He led a life of farming and healing. Now he’s going into a Manatee hall of fame
Bob King was always a farmer and rancher, even during his teen years growing up in Bradenton.
He became an innovative eye doctor, but never never lost his love for the land.
“I was an eye surgeon so I could afford to be a farmer,” he had said.
King, who died at age 86 on March 20, 2021, will be posthumously inducted into the Manatee County Agricultural Hall of Fame on Nov. 17.
“He was an excellent student who also found the time to work at a dairy farm, on a chicken farm and manage his own herd of cattle while still in high school,” Friends of the Manatee County Ag Museum said in a statement.
King graduated from Manatee High School in 1953, and attended Texas A&M University and Emory University before graduating from medical school as an ophthalmologist in 1959.
He returned to Bradenton in 1963, established Manatee Eye Clinic with Dr. Roger Meyer and introduced several innovations to the Manatee County medical community while farming and ranching on the side.
“He learned the human body and the eyeball, inside and out. He was one of the first to do all kinds of surgery,” his son, Joe King, said previously.
On the medicine side, he also served as chief of staff at Manatee Memorial Hospital and was president of the Manatee County Medical Society.
On the land side, he served as first president of the Manatee County 4-H Foundation, where he could help young people learn about farming and ranching.
He also helped bring Manatee River Youth Ranch to the Bradenton area and served as president of the Bradenton Kiwanis from 1974 to 1978.
Event information
▪ What: Agricultural Hall of Fame luncheon
▪ When: Noon Nov. 17
▪ Where: Manatee County Fair Grounds, 1402 14th Ave. W., Palmetto.
▪ To attend: The event is free, but registration is required at www.eventbrite.
