Dr. Hammond’s Retirement

On February 28, 2022, we threw Dr. Hammond a retirement party. He has served us and his patients for 38 years and we can’t thank him enough for his service. It’s clear that he will be dearly missed, given the outpouring of comments on our Facebook farewell post. Below you’ll find a retirement letter from Dr. Hammond, his tribute slideshow, and a gallery of photos from the party.

Dear patients,

It is with mixed emotions that I announce that I have ended my optometric career. It doesn’t seem that long ago when, in 1984, my wife and I moved from Ohio to Fuquay-Varina to join Dr. Al Johnson, Dr. Bob Johnson, and Dr. Rick Hartman at Johnson Optometric Associates. Over the past few months, I have been able to personally thank many of you at the office at your last appointment. I wish I could have been able to thank everyone personally but unfortunately, it is not possible, so I’m writing this letter to express my heartfelt appreciation to all the patients who I have examined over the past 38 years. It has been my privilege to see each and every one of you. I am honored that you have trusted me to take care of your eyes, and for referring your family and friends to our office. It has been fun to see and provide care for the children and grandchildren of so many of my patients over the years. I will miss taking care of you in the future, but I know that I am leaving you in great hands with Doctors Johnson, May, Martin, and Clinard.

I have been blessed to have had such great partners, and we together developed a plan to offer our patients quality vision care in a friendly environment. I want to thank them for helping me grow as an individual and an optometrist. Over the years, I have seen our offices grow from 12 to over 40 employees. We have increased our office space, added state-of-the-art technologies and computer systems to offer our patients high-quality eyecare. Now we have 4 practitioners with the addition of partners Dr. Andrew May, Dr. Barrett Martin, and also our newest associate Dr. Cameron Clinard.

I would also like to thank all of the staff that has worked in the practice over my career. Many of them are still working at the office, and a few of them were working here before I joined the practice! We have such a great staff who are dedicated to our practice and our patients. They have made coming to work enjoyable and have helped me be a better optometrist over the years. They are the backbone of the office and I appreciate everything they do on a daily basis. I have fond memories of meeting their families, going to hockey games, and our annual Christmas parties. I will miss them all and I know they will continue to provide excellent care to our patients.

I look forward to my life after optometry. I really don’t have a bucket list. My wife Lisa and I enjoy being at home with our three dogs, doing yard work, and cooking for friends, but we do plan on spending more time traveling to see our three children and granddaughter. I assume I’ll be on the golf course more often and making some new furniture in my woodshop for the family. I already have an order for a kitchen table for my son! Please stay healthy and may God bless you and your family!

Best Regards,

Dr. Hammond