Fry was born in
Wellford, South Carolina. His parents were Sebastian R. Fry and Amy Brown. Fry completed a
Bachelor's degree at
Davidson College,
North Carolina in 1929 and a
PhD in
Psychology (supervised by
William McDougall) from
Duke University in 1933. In 1933, Fry became a
National Research Council Fellow at the
Washington University School of Medicine Department of
Ophthalmology. In 1935, Fry was appointed as an
assistant professor in the department of
physics at
Ohio State University in Columbus. With the support of the Professor of Physics, Fry established a graduate course in physiological optics. In 1937, he established a School of Optometry and became its director. In 1949, Fry became co-director of the Institute of Research in Vision at the university. In 1963, he succeeded in starting a course leading to a
Doctor of Optometry degree. Fry became a full professor in 1966. Prior to 1935, Fry married Martha Ray. They had three children. ==Research==