Julian David Newman

August 18, 1933 to May 22, 2023

Julian (Jay) Newman was a force of nature. In his nearly 90 years, he touched innumerable people with his spirit, intelligence, and generosity.

He is survived by his wife Bettye, his sons Henry Newman and Mitchell Newman, his daughter-in-law Lisa Belvito, and grandchildren Claire, Julian, and Andrew, and nieces and nephews, and his stepdaughter Meshell Lavergne, and the loving grandchildren and great grandchildren that Bettye brought into his life.

Dr. Newman, the son of Harry and Bessie Newman, was born in Yonkers, New York. He grew up with his older sister Dorothy who passed away in 1969.

Dr. Newman graduated from Horace Mann. He graduated from New York University in 1954 with a degree in economics and in 1958 received a Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He served in the Marine Corps before attending optometry school.

After graduating from optometry school, he married Binnie Warshaw and opened his optometry practice in Tampa, Florida. They had two sons, Henry and Max Mitchell.

In 1993, he met Bettye, whom he married in 1996. Julian described Bettye as the angel in his life. They had over 27 years together during which they explored the world and shared the love of family and friends.

Dr. Newman developed a specialty in treating low vision patients. He was recognized for his work in helping patients who were legally blind to recover sight to be able to drive. His work became widely acclaimed, and he treated patients from around the world. Additionally, he served as the first team optometrist to the Tampa Bay Rowdies where he worked with the players on peripheral vision training. He had other professional accomplishments too numerous to list. Even after retirement, he was able to apply his specialized knowledge to aid friends in overcoming the challenges of losing their sight.

Dr. Newman was active in the civil rights movement. He was selected by the NAACP to be their representative to the Desegregation Committee of the Hillsborough County School Board. In 1977, he received a Certificate of Lifetime Membership in the NAACP because of his lifelong commitment to equality. He had a life-long love of learning. Even while building his practice, he was taking courses in English Literature and Art at the University of South Florida. This was part of his life-long love of the liberal arts, particularly poetry, Shakespeare, and art – especially paintings and sculpture.

Dr. Newman’s love of family and learning combined when he created and donated the funds to award scholarships at the University of South Florida – a history prize in honor of his late father Dr. Harry Newman, a literature prize in honor of his late sister Dorothy Newman Linton, and a poetry prize inspired by his wife Bettye Newman.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Newman Endowed Fund #426076 at the University of South Florida. Checks should be made payable to the USF Foundation and sent to: USF Foundation, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., CPR 107, Tampa, FL 33620. Write in the memo Julian Newman #426076

To make a gift online visit: https://usf.to/JulianNewman.

He was greatly loved, and he will be greatly missed.