Contact lenses

It truly is.

It's an international language," said Tackett, 32.

So with the world as his canvas, what could possibly make Tackett and his wife settle back in his hometown of Charleston?

Sept.

11.

The 2001 terrorist attacks convinced him that he was better off being a family man.

"It really changed my lifestyle at that point immediately," he said.

"That day completely changed our lives.

We'd probably be out in Los Angeles or Las Vegas still doing music.

"It was a no-brainer.

We wanted to be around family and people and support and share the children with my parents." Tackett initially sold cars upon returning.

Then he ran into an old friend, Danny Fisher, the golf association's director.

The pair had known each another since before Tackett was a teenager.

Fisher mentioned that he was looking for a tournament director.

Selling cars was fun, "but the flexibility wasn't there for me to do the music thing," Tackett said.

"And to be honest, I love working with people and producing a product, like a golf tournament or in the golf association, and seeing it through the development stages.

It's like a carpenter.

That type of feeling.

I love that." In December, after Fisher quit to go into private business, Tackett was named to oversee the organization with more than 10,000 members.

The WVGA coordinates championship tournaments, enforces rules, ...

But some pros are stocking up: They believe Cooper's recovery plan is working, and they see a possible buyout.

"The Street is skeptical, but in fact Cooper is doing better and attracting the [attention of] bigger companies," says Lewis Rabinowitz of C.E.

Unterberg, Towbin, which owns shares.

Mark Kronenfeld, managing director at hedge fund Richmark Capital, which also owns shares, says Cooper's franchise is well established, and the stock, at 49.58, is very cheap.

Its price-earnings ratio of 16 is below its peers' 25 to 26.

Cooper deserves a p-e of 20 to 21, figures Kronenfeld, implying a price of 60 to 65, based on his 2008 profit forecast of $3.10 a share.

Kronenfeld says Cooper would be a good strategic fit for Alcon (ACL ), an eye-care company 75%-owned by Nestlé (NSRGY ).

Alcon had 2006 sales of $4.9 billion and a market cap of nearly $5 billion, vs.

Cooper's $860 million and $2.2 billion, respectively.

Lawrence Keusch of Goldman Sachs (GS ), who rates it a buy, says Cooper is "poised for a rebound" as it ramps up output of its new one-month disposable Biofinity lenses.

And he views an upcoming management change as "positive." CEO Thomas Bender steps down at yearend 2007.

Chief Operating Officer Robert Weiss will act as CEO until a permanent chief is named.

Keusch sees 20...