Dr. Fred Burnett came to Jackson, Tennessee, in 1983. A native of Wenatchee, Washington, Dr. Fred graduated from Duke University with an A.B. in Chemistry in 1971. He then received his Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Florida in 1972. He worked as a counselor for Vocational Rehabilitation and then Lucerne General Hospital in their spinal cord injury unit. It was at Vocational Rehabilitation where he met and married Dr. Charlene in 1974. In 1976 they moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where Dr. Fred attended Southern College of Optometry. Dr. Fred graduated with his Doctor of Optometry in 1980 from SCO as class valedictorian, receiving the Beta Sigma Kappa Silver Medal, the highest honor. He taught dermatology, second-year optometry and supervised third and fourth-year students in the general, pathology, and electrodiagnostic/low vision clinics at SCO until March of 1983. While a teaching associate at SCO, Dr. Fred was the faculty sponsor for the Student Government Association and the Tennessee Club. In 1983 Dr. Fred and Dr. Charlene purchased their current practice in Jackson from the Optometry Group.
In service to his profession, Dr. Fred served through all the chairs of the Tennessee Optometric Association, being President for 2000-2001. He was named as TOA Optometrist of the Year for 1993-94 and Northwest Tennessee Optometric Association Optometrist of the Year for 1992-93. Dr. Fred served on the Board of Trustees for Southern College of Optometry from 1994-2002 and served on its Executive Committee from 1999-2001. He is a founding member of the American Optometric Society, a past Director for the NWTOA and TOA, a past Board Member for Omega Eye Care Clinic, a member of the American Optometric Association, a past member of the American Foundation for Vision Awareness, a past fellow of the Tennessee Academy of Optometry, has served as an examiner for the National Board of Examiners in Optometry, and was a member of the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce. He actively supported The STAR Center in Jackson. He was Board Certified and a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry. Dr. Fred passed away on October 1, 2013.