Optician sadly reports the death of Ronald JS MacGregor, aged 87. MacGregor studied the ophthalmic optics course at Stow College in Glasgow and maintained a connection with the city during his pre-registration period at Gerrie & Reid on George Square.
Called to do two years of National Service in 1957, he joined the Royal Air Force on the agreement that he could serve as an optician. He spent two years at Akrotiri, Cyprus where he ran the hospital ophthalmic unit and quickly rose beyond the rank of sergeant to the position of instructor.
He was also a founding member of the Ophthalmic Antiques International Collectors’ Club (OAICC) in 1982, he was a regular club auctioneer from 1984 and the editor of the club’s journal Ophthalmic Antiques from 1990 to 2009.
A renowned expert on both the collection and the restoration of old spectacles, MacGregor was an honorary specialist adviser on historic vision aids to Christie’s Auction House, and was later approached by Disney, providing advice and reference material, which led to the design of Scrooge and Jacob Marley’s spectacles for the 2009 animated film version of A Christmas Carol.