A legend in the Southern California optics industry has passed away. Tom Bialek, President and founder of Prisms Unlimited, passed away March 31, 2009.  Tom Bialek was born in 1948 in Pennsylvania. He was a veteran of the Vietnam war where he earned a Purple Heart. After moving to California he worked for many optical shops in Southern California, including Valtec (now Precision Optical) and Herron Optics. In 1980 he founded his own optical shop, Prisms Unlimited. Prisms Unlimited advanced to be a premiere optical shop - with a reputation for exceptional flat and angle work. He truly had accomplished what many had tried...a process, more than art, that was reproducible. Just as renowned as his excellent quality was Tom's demeanor and rhetoric; his tendency to "speak his mind" made him both a legend and feared in the industry. His influence and contributions to the optical industry will be missed. Bialek is survived by his wife Ying Zhao; Danny, son of Sue Bialek; and Ryan and McKenzie, son and daughter of Kim Bialek.