Our Deepest Sympathies Alumna Kara Meyer Passes

We are very saddened to learn that 1987 AAF presenter and SJMC alumna Kara Meyer passed away on Thursday. Kara was an advertising major at Southwest Texas State University and was a presenter on the 1987 AAF team which set them on the winning path. Kara was an outstanding student, and her professional career began the day she graduated, much of which is detailed below:DALLAS-Services will be held in Coppell, Texas next week for Kara Casey Meyer, 45, REM Eyewear´s vice president of corporate accounts, who died unexpectedly on Feb. 16.Meyer, a long-time eyewear executive, was highly regarded within the industry. She was named one of Vision Monday's "Most Influential Women in Optical" in 2005. In her profile,VM noted that Meyer was very proud of her Austin, Texas roots. 

She majored in journalism at Southwest Texas State (now Texas State University), her interest in communications leading to a student internship at GSD&M where she helped with pitches to clients. She was rewarded with a graduate paid internship at the legendary Chiat Day agency, and in 1988, when she moved to Dallas, Meyer became an account executive for Stern Monroe. She joined Nouveau Eyewear as marketing director in 1994, and was with the company for eight years, eventually becoming vice president of marketing and working with key retail accounts. She joined REM in 2002, as vice president of corporate accounts.

Mike Hundert, REM's CEO, said, "Many of us had the privilege to know Kara very well, to call her our friend. She touched us like no other, guiding us and encouraging us with a steady hand and a Texas-size illuminating smile. We will always admire and be encouraged by her wisdom and determination, her intuition and integrity. Kara was passionate about making everyone happy. And she succeeded. From making her customers successful to lifting the spirits of any of us when we were down, Kara was always there for us, the quintessential professional and the most loyal friend."Meyer's immediate survivors include her husband, Jay, and two children, Alexis and Christian. 

There will be a gathering at Restland Coppell Chapel Monday, Feb. 21 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Services will be held at First United Methodist Church in Coppell on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family will be establishing a college fund for Alexis and Christian.REM Eyewear is preparing to celebrate Meyer with a gathering of friends on Thursday, March 17 in New York City, on the eve of Vision Expo East, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. VMail will post further details as they become available.