OU Health is projected to receive more than $1 million to participate in a National Institutes of Health (NIH) initiative to better understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection. Enrollment in the study begins soon, and researchers will follow participants for up to four years.
The NIH launched the RECOVER (Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery) Initiative to learn why some people have prolonged symptoms (often referred to as “long COVID”) or develop new or returning symptoms after the acute phase of infection from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The most common symptoms include pain, headaches, fatigue, “brain fog,” shortness of breath, anxiety, depression, fever, chronic cough and sleep problems.
“This is a unique opportunity to be part of a nationwide study that investigates the impact of post-acute sequelae from SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), which includes long COVID. In other viral infections, you rarely see long-term symptoms at the rate we have seen with COVID-19. If we can understand the biological underpinning of these symptoms, that may help us to better treat people who continue to have problems for weeks or months after the infection is over,” said Timothy VanWagoner, Ph.D., co-principal investigator of the study for OU Health.
VanWagoner is deputy director of the Oklahoma Clinical and Translational Science Institute (OCTSI) at the OU Health Sciences Center. The OCTSI unites universities, nonprofit organizations, American Indian communities, public agencies and primary care providers in research addressing the health outcomes of Oklahomans. OCTSI’s existing infrastructure will be used to enroll patients from across the state, including those in rural and medically underserved areas. OU Health is among more than 30 academic healthcare institutions across the nation enrolling patients in the study.
OU Health will enroll approximately 80 adults in three different study categories. One group will include individuals with a past COVID-19 infection who continue to have symptoms. Another group will be comprised of people with a recent COVID-19 infection who may or may not continue to have symptoms. To serve as study controls, the final group will feature people who have never had COVID-19. Participants will be asked to undergo laboratory tests and other analyses, depending on the category.
Current data show that 10% to 30% of people who have had a serious COVID-19 infection will continue to experience symptoms for at least one month. Researchers don’t know why symptoms persist long after the infection or why some people have little to no symptoms.
“The RECOVER study is important because researchers around the country will be sharing their findings in real time in an effort to find answers as quickly as possible,” said Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., co-principal investigator of the study for OU Health and director of the OCTSI. “We hope to discover factors that put people at higher risk for ‘long COVID’, as well as protective factors. That information will be critical for preventing and treating the long-term effects of the virus.”
The current study will focus solely on adults; however, a study in children and adolescents will be forthcoming.
For more information about enrolling in the OU Health study, call (405) 271-3490 or email osctr@ouhsc.edu.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is working to make sure Oklahomans have widely available access to N95 masks in the state.
In partnership with the Oklahoma Pharmacists Association and pharmacy partners around the state, the OSDH will be distributing N95 masks around the state to local pharmacies through a distribution system that will provide Oklahomans the opportunity to go to their local pharmacies to receive N95 masks, free of charge.
Through the OSDH and Federal Government distributions, local, independent pharmacies and pharmacies that are a part of the Federal Retail Providers program will have N95 masks available to Oklahomans throughout the state.
“With the highly transmissible omicron variant we know that the quality of the mask someone chooses to wear matters,” said Michael DeRemer, director of emergency preparedness and response service for the OSDH. “We want to make sure all Oklahomans have access to the best mask possible to protect themselves and others from this virus, no matter where they live and at no-cost.”
The first shipment of masks was sent to select pharmacies on Thursday, Jan. 27 with the next shipment, to additional pharmacies, occurring on Monday, Jan. 31.
In total, the OSDH will be distributing a total of just over 500,000 N95 masks across the state

By Marty Coffin Evans, Columnist

Recently a friend who had relocated from her two-story house of many years to a one- bedroom apartment commented, “I realize I just called this home.” In her case, she had closed her mother’s home of many years with all those old treasures from times past. Two homes to close in less than eight months was significant. Additionally, her husband in a memory care facility, could now be moved closer to her new home.
Perhaps all these factors played into the sense of home. She’s managed to grapple with the idea of home. Where is it? What makes a space or place home? Poetry has become her means of exploring and making sense of finding home.We’ve heard “Home is where you heart is.” Or, it might also be said: “Home is where your stuff is.” Years ago chairing an accreditation in Japan, I asked my team mates where home was for them
A very blond Cathy, who looked like someone from the California beaches said, “I guess this is home since I’ve lived in Taiwan longer than any other place.” Does length of time mean a place is now home? We comment about a church home or feeling at home in certain places. Perhaps having family nearby, or readily accessible, provides a sense of home. Quite possibly returning to where we grew up, or lived in different parts of our lives, gives us a sense of homecoming.
We celebrate homecoming during the fall, often around football games. We reconnect with friends from years ago. In so doing, we return to roots established at some point in time. Reunions provide us with a sense of connecting with home whether where we grew up or just plain being with others significant to us – family, friends or both. Where is home after all? Maybe it’s what we make it no matter the location.
Martha (Marty) Coffin Evans, Ed.D. is a freelance writer with MACE Associates, LLC. She can be reached at itsmemartee@aol.com.

by James Coburn, Staff Writer

Lisa Wariboko-Alali, RN, aspired to make a difference in patient’s lives and become a good employer. All Faith Home Care gave her the opportunity to serve the family of mankind as the owner of the company she founded.
Alali earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oklahoma and has been a nurse for 30 years. She began her career working in the post-coronary care unit at Southwest Medical Center before making the transition to home health.
She needed a more flexible schedule when she married and started raising a family. Home health met her needs.
“I fell in love with home health and found my niche,” she said of the business she opened in 1996. “It’s totally enriched my life. I think it’s been my calling. My mother was in the health care profession. As a little girl I watched her care for my sick dad. I watched her care for other families by sacrificing her time. And I think that really inspired me to be a nurse and caregiver.”
Home health is not only a business, but a ministry for Alali as well. Advantage waiver case management was added over a year ago, a program to help seniors stay at home and funded by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority.
The staff is what makes All Faith Home Care a success, she said.
“I love my staff so much. They are totally committed,” Alali said. “Some of my staff have been here for 15 years, some for 10 years. They are compassionate and caring.”
All Faith Home Care is also a blessing for families in need of knowing their families are secure.
“That’s so rewarding. It helps us to keep going, especially during this time of the COVID pandemic and nursing shortage. It’s a very challenging time to be in health care right now.”
All Faith Home Care wears personal protective equipment to enhance patient care during the pandemic, said Brenda Guthrie, RN, director of Clinical Services, who has been with the company for 10 years.
“With several COVID patients we make sure we go above and beyond what they need. So, it is a calling,” Guthrie said.
She aspired to become a physician when thinking of a career. Guthrie passed all her tests but could not afford medical school. She chose nursing school and has kept going since 1979.
“I get attached to all of my patients and I can’t imagine not seeing them. I took care of Lisa’s mom, and I took care of my husband while he was dying. I will hold someone’s hand if that’s what they want at the end,” Guthrie said.
Guthrie began her nursing career in an intensive care unit for trauma. She went on to be an ER nurse and did flight nursing. Guthrie also has the distinction of having served as the health services administrator for the state of Delaware Prison System. She managed the hospital there for eight years.
“Then I came back to Oklahoma to take care of my parents and here I am,” Guthrie explained.
Alali understands that her staff has family issues, too, and is given the flexibility to take care of that, Guthrie said.
All Faith Home Care will travel beyond its 50-mile service range whenever a doctor notifies them that nobody else will accept a patient, Guthrie said.
Most Medicaid insurers only provide 36 home health visits a year, Michael said. Currently more than 20 clients have exceeded the 36 visits. But All Faith Home Care did not discharge them. Alali ensures that her clients, some in a rural area, will continue being cared for beyond 36 visits.
“When the poor people don’t have anymore visits, we don’t cast them out,” he said.
Guthrie said their clients are their families and will not be deserted when All Faith Home Care will not be paid to see them.
“Time after time we’ve had patients that would not have lived if All Faith Home Care had not stepped in and provided the services,” Alali said. “There’s been several occasions when Brenda has gotten a call from a patient and has ended up saving that patient’s life.”
On many occasions Brenda will be in a home and do CPR on a patient.
“I just don’t know how to describe it, but I know it’s a divine assignment for her. She has left the office on the way to see a patient and she’ll come up on an accident and she’s there just at the right time to save someone’s life,” she said. “And other times, it’s been a family member and not a patient, and she’s gotten there just in time to save their life. That’s the ultimate calling.”
Guthrie said they have walked into homes with an empty refrigerator.
“All I have to do is call Lisa, and she’s calling Michael or one of the nurses and we’re out buying groceries, and we’re getting them set up with food banks,” she said.

For more information visit: http://www.allfaithhc.com/ or call 405-340-5100.

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com

While physical travel is still hindered with virus road blocks, traveling to local theater productions can offer a safe way to escape self imposed restrictions. While Masks and proof of vaccination is needed at the venues, with your K95 or KM95 masks, makes the outing relatively safe. And yes it is a hassle to wear a mask while watching plays and musicals, but it is a sign of our times and should provide a measure of security.
Long time and award winning Lyric Theater of Oklahoma has always offered high quality productions of musicals and in recent years, plays. This season resumes with shows that were postponed because of the virus. Back and rescheduled is: Distant Thunder at the First Americans Museum, starting March 23, 2022; Head over Heels at the Plaza Theater starting April 20; Matilda at the Civic Center starting June 21;then Rogers and Hammerstein’s Carousel at the Music Hall, starting July 5; and ending the summer season with Kinky Boots at the Civic Center Music Hall, starting July 19.
Two extra shows, Rocky Horror Show, and A Christmas Carol, are fall season favorites.
Oklahomans are familiar with Lyric Theater, and long time friends will remember their starting days on the Oklahoma City University Campus, where local talent was nurtured and given a profession venue for the their craft. In recent years Lyric has cast its main leads from tryouts in New York City, bringing Broadway talent to Oklahoma. As popular as ever, single tickets are not impossible to obtain but season subscriptions are needed for securing the best seats and not missing a show in the season.
Lyric Theater describes “Distant Thunder” the musical as: Darrell Waters, a brash young attorney, returns to his childhood home in Montana to broker a deal between a large energy company and the Blackfeet Nation. In the process, he is forced to confront his reclusive father about their painful past. Through a childhood sweetheart, Dorothy Dark Eyes, he rediscovers his identity and feels his perspective shift: his clever business deal will destroy her language school, further erode Blackfeet culture and taint their land. Darrell must grapple with the paradigm of being Native American in America.
The production will be staged at the brand new Native American Center, across the Oklahoma River from the boat house district. First Americans Museum celebrates the shared American history through the collective stories of 39 distinct tribal nations in Oklahoma today. The 175,000 sq ft museum is located at 659 First Americans Boulevard in Oklahoma City. Driving and Parking information along with Ticket Information can be found at: https://lyrictheatreokc.com/venues/first-americans-museum/. It is a world premiere.
Head Over Heals; a New Musical is A fearlessly fresh, new musical mash-up of posh and punk!
Matilda is a Family Friendly Musical.The inspiring story of an extraordinary little girl who, gifted with a vivid imagination and a sharp wit, dares to prove that you can change your destiny despite all odds.
Kinky Boots is an exhilarating Tony Award-winner tells the true story about a struggling shoe factory that will lift your spirits to high-heeled heights!
Carousel is a familiar staple of Musical Theater and this production teams up with Ballet Oklahoma which promises a most artistic rendition of the famous Ballet of the second act.
While Lyric is the premiere Oklahoma theater company you might be surprised to explore the theatrical productions at colleges UCO, OCU, OU, and Guthrie’s Pollard Theater and reinvented City Rep, and Carpenter Square in their brand new venue. Theater abounds in Oklahoma and is there for your enjoyment, when we all can use a little escape these days.

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Dear Savvy Senior, Can you give me a brief rundown of Medicare’s enrollment choices along with when and how to sign-up? Approaching 65

Dear Approaching,
The rules and timetables for Medicare enrollment can be confusing to many new retirees, so it’s smart to plan ahead. Here’s a simplified rundown of what to know.
First a quick review. Remember that original Medicare has two parts: Part A, which provides hospital coverage and is free for most people, and Part B which covers doctor’s visits and other medical services, and costs $170.10 per month for most enrollees in 2021.
When to Enroll
Everyone is eligible for Medicare at age 65, even if your full Social Security retirement age is 66 or later.
You can enroll any time during the “initial enrollment period,” which is a seven-month period that includes the three months before, the month of, and the three months after your 65th birthday. It’s best to enroll three months before your birth month to ensure your coverage starts when you turn 65.
If you happen to miss the seven-month sign-up window for Medicare Part B, you’ll have to wait until the next “general enrollment period” which runs from Jan. 1 to March 31 with benefits beginning the following July 1. You’ll also incur a 10 percent penalty for each year you wait beyond your initial enrollment period, which will be tacked on to your monthly Part B premium. You can sign up for premium-free Part A, at any time with no penalty.
Working Exceptions
Special rules apply if you’re eligible for Medicare and still on the job. If you have health insurance coverage through your employer or your spouse’s employer, and the company has 20 or more employees, you have a “special enrollment period” in which you can sign up. This means that you can delay enrolling in Medicare Part B and are not subject to the 10 percent late-enrollment penalty as long as you sign up within eight months of losing that coverage.
Drug Coverage
Be aware that original Medicare does not cover prescription medications, so if you don’t have credible drug coverage from an employer or union, you’ll need to buy a Part D drug plan from a private insurance company (see Medicare.gov/plan-compare) during your initial enrollment if you want coverage. If you don’t, you’ll incur a premium penalty – 1 percent of the average national premium ($33 in 2022) for every month you don’t have coverage – if you enroll later.
Supplemental Coverage
If you choose original Medicare, it’s also a good idea to get a Medigap (Medicare supplemental) policy within six months after enrolling in Part B to help pay for things that aren’t covered by Medicare like copayments, coinsurance and deductibles. See Medicare.gov/medigap-supplemental-insurance-plans to shop and compare policies.
All-In-One Plans
Instead of getting original Medicare, plus a Part D drug plan and a Medigap policy, you could sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan instead (see Medicare.gov/plan-compare) that covers everything in one plan. Nearly half of all new Medicare enrollees are signing up for Advantage plans.
These plans, which are also sold by insurance companies, are generally available through HMOs and PPOs and often have cheaper premiums, but their deductibles and co-pays are usually higher. Many of these plans also provide coverage for extra services not offered by original Medicare like dental, hearing and vision coverage along with gym/fitness memberships, and most plans include prescription drug coverage too.
How to Enroll
If you’re already receiving your Social Security benefits before 65, you will automatically be enrolled in Part A and Part B, and you’ll receive your Medicare card about three months before your 65th birthday. It will include instructions to return it if you have work coverage that qualifies you for late enrollment.
If you’re not receiving Social Security, you’ll need to enroll either online at SSA.gov/medicare or over the phone at 800-772-1213.
If you need help, get a copy of “Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won’t Have To” at Nolo.com for $17.50 for the downloadable versions, or $20 for a printed copy.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

Story and photos by Darl DeVault, Contributing Editor

Senior readers may soon see historical revisionism upstage many authors’ books about the University of Oklahoma’s Football Program if today’s writers use the treasure trove of facts about the famous Sooners that came online last year.
Now historical writers can easily go directly to the best source — stories written by student journalists who went to the games and interviewed the athletes to file their stories in the student newspaper. “The Oklahoma Daily,” stretching back 120 years in now online in digital form. The Oklahoma Historical Society recently partnered with the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center at OU in the digital conversion effort to make 200,000 pages searchable by name. This free service available on The Gateway to Oklahoma History includes 9,557 issues from 1897 to 2017.
The searchable archive is important to the university and anyone seeking to search, browse or document notable accomplishments at OU for Wikipedia pages. This resource supports a diverse range of research needs across various academic disciplines for students and faculty.
“In observing how much is left out of sports stories in my 34 years of working for the “The Oklahoman,” I realize the reader is often uninformed in so many ways because of the space constraints,” Todd Schoenthaler said in an interview. “Now because the Inasmuch Foundation has funded digitizing the “OU Daily” into an online archive searchable by name, even the amateur historian may be better informed than previous historian authors.”
Oklahoma’s most successful football program now offers all future writers the definitive touchstone of authenticity, access to the story as it happened.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Now readers have free access to the first accounting of the historical facts rather than stories crafted after the fact.
OU’s 1950s superstar and Pro Football Hall of Famer in 1998, Tommy McDonald, is an excellent example of a candidate for revisionism now that all the facts are available. Nowhere can you find some of this running back’s most important OU football achievements depicted except in recent revisionism. Much has been neglected about his exploits in books about the Sooners.
McDonald won the Maxwell Award as the college football player of the year while only getting to play half the game. OU coaching legend Bud Wilkinson played the starters for the first quarter and the just-as-talented alternates for the second quarter. The starters played the third quarter while the alternates finished the fourth quarter. And yet, while playing only half the game, two-time All-American McDonald became arguably the most complete OU football player ever.
In 1955 and 1956, McDonald’s track-star speed propelled him to be the top rusher on America’s best rushing team. In 1955, he led OU in passing with his accurate halfback pass and scoring to become the first Sooner to score a TD in every game of a season. OU led the nation in scoring with 36.5 points per game. He was the only OU player ever to score a TD in 19 straight games.
He led OU in receiving in 1956. This makes him the only OU player ever to lead the Sooners in all four offensive categories.
Aside from that untouchable record, he played outstanding defense with many interceptions and long runbacks. McDonald also averaged kick-off returns of 25 yards and punt returns of 15.8 yards, all without wearing a facemask.
Again, extraordinary revisionist claims require extraordinary evidence. This can be found by going online to the Gateway to Oklahoma History and searching for Tommy McDonald. Finding this page:
The Oklahoma Daily (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 42, No. 63, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 7, 1955 – Page: 6 of 16. Magnified. The Gateway to Oklahoma History (okhistory.org), the reader finds McDonald’s name appears 16 times on the page in two stories about the first of back-to-back national championships he helped the team earn in 1955. One article written by student writer Louis Ferguson says it all, “McDonald turned the pitchout run-pass option play into one of the most deadly offensive weapons in football during the season. McDonald hit either senior halfback Bob Burris with a short pass or an end further downfield on 17 of 24 aerials for 265 passing yards in 1955.”
McDonald’s energetic urgency to score on every play because he was elated to be in the game for even a half also created the first form of the hurry-up, fast-break offense in college football.
Many authors credit Wilkinson with the fast-break offense, but careful examination of Wilkinson’s interviews tells us McDonald should be credited. Wilkinson, who died in 1994 at 77, shared his reasoning for the fastest offensive pace possible on the gridiron in a 1983 interview for a book about the Orange Bowl “There’s no reason in my view to let defenses go into a defensive huddle and call a play against you. The so-called ‘hurry-up’ offense everybody does in the last two minutes – there’s no reason not to do that for 60 minutes. You’ve got to be in better shape – that’s why we won anyway; we were in better shape than our opponents.”
Wilkinson explained McDonald’s leadership got the 1955 team sprinting back to the huddle when the whistle blew to end a play.
“Tommy McDonald figures that any play that doesn’t go for a touchdown is a failure,” Wilkinson said in his hyperactive halfback’s heyday. “When he carries the ball and doesn’t score, he’s mad and wants to hurry up and take another crack at it. His desire is tremendous. He jumps up and tears back to the huddle when he is tackled. It’s nothing we taught him. It’s something God gave him, or his parents, or somebody. The other boys picked it up from him, and that’s how our fast break started.”
They huddled to call the play quickly and ran to the line, where they snapped the ball on a quick count. The difference in the timing came with the speed at which they sprinted to and from the huddle and started the next play.
Wilkinson said, “Going into the season, we’re not any better than they are physically, and we’re not smarter than they are, and we’re not any tougher than they are, but maybe we are even with them in these things. Assuming that, how are we going to win? If it’s that even, they’ve got the ball 30 minutes, and we’ve got it 30 minutes. If we run 15 more plays in our 30 minutes then they can snap the ball in their 30 minutes the yards made on those 15 extra plays will win for us.”
McDonald never played in a losing game at OU in three varsity seasons as part of Wilkinson’s still NCAA record 47-game winning streak.
McDonald died at 84 in 2018 in Audubon near his home in King of Prussia, Penn. It overlooks Philadelphia. There he became a legend with the Eagles by powering their 1960 NFL Championship Team. Sports Illustrated titled a 1962 cover painting of McDonald catching a ball “Pro Football’s Best Hands.” The irony was he had small hands befitting his small stature and had lost the tip of his left thumb in a motorcycle accident.

CALL TODAY: 405-701-2951

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The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation this week welcomed U.S. Reps. Stephanie Bice (OK-05) and Frank Lucas (OK-03) for updates on work at the Oklahoma City-based nonprofit biomedical research institute.
Bice and Lucas met with OMRF President Andrew S. Weyrich, Ph.D., and scientists from three of the foundation’s research programs.
Bice received a briefing on Covid-19 research from OMRF Vice President of Clinical Affairs Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., who leads a team of scientists studying the body’s immune response to Covid-19 and whether the virus may trigger autoimmune conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. James is also the lead investigator on a nationwide National Institutes of Health-funded trial to assess how to elicit a stronger immune response to the Covid-19 vaccine in people with certain autoimmune diseases who did not respond well to an original vaccine regimen.
“Federal funding for biomedical research is vital,” said Bice, a member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. “I’m proud that OMRF is part of my district. The cutting-edge work scientists are doing here is inspiring and impacts not just Oklahomans, but all Americans.”
Lucas met with OMRF researchers Michael Beckstead, Ph.D., who is studying the role of the naturally occurring brain chemical dopamine in opioid addiction, and Courtney Griffin, Ph.D., whose work on blood vessels shows promise for restoring vision in those who have lost eyesight due to diabetes or premature birth.
A champion of ensuring rural students get access to quality science, technology, engineering and math education to bolster their career opportunities, Lucas applauded OMRF’s efforts to train the next generation of scientists through in-state recruitment as well as in the foundation’s Fleming Scholar Program and Langston University Biomedical Research Scholars Program.
“Basic research like what scientists are doing at OMRF is fundamental to advances in human health, but it requires a strong STEM workforce,” said Lucas, the ranking member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. “OMRF plays an important role in making careers in STEM a reality for Oklahomans.”
OMRF, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary, has nearly 500 staff members and scientists in more than 50 labs studying cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, and diseases of aging. The foundation’s discoveries have yielded hundreds of patents and three life-saving drugs available in hospitals and clinics worldwide. Most recently, Adakveo became the first targeted therapy approved in the U.S. for sickle cell disease, which affects an estimated 100,000 Americans.
“The Oklahoma congressional delegation’s commitment to biomedical research is steadfast and admirable,” said Weyrich. “Their decades of support for OMRF’s scientists and our mission of making discoveries that make a difference has changed and saved lives.”

story and photo by James Coburn, Staff Writer

A glowing celebration was held in Guthrie at the recent coronation of Roxanne Parks, Ms. Oklahoma Senior America (MOSA) Queen 2022.
Parks was crowned by MOSA Queen 2021 Kathryn Gordon.
Several former MOSA queens were among the scores of guests who honored Parks at the Old Santa Fe Depot in Guthrie on Saturday, Jan. 22.
“To reign in life means we are filled with confidence in God and in our assignment,” Parks said. “It is that we are able to have peace in chaos. We’re able to have power and peace, regardless of the circumstances. We are able to be free of the grips of sin…”
MOSA is considered the senior version of the Miss America Pageant, said Dove Morgan-Schmidt, MOSA Queen 2016.
At the coronation, Parks presented three requirements of the national pageant. This includes her talent, philosophy of life, and her evening gown presentations.
She shared her original spoken and inspirational work highlighting her YouVersion Bible Plan that has close to 400,000 subscribers, as well as her latest book, “Breathe: 101 Life-Giving Devotionals.”
Parks said every person is created with a purpose in life.
“Each of us are uniquely gifted to serve and to bless others,” she said in her philosophy of life presentation. “I don’t want to miss out on one thing that God has in store for me to accomplish this year on earth. I want to live bold; I want to give bold and, in a world where depression and anxiety abound, I want to be that life-giving breath of fresh air.”
The Ms. Senior America Pageant is the world’s first and foremost pageant to emphasize and give honor to women who have reached the “Age of Elegance.” It is a search for the gracious lady who best exemplifies the dignity, maturity and inner beauty of all senior Americans, according to the mission statement. The Ms. Senior America philosophy is based on the belief that seniors are the foundation of America, and our most valuable treasure. It is upon their knowledge, experience and resources that the younger generation has the opportunity to build a better society.
An Edmond resident, Parks will represent the state of Oklahoma and its senior community along with state queens from 31 other states this September at the national pageant to be held at the Hershey Lodge and Resort in Hershey, Pa., said Carol Kallenberger, Oklahoma MOSA state administrator.
Parks is a certified life coach at Roxanneparks.com. She has served as president of a large marketing company, and is the founder, president, and CEO at Winter Summit Ministries, Inc. She studied at the University of Oklahoma’s Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering.
She and her husband Brian Parks have been married for 36 years. She is the mother of three adult children and a proud grandmother. Parks believes that families are the foundation of our society. Parks is also corporate chaplain. She appears at conferences and conventions throughout the US. Parks appeared inspired and enthusiastic in her talent presentation as she accompanied herself on the piano. Parks said she gathers her peace of mind with faith in God, and not to news or events.
“There has never been one like you before. There will never be one like you again. And since today is the first day of the rest of our lives, and life is not a dress rehearsal, let’s make today the best day of the rest of our lives,” Parks said. “Even though there are very many noises and choices in our head in the battlefield of our mind, we hear the voice of ourselves as loud as it speaks to you. And then, there is the voice of the enemy who likes to raise doubt and discouragement in our heart. And then, there is the voice of the other — your mother or your neighbor — your boss. And then, there is the voice of truth. Oh, we have ears, but do we hear. Oh, we have eyes, but do we see? The same God that fashioned you and me, assigned us with a thumbprint. He invited us to live a full life. Since today is the first day of the rest of your life, let’s choose today and the rest of your life to be the very best of your life.”
For more information about Ms. Senior America, please visit http://senioramerica.org.
“This is a sisterhood,” said MOSA Queen 2021 Kathryn Gordon. “And, if you’re sitting there thinking, ‘Maybe I might try it,’ just step out of your comfort, take a chance, believe in yourself. It’s a wonderful experience — it will help you grow into being the person that maybe you were supposed to be. And I challenge you to challenge yourself to take a chance and become a part of our 2023 pageant for Ms. Oklahoma Senior America.”