How “AO” history knowledge and contacts helped ID a body
in a ‘Cold Case’ Murder investigation in Feb 2008-
by Dick Whitney
by Dick Whitney
This February (2008) I opened my inbox in my home email to find a
most
unusual AO History request. Since I have become an authority on
American
Optical’s history, people and products, I am accustomed to getting
several
inquiries a week asking for AO Product or historical information.
Little
did I realize that the email I was opening his time was about to
lead me
to assist in a ‘cold case’ murder investigation!
Here is an excerpt from that initial email:
“Mr. Whitney,
I am a Coroner’s Investigator with the state of California. I was given your name by the folks over at American Optical sunglasses and told you were a historian on the American Optical company.
My office is investigating the finding of skeletal remains in a shallow grave. In the grave were a pair of American Optical eyeglass frames with one bifocal lens present. I’d like to e-mail you a photo of the frames in hopes that you might be able to come up with a time frame of when they were manufactured…”
Naturally, my curiosity led me to quickly respond and volunteer to help and do what I could to assist in this investigation. I called the Coroner and we discussed the case. I then received numerous photos via email, a few of which are shown here.
The photos showed an old AO Frame of a familiar style. It was obvious that they had been in the ground for some time, given the deteriorated condition that they were in. I was told by the coroner that they believed the body (which did not have a skull with it) had been in the shallow grave for a long time. One reason that they believed it to be old, aside from its condition, is that in the grave beside the body was an old screw top aspirin bottle, thus dating it prior to the “child proof” caps. This meant it likely to be at least 30 years old.
Following up on the frame and lens details, I asked for more
specifics
about the A & B dimensions and segment width on the one
remaining glass
lens. I also asked for a measured prescription if possible.
From the photo of the glass lens, it appeared like the lens had an
AR coating on it, but realizing that the gravesite was likely very
old,
I decided that this was probably just a film or attack of the
material
from the many years it had been in the ground. While I can recall
being
involved in testing AO AR lenses in the 1970’s, I doubted this
would be
one of them!
My thoughts of cleverly identifying the body from his/her prescription soon faded, as I realized that prescription records would be impossible to find. I the decided I had been watching too many Forensic Files on TV. Thinking that finding useful information to the Coroner would be unlikely, I decided to see what more could be uncovered than they already knew.
One of my first inquires involved finding out more about the manufacture of the Frame. Fortunately, one of our family’s longest and closest friends had been the Plant Manager of American Optical’s Frame plant in Frederick Maryland during the time the frame likely would have been made. Our friends name is Bob Haynes, and he and his family have been friends since my father first meet him while both worked in AO’s R&D department in 1947. I gave Bob a call in Florida where he retired to, and described the situation. I followed up by emailing him the photos I had just received from the Murder investigation.
Bobs email back stated:
“A cursory look at the photos from the coroner and an AO Frame
catalog
makes me believe this is the Stadium frame. I don't have the
manufacturing
dates yet, but the catalog the picture is from was printed
in 1966
based on the date stamp. I am forwarding the pictures to Howard
Strine,
who was our QC Manager, and who I occasionally hear from. He may
have other
and better ideas about it.
With this information I contacted the Coroner, but Bob continued his search thru his records. A few days later I got a follow up email, where a second Women’s frame had been identified. It was called the Clic frame and Bob emailed me the information from the catalogue he had uncovered. He had found both Marketing information and purchase price, “IBM Catalogue” AO Chart numbers for this product line!
When reading the Marketing blurb on the Clic frame, I laughed as
I read
that the Clic was a “breathtaking beauty for the moonbeam-minded”.
Say
what? They certainly had fun with avoiding a more fitting
description of
the Frame!
Armed with this new info along with scans of the Catalogue that
Bob
had provided, I told the Coroner that it could be the ‘Clic’
Womens’ frame.
His response was:
“This makes more sense, as we found some female clothes in the
grave
- no skull or teeth. Any time frame on when these were in
production
for the Clic? Incredible work!”
Bob Haynes researched further and discovered that frame had been
sold
by AO from ~1964 until 1983 when the Frederick Frame plant closed
its operations.
Not long after providing this manufacturing information to the Marin County Coroner, I received this exciting email from him:
“Mr. Whitney,
WE have an ID in this case… our ‘Jane Doe’ went missing in May of 1964 - matching the time line you've been able to provide.
Thanks so much for your all your help!”
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