Oklahoma Optometry Hall of Fame

2021 Oklahoma Optometry Hall of Fame - Anita Christopher, OD (Posthumous)

The OAOP has named Dr. Anita Christopher of Tulsa, Oklahoma into the 2021 Oklahoma Optometry Hall of Fame. The award recognizes Dr. Christopher as an Optometric Physician who was a trail blazer in the profession.

Raised in Tulsa, Dr. Christopher was an alumna of the Hampton Institute, now Hampton University, as well as the Northern Illinois College of Optometry. Dr. Christopher was the first African American licensed in Oklahoma to practice optometry, and just the third Black woman in the U.S. to become a licensed OD. 

In 1951, she and her husband, Dr. Charles Christopher, opened their first optometry office in Tulsa, where she specialized in vision therapy. Together, they practiced in Tulsa for 50 years before retiring in 2001.

Dr. Christopher was a community leader and activist. She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, a founding member of The Links Inc Tulsa chapter, and the Tulsa Chapter of Jack and Jill, as well as served on the boards of the National Sickle Cell Anemia Research Foundation and the Ida Dennie Willis Museum. 

In July 2021, Dr. Christopher was honored with the Founders Award by the National Optometry Association.

Past Honorees - Coming soon