Blind Community Center of San Diego

Featured Members

Ahmet Ustunel

The art of BCC member Ahmet Ustunel, a frequent participant in the Craft Class, is featured in the Art U Can Touch exhibit at the Grove Gallery at UCSD through Nov. 18. To learn more about Ahmet and his art, click here.

Lee Morton

Lee at the BCC Lee Morton was born on April 17, 1952 in Honolulu, Hawaii, where her father was stationed in the Navy. Lee was born two months premature, and, like many babies in the 1950s, received too much oxygen in the incubator. Because of this, a blood vessel near the optic nerve in each eye that should have dissolved shortly after birth did not. The result was severe damage to her retinas, which left her with no central vision and only minimal peripheral vision. Because her condition prevented her from reading normally, Lee learned Braille as a child.

Lee grew up in San Diego and earned a degree in Spanish from SDSU. She volunteered for the Museum of Man and for her church, as well as having a small answering service business.

While still in college, Lee attended a few events at the BCC. The first event that she organized was a dance. Lee was elected to the board of directors in 1988. She has served as a director, vice president, and president. Lee became executive director in 2002. In this position, she plans monthly events and makes sure they run smoothly. She also organizes ongoing programs. Along with the BCC president, Lee represents the BCC in public.

Lee believes in the BCC as a unique organization which offers services that are unavailable anywhere else.

Lois Renfro

Lois Renfro was born in rural Minesota, near the village of Rush City, during the Great Depression. She was one of three children in a Swedish-American family. After high school, she worked on the staff of the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis. There she met and married Bob, a journeyman carpenter. After a honeymoon tour of the western states, they settled in Arizona. Lois still loves the desert.

Lois moved to San Diego in 1960 and raised her daughter Kelly, who now lives Northern Califonia. Lois also has three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

In 2011, Lois was elected president of the North Park Lions Club. She is also a member of the Braille Club. Lois first served on the BCC board of directors in the mid-1980s. In 2010-2011 she served as a community representative on the board. Lois is a regular at the BCC Craft Class.

Jerry Wilson

Long time member Jerry Wilson heard about the BCC in 1995 from his neighbor, Linda Gwizdak.

"I came one day and stayed," says Jerry. "I enjoy being busy and helping people."

Jerry is conspicuously absent from the BCC due to health issues and we miss him.

He has held every position on the board; including a second term as president.

Jerry especially enjoyed helping to coordinate the BCC's participation in December Nights on the Prado in Balboa Park. As the 2011 December Nights event approaches, Jerry's absence is even more pronounced.

Jerry is a poet; Here is one of his favorite compositions:

Only I Can be BRIGHT YELLOW

Like A Coronet Blast proclaiming its message to the World,
Saying Now that I've gotten your attention¡
How can I help you?
But, Sometimes I get dimmed by the Blues of Life,
and I feel Deep Green like a leaf,
and I want to curl up and blow away to where it Dark and Black,
and let someone else be Yellow for a while.
until I can recuperate,
And then I Can be BRIGHT YELLOW once again
and can help someone else.

Carmelita Mays

Carmelita Mays was a private duty nurse for 23 years. She received her licensed vocational nursing certificate from Grossmont College in 1953.

Carmelita was referred to the Blind Community Center in 1998 by the Center for the Blind, where she learned the skills needed to live independently. She lost her vision to glaucoma in 1982.

In craft class, Carmelita enjoys working on glazed ceramic statues, and has one first and second place ribbons for them at the Del Mar Fair.

All three of Carmelita's children live in San Diego County. She also has six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.