George Kaufman and Woodlands Eye Associates celebrate 40 years in The Woodlands

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Little did they know back in 1975 as they shopped for a home on Lake Conroe that 40 years later their roots in the East Texas pine forest and the new town of The Woodlands would sink so deep.

But Diane and George C. “Joby” Kaufman, III, who recalled their early days in the area recently, said they wouldn’t have changed a thing.

"Diane and I had just moved here following an Air Force stint in California and getting her master's degree in reading, while I was finishing my obligation to the Air Force," Joby said. "She had just accepted a teaching position with CISD, and we were looking to buy a home on Lake Conroe. But some friends suggested we look in The Woodlands. We did and we loved what we saw and we’ve been here ever since.”

Joby and Diane were high school sweethearts from northern Illinois and married in 1971, after graduating from Western Illinois University. When they moved to Houston, Joby enrolled in the University Of Houston College Of Optometry and received his BS in Physiological Optics and later his Doctor of Optometry degree.

In 1972 he was commissioned an officer in the Air Force and won a scholarship from the Air Force Institute of Technology. Upon graduation, he served on active duty as an optometry officer in an Air Force hospital at Vanderberg AFB in California.

“When we first came to The Woodlands,” he said, "The Wharf Professional Building was still under construction. The entire community of only about 1,100 people were waiting for Jamail’s Grocery to open in Grogan’s Mill Center."

Joby opened Woodlands Eye Associates in November 1976 in the Wharf Professional Building. He saw his very first patient on Nov. 15, 1976.

In those early days Joby’s mom and dad moved to The Woodlands from Illinois, and the senior Mr. Kaufman ground lenses for glasses in an in-house lab. “We were the first in the area to have our own lab,” Joby said.

In 1986 he and a group of nine other doctors built and opened The Woodlands Medical and Dental Center on Medical Plaza Drive near The Woodlands Hospital. It was one of the first private buildings built in The Woodlands and remains one of its most successful.

"Our practice has grown with The Woodlands, and I am thankful for the loyalty of the community and their trust in us,” Joby said. He believes that Woodlands Eye Associates may be the longest, continuous medical business operating in The Woodlands. He says that one of the secrets to the success of Woodlands Eye Associates is that "its staff and doctors strive to provide service worthy of the people’s trust.”

“We have some of the most talented optometrists anywhere,” he said.

Dr. Carl Ross joined our practice over 20 years ago and recently retired to part-time.

Dr. Britt Wright joined Woodlands Eye Associates 20 years ago this month after completing a fellowship in Dallas. The Amarillo native played college basketball and is "just a fine man who people genuinely enjoy being around,” Joby said.

Dr. Wright and his wife Kristina are the proud parents of two boys, Brendan and Conner.

Dr. Ginger Brown joined the practice 11 years ago. Dr Brown and husband Jeff are the proud parents of two boys, Colin and Logan.

Dr. Tammi Graham and her husband Michael joined the practice in July 2014.

Dr. Stephen Slade is one of the finest eye and refractory surgeons in the nation. He is Woodlands Eye's surgical consulting ophthalmologist who visits the practice on a regular basis. Dr. Slade was the first doctor in the country to perfect the now-famous Lasik surgery technique. Dr. Slade has taught Lasik to more than 8,000 surgeons worldwide.

“All five of the firm's optometrists are board certified in the treatment and management of ocular diseases,” Joby said. “I am equally proud of our two offices and the staff of 31 who are dedicated to providing the best care and service to our patients."

In addition to being one of the most respected optometrists in the area, Dr. Kaufman served for 18 years on the Board of Trustees of the Conroe ISD. During that time the district more than doubled its size, from 18,000 students to more than 50,000. And because of his many contributions, the district named an elementary school after him. The George Kaufman Elementary School opened in the fall of 2006 in the Rayford Road area.

One of his fondest memories is being part of the beginnings of The Woodlands Presbyterian Church.

Joby is a member of the American Optometric Association, the Texas Optometric Association and the Society of Therapeutic Optometrists. He holds optometric licenses in Texas and California and still holds teaching credentials in Illinois and Texas.

Since moving to The Woodlands, the Kaufman’s have become parents to Kristy and David. In 2013 Kristy married Frankie Draa, and now Joby and Diane have a five-month-old grandson, Christian Kaufman Draa.

The Kaufman’s and their staff “family” are proud to celebrate their milestone in the community, and the community is very proud they decided to put roots down here rather than on Lake Conroe.