lens specialist.
After the office began to flour-
ish, Dr. Golden opened a contact
lens specialty office in Midtown
Manhattan and prospered further. He
sought out and formed a relationship
with A. Mueller Welt, a renowned
German scientist with a unique
and superior contact lens, further
enhancing the operation. Working
together on research and develop-
ment, they opened a contact lens lab-
oratory in New York City and began
manufacturing new and improved
contact lenses, selling them to hun-
dreds of optometric practices across
the nation.
Subsequently, Dr. Golden changed
his merchandising from a contact
lens specialty in office buildings to
a ground floor optometric center
doing both eyeglasses and contacts,
changing the name of the company
to Detroit Optometric Centers. By the
52
August 9 • 2018
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Golden
late 1960s, Dr. Golden began expand-
ing into strip malls and freestanding
buildings and, by the early 1970s, his
new shops were opening in enclosed
malls. He ultimately shortened the
name of the company to D.O.C.
The growth of D.O.C was a true
family affair. Dr. Golden’s wife of 61
years, Norma, was known as a fash-
ion icon and was instrumental in
building D.O.C into the powerhouse
fashion optical chain it became. “No
one was really seeking out high-end
designers for optical stores, but my
mother had such a keen sense of style
that it made sense for her to do the
buying. Our customers came to know
D.O.C as the fashion destination for
designer eyewear,” Richard explains.
While Dr. Golden and his wife laid
the groundwork, their three sons,
Michael, Richard and Randal, joined
the business. Along with grandson,
Seth, the family built the company
into the sixth-largest optical chain in
the U.S. at the time of its sale in 2007.
A beacon of style, the “Doc” as he
was affectionately called by all, was
always impeccably dressed in his
extensive wardrobe of hand-tailored
custom suits made of the finest
materials. “Doc was a man of style,
vision and grace who was the kindest,
sweetest and greatest man on Earth.
His sharp mind and business acu-
men led him to develop many break-
throughs in the optical field. He will
be sorely missed,” added son Randal.
An avid fan of boxing, Doc was
honored when Gov. Jim Blanchard
appointed him to the Michigan
Boxing Commission. Doc enjoyed golf
and traveling the world, and he was
an avid reader of classical literature
and lover of classical music. In his
late years, he enjoyed going to con-
certs with his sons and grandchildren
to see Bruce Springsteen and the
Rolling Stones.
Shelly Golden, daughter-in-law,
recalled, “My father-in-law, whom I’ve
always considered a dad, made me
feel like a daughter, not a daughter-
in-law. He will always have a special
place in my heart. He was loving,
kind, generous, fun and very cool!
Watching him in his ‘golden years’ as
a loving, devoted Papa is a memory I
will treasure forever.”
Dr. Golden was philanthropic,
upporting Jewish, diabetes, cancer
and other important causes. For
many years, he partnered with school
systems in Wayne, Oakland and
Macomb counties to award three
underprivileged graduating high
school seniors the Donald L. Golden
scholarship, which paid for their col-
lege tuition.
He was also active in charity
work in Miami; the top of one of
the Mount Sinai Hospital buildings
reads “Donald L. Golden and Family
Medical Building.”
Dr. Golden is survived by his
wife, Marion; her children, Daniel
Bloomfield and Tania Bloomfield;
sons and daughters-in-law, Michael
Golden, Richard and Shelley Golden,
Randy and Tracey Golden; grandchil-
dren, Seth and Hilary Golden, Bradley
and Diana Golden, Jessica Golden
and Nici Maruri, Jaclyn, Jaynee and
Jenna Golden; great-grandchildren,
Claudia and Miles Golden, Gabriella,
Giuliana and Gemma Golden.
He was the beloved husband for
61 years of the late Norma Golden;
brother of the late Dorothy and the
late Irving Chaiken, Florence and the
late Jack Posar; son of the late Philip
and the late Ethel Golden.
Interment was at Beth El Memorial
Park. Contributions may be made
to Boys Hope Girls Hope of Detroit,
P.O. Box 21085, Detroit, MI 48202,
www.bhghdetroit.org/donate; or
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit, 6735 Telegraph Road, Suite
260, P.O. Box 2030, Bloomfield Hills,
MI 48303, jewishdetroit.org/donate-
online. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman
Chapel. •
RUTH GARDIN, 91, of Oak
Park, died Aug. 1, 2018.
Mrs. Gardin is survived
by her sons and daughters-
in-law, Hershel and Joy
Gardin of Oak Park, Joseph
and Gloria Gardin of Oak
Park; daughter and son-in-
Gardin
law, Chana and Dr. Maury
Ellenberg of Oak Park;
many loving grandchildren
and great-grandchildren.
She was the beloved wife
of the late Rabbi Abraham
Gardin; cherished sister of
the late Edith Fine.
Contributions may be
made to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, P.O. Box 2044,
Southfield, MI 48037; or Farber Hebrew Day
School, 21100 W. 12 Mile Road, Southfield,
MI 48076. Interment was held at Hebrew
Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew
Memorial Chapel.
AUDREY LEIDER, 82, of
Rochester Hills, died July
31, 2018.
She is survived by her
beloved husband, Harold
Leider; son, Paul Leider;
daughters and sons-in-law,
Sandra and Mark Sperling,
Leider
Debra Leider-Kendler, Kelly
and Nicholas Simakas;
grandchildren, Meredith (Brandon) Jeffers,
Lindsay Sperling, Zachary Sperling, Geoffrey
Sperling, Ginette Kendler, Courtney Kendler,
Max Kendler, Isabella Simakas and Leah
Simakas; many other loving family members
and friends.
Contributions may be made to a charity
of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman
Chapel.
LORALEI LEVINE, 88, of
Southfield, died Aug. 2,
2018.
She is survived by her
beloved husband, Sanford
Levine; daughters, Sheri
Schey, Ilene Celniker; sons
and daughters-in-law,
Levine
Steve and Barbara Fallen,
Arthur and Sherie Levine,
Jay and Cynthia Levine; grandchildren, Jamie
(Daniel) Susskind, Jonathan (Lindsay) Schey,
Jared Celniker, Ariella Fallen ( fiancé, Seth),
Gavin Fallen, Erin Levine, Rachel (Gregory)
Collado; great-grandchildren, Sophie and
Miles; sister-in-law, Marlene Bass; many
other loving family members and friends.
Mrs. Levine was the sister of the late Stuart
Bass; mother-in-law of the late Ben Celniker.
Interment took place at Adat Shalom
Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia.
Contributions may be made to St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital. Arrangements
by Dorfman Chapel.