Collier Scholarship Fund

The Collier Scholarship Fund was established in 2016 by Dr. Wayne Collier to honor the memory of his parents, Herbert & Freida Collier. He is an optometrist and noted community philanthropist in Bucyrus, Ohio, having been named the community’s 2015 Citizen of the Year.

Dr. Collier is a 1965 graduate of the Ohio State University College of Optometry and began private practice in Bucyrus in 1969. He was named 1995 Ohio Optometrist of the Year and, in 2007, he was awarded the Neil Bailey Award for his many years of dedication and support of the OSU College of Optometry. Dr. Collier is an Air Force veteran who carried his rifle in Vietnam while making his rounds to treat eye injuries.

Dr. Collier has personally taken care of thousands who could not afford to protect the precious gift of sight, having provided eye examinations and glasses to the needy, in conjunction with the Bucyrus Lions Club, as well as free kindergarten eye screenings. During mission trips to several third world countries, he has provided eye care and helped establish eye clinics.

The Collier Scholarship supports promising students and graduates of high schools in Crawford County—Bucyrus, Wynford, Colonel Crawford, and Buckeye Central—where he now lives, as well as his alma mater, Bellevue Senior High in Bellevue, Ohio. Special consideration is given to applicants who participated in music programs in high school or college.