Los Angeles
County
Biographies
ANTON L. CERRO, O. D.
If
counted in terms of years of practice, twenty-two of them, Dr. Anton L. Cerro
is the oldest practicing Optometrist in Alhambra, but considered in terms of
age, joy of life, sense of humor and relaxed, good natured personality, he is
one of the youngest optometrists in Alhambra.
Only
two years ago, he went into the backwoods of Idaho on an elk hunting trip with
several of his good friends. And were
they roughing it? The unforgettable
thrill of his life was the perilous adventure of riding the Rapids of the
Salmon River in Idaho in a canoe. And
then for another twenty-five slow miles they had to pack in, until they were
far away from the sounds and smells of civilization and the pettiness and
aggravations of daily life. He took many
colored pictures of the venturesome trip, from primitive camp life to the
unbelievably magnificent scenery, unspoiled and primeval. In spite of the perils and the hardships of
this adventure, Dr. Cerro longs to make this trip again.
Dr.
Anton L. Cerro, or Tony has his friends call him, was born on June 22, 1915, in
Los Angeles, California. His father,
also a native Californian, was Anton L. Cerro.
His mother, Amelia (Friese) Cerro is a native
of Kansas. She resides in Alhambra.
After
attending elementary schools in Los Angeles, graduating from Jefferson High
School in Los Angeles in 1933, Dr. Cerro studied for pre-optometry at the
University of California in Los Angeles.
He graduated from the College of Optometry in 1938, with a Bachelor of
Science degree in Optometry.
Shortly
after his graduation from college, Dr. Cerro began his practice in Alhambra, in
1939, with offices located on Main Street.
In 1946 he moved into his own building at 35 South Garfield Avenue in
Alhambra. The red brick exterior, with
shake roof, dormer windows and leaded windowpanes, invite the patient for a
relaxed visit in air conditioned offices.
Sharing the building with Dr. Cerro are Dr. Harold Lutes and Dr. G.
Wendell Ridley.
Dr.
Cerro married Maxine R. Kageler, a native
Californian, on September 1, 1939, at the Mission Inn in Riverside, California,
where they spent their honeymoon. They
have four children, two boys and two girls.
Diane Lynn Cerro, born on July 13, 1940, is a senior at the University
of California at Santa Barbara. She is
majoring in education, and presently student teaching. Janet Marie Cerro, was born on March 18,
1943, is a senior at San Gabriel High School; Anton L. Cerro, Jr., born on
March 9, 1954, and Craig Thomas, who was born on June 5, 1956. The Cerro family attends Saint James
Presbyterian Church in San Gabriel.
Dr.
Cerro is a member of the Alhambra Elks Lodge No. 1328, B.P.O.E., a charter and
life member of the Alhambra Optimist Club, serving as president of this
organization in 1946-47. He is a past
member of the Alhambra Junior Chamber of Commerce and an active member of the
Alhambra Chamber of Commerce. He is a
member and past president for two one-year terms of the San Gabriel Optometric
Society. While in college, he served as
president of Omega Delta, a professional Optometrists fraternity and is an
alumnus of Sigma Pi social fraternity.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Historical Volume & Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park,
Rosemead, San Gabriel & Temple City, by Robert P. Studer,
Pages 524-526, Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California. 1962.
© 2013 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
GOLDEN
NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPHIES