Illnois College of Optometry in Chicago. Receiving his Doctor of Optometry degree in 1952 he began practicing in Bessemer.

He specialized in contact lens fitting... in those days there were no soft contact lenses only polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) "hard" contact lenses. These required a high level of expertise to fit properly and required a very motivated patient to get through the initial, often uncomfortable adaption period.

Dr. Wallace was named Alabama Optometrist of the Year in 1975. He was president of the Alabama Optometric Association, an active Mason and member of the Zamora Shrine Temple, serving as potentate in 1993.

The Wallaces loved to travel and they visited clinics and hospitals in 28 countries where he was both lecturer and observer. In Bessemer, Fran volunteered with the Cub Scouts and was one of the founders of the Bessemer Hall of History Museum.

Their son Dr. Fred Wallace was born and raised in Bessemer. Following graduation from Indian Springs School, he received a bachelor's degree from Tulane University and graduated from the UAB School of Optometry in 1982. He then entered the family practice.

In 1985 Dr. Wallace became a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and is board certified by the American Board of Optometry. In 2001 he was named executive director of the Alabama Board of Optometry. The Alabama Optometric Association named him Optometrist of the Year in 2010 and in 2018 he was named UAB School of Optometry Alumnus of the Year. Wallace, an Eagle Scout and volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America is a past president of the Birminghan Area Optometric Society and the Bessemer Rotary Club.