Story and photos by Darl Devault, Feature Writer

After retiring, do you have to choose between being a serious artist or an art teacher? The answer is no if you are genuinely talented at both for Susan Cromer Yback, 64, as she now teaches youth and adults art after teaching elementary school art for a career.
She is now interrupting her retirement and a fulfilling second career as a full-time artist to teach art again. Yback first became retirement privileged after teaching elementary art in the Putnam City School District for 30 years.
She transitioned from teaching full time and began full-time production of her original works after retirement. Now teaching art on a much more personalized level, she sells her art at 2927 Paseo Drive. Yback’s classes and art have become a mainstay of Paseo Gallery One near the southern edge of the historic Paseo Arts District N.W. 27th & 30th Streets and Walker & Hudson in Oklahoma City.
She keeps busy as both a painter in acrylic and a clay artist. Her last decade of creating in the Paseo Arts District has led her to see art differently than during her decades in public school art education. She says she has learned to practice her authentic artistic process while integrating technical and conceptual skills to share a clear message with her students.
“I am excited to begin every class where I can express my creative energy in teaching—an art form in and of itself!” Yback said. “Although I love traditional art, I like to change things up, take a different approach to present an image.”
During her classroom years, Yback participated in many workshops for teachers at the Oklahoma Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain in southwest Oklahoma. There she learned or developed skills such as printmaking from master artists from all over the United States.
She also teaches a pottery class on Saturdays at the House of Clay at 1100 Northwest 30th Street. She teaches artists of all ages pottery hand building. Yback fires the pottery for the class of eight to 10 students each week.
While interviewing her at the Paseo Galley One, observing her teaching a class and talking about her work hanging in her studio/gallery there, it is difficult to determine where she lands on the artist/art teacher continuum.
“Now I find my creative spark as an artist is most important,” Yback said. “But I sure like sharing my love of art with my students.”
At the Paseo Gallery One location on Tuesdays and Thursdays, she instructs children through high school age in acrylic painting. “I am often pleasantly surprised by my young student’s wide scope of educational art experience,” Yback said. “I enjoy guiding students through the creative process, empowering them to create unique and meaningful artworks.”
As she has grown and developed as an artist, she is stretching her emphasis to embrace her husband’s influence, a member of the Great Sioux Nation. Her latest adventures include paintings of Native American themes in what has always been a career where collectors see varied techniques and styles in her paintings.
She often paints scenes with horses or bison in vibrant acrylic as the central theme while working in depictions of people. One of her latest is a realistic portrait of a bison embedded in an earthy abstract work. This masterful artistry is subdued, yet the bison stands out while looking at the viewer depicted in a unique background blend of abstract organic and brown acrylic colors.
She says she was heavily influenced by Henri Matisse and how Pablo Picasso tore things apart and then put them back together. Her painting mentioned above is all of that. In other Native American-themed art, she has channeled the way Joan Miro employed abstraction with extensive use of swaths of color lines in her paintings.
Yback credits Katherine Liontas-Warren, a former professor at Cameron University in Lawton, Okla. as a primary influence. “My art education classes, especially with Oklahoma Art Education Association, have always been a solid foundation, although my interest in expressing my artistic energy might shift from day to day, month to month, through the years,” Yback said. “I like to work quickly. I have learned more ways to do that since retirement.”
Western and Native American art themes run through her work. Yback points to her husband David for that influence. “He is a member of the Great Sioux Nation. Over the years, I have become really interested in his heritage,” Yback said. “He is a descendant of a Lakota Sioux Chief Many Horses. I have worked on researching David’s lineage and often portraying his heritage in my work.”
She is usually present at the studio during the First Friday Gallery Walk, with the next one 6-10 p.m. Friday, March 4, Yback says, “First Friday has become a wonderful tradition for all of us who work along the Paseo, and I love it.”
The Gallery Walk will have more than 20 galleries featuring more than 80 artists who will host opening receptions, promising something for everyone.
Accepting commissions in an accessible and engaging manner, Yback says her original works vary in price. Her more significant pieces fall within the range of serious collectors. She may be contacted at s[email protected] or by phone/text at 405-662-6551.

By Nick Thomas

Not even a youthful warning from her grandfather, a powerful entertainment attorney during the Golden Age of film, could prevent Sharon Gless from attempting the journey to Hollywood.
Neil S. McCarthy, who counted Cecil B. DeMille, Katharine Hepburn, and Lana Turner among his clients, cautioned his young granddaughter that the movie industry could be a “filthy business.” Aided by loyal friends and associates, however, as well as possessing a fierce determination to succeed, Sharon beat the odds to find stardom as recounted in her December autobiography “Apparently There Were Complaints” (see www.sharongless.com).
Appearing in just a half-dozen feature films, Gless focused her career on television. Since 1970, she guest-starred in numerous TV movies and series and received wide acclaim for starring roles in several popular shows including the 80s CBS crime drama “Cagney & Lacey.”
“It changed the history of television for women,” said Gless from her home on private Fisher Island, a short ferry ride from the coast of Miami. Gless portrayed New York detective Christine Cagney alongside Tyne Daly (detective Mary Beth Lacey). The tough but flawed duo regularly dealt with serious social issues.
During the show’s run, Gless and Daly dominated the Emmy season, winning for Best Lead Actress in a Drama each year (four for Daly and two for Gless). Of her co-star of six years, Gless has only praise.
“You might think we’d be competitive on the set, but not at all,” she said of Daly. “When you’re working, any sort of competitiveness is good for no one. She was a real pro and we were totally there for each other throughout the series. Since COVID, we talk on the phone almost every day.”
Gless credits others for guiding her journey including Monique James, head of the talent department at Universal Studios where Gless was under a seven-year contract. “She was so tough I always felt she would protect me, and she did. When I left the studio, she came with me as my manager for many years.”
Barney Rosenzweig was the executive producer of “Cagney & Lacey” and with whom Gless began an affair towards the end of the show’s run. Despite their on-and-off-again personal relationship, Rozenzweig remained a loyal supporter of Gless’s career. The couple would eventually marry and remain together today. “We have an interesting history together that’s outlined in the book, but love and respect each other enormously.”
Gless followed the hit crime show with other successful series such as “The Trials of Rosie O’Neill,” “Queer as Folk,” and “Burn Notice,” receiving multiple award nominations or wins including a Golden Globe for Rosie O’Neill. And although she stumbled along the way (leading to the title of her book) with alcohol problems, weight issues, recurring pancreatitis, and complicated relationships, she never found Hollywood to be the “filthy business” her grandfather labeled it.
“It hasn’t always been an easy road, but I made my own way helped by people who believed in me,” she says. “Television is an amazing medium and I’ve been fortunate to be part of it.”
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See www.tinseltowntalks.com.

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn [email protected]

If you have been following my travel and entertainment articles for a while, you will recognize my affinity for New Orleans especially during their Tennessee Williams Literary Festival. This year it’s returning to the French Quarter slated for March 23 – 27. I enjoy the ambiance of the French Quarter and no more than when a festival is on tap. Again this year the TWF is filled with drama, workshops, food and libations. Special guests often are invited to speak and it’s a chance to be up close and personal with celebrities you might never get a chance to meet. In past years I have had the pleasure of meeting, Bob Schieffer, Richard Thomas, Tab Hunter. Cokie Roberts, Rex Read and Tennessee Williams brother, among others.
While the organized festival offers a lot to take in, its main attraction might just be the atmosphere, history and romance of the French Quarter itself, where in its lanes you can discover shops, eateries and museums for your personal exploration.
The festival press release offers a plethora of information for your consideration and in purchasing tickets to the offerings.
“After a canceled Festival in 2020 and a Virtual Festival last year, we are so happy to be returning to our home at the Hotel Monteleone once again for our five-day Festival,” said Paul J. Willis, Executive Director. “Our speakers and patrons are excited about our return, and we can’t wait to celebrate the 75th anniversary of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ with everyone. Several of our special events focus on this beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning play, including our opening night, tribute reading, and breakfast book club. We are working with city officials to create the safest environment possible so everyone can enjoy the Festival once again.”
The 2022 program includes writer’s craft sessions, literary discussions, theatre, food and music events, a scholars conference, several walking tours, a book fair, writing marathons, and special evening events and social gatherings.
Opening Night of the Festival kicks off March 23, co-hosted by two-time Tony Award winner, Michael Cerveris, and New Orleans singer-songwriter, Arséne DeLay. The evening will toast “A Streetcar Named Desire” with musical performances, scenes from the play, Harry Mayronne’s Marionnettes, drag queens, and more.
The annual Tennessee Williams Tribute Reading returns with Williams’ poetry, prose, and letters, as well as some surprising reviews, critical responses, adaptations, draft material, and playful insights into the enduring cultural reception of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Readers include Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown, Michael Cerveris, Brenda Currin, Jewelle Gomez, among others.
TWFest is hosting “Cocktails with Tennessee: Making Magic Happen With 4 Drinks Inspired by His Characters.” Bakery Bar’s Joe Witkowski, will meld his bartending and theatrical skills to create one-of-a-kind cocktails. Sue Strachan, author of “The Café Brûlot,” will join him at New Orleans’ classic restaurant, Antoine’s.

The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans, in collaboration with TWFest, will perform a night of Tennessee Williams spoofs that showcase the playwright’s most iconic characters and plots in a completely different style.
Most Festival events take place in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter. Sites providing generous support include Hotel Monteleone, the Festival’s host hotel; The Historic New Orleans Collection; Williams Research Center; the New Orleans Jazz Museum; Beauregard-Keyes House; Muriel’s Jackson Square; and Palm Court Jazz Cafe; among others.
Festival Tickets are on sale now. Prices for most individual events range from $10 to $45. For more information and a full listing of events visit tennesseewilliams.net. Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @TWFestNOLA.

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
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HarborChase of South Oklahoma City

Long COVID is a challenging problem for both patients and clinicians. Like much of this pandemic, our understanding about the long-term effects of COVID-19 is evolving and incomplete. Unfortunately, a number of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 will continue with symptoms that last more than two months after recovery.
Typical symptoms of long COVID include fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, shortness of breath, chest tightness and cough. About one third of patients will experience more than one of these symptoms, and between 10 and 70-percent of patients recovering from COVID will experience multiple symptoms.
Jon Blaschke, M.D., a cardiologist with the INTEGRIS Heart Hospital, says it is common for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 to have clotting issues including clotting in the lungs, heart attacks, strokes and rhythm disturbances. He says inflammation of the heart is seen as well. “However, after the acute phase of COVID, longer-term, serious cardiovascular problems seem to be infrequent.”
He adds, “We do not have information on risk for vascular events long-term, but most patients who have recovered from COVID have no heart issues or residual vascular problems from the virus even though they may have persistent symptoms.”
But he warns certain symptoms should never be ignored. Patients who are experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath (especially with activity), new or severe fatigue, or swelling should be evaluated by a physician. Red flags to look for include episodes of passing out, or symptoms that are worse with activity.
* In general, patients who are still having symptoms after recovery from COVID should start with an evaluation with a primary care provider. Initial evaluation often includes an EKG and a chest x-ray. In many instances this is enough to provide reassurance.
* Most patients with known cardiac injury (atrial fibrillation, abnormal heart enzymes, inflammation of the heart) from COVID warrant subspecialty evaluation and follow-up. These are generally seen in patients with severe illness (requiring hospitalization), and in general, these patients are already established with a cardiologist.
* Patients who had abnormal chest x-rays or were hospitalized warrant follow-up at a minimum with their primary provider, and most need follow-up x-rays or CT scans. Lung function testing may also be indicated.
In conclusion, Blaschke has this advice, “The single thing I tell all of my patients is the best way to prevent both serious illness including hospitalization and death from COVID, and effects from long-haul COVID is to get immunized and boosted. This applies to both the acute illness and to long COVID. We know that fully vaccinated patients are 23 times less likely to be hospitalized or to die from COVID when compared to those who are not immunized.”
He continues, “The health care community is united and the data is clear, we are counting on our patients to do their part to protect themselves, their families and us, so that we can be there for them, if the need arises.”

INTEGRIS Hospice and Palliative Care Services is hosting a free Grief Support Group facilitated by Chaplain Kelly Russell.
The next series will be on Thursdays from 6:30 – 8 p.m., from March 3 through April 7, 2022. The meetings will be held in the INTEGRIS Health Hospice Administration Building, located at 5710 N.W. 130th Street in Oklahoma City.
If you have lost a loved one, grief is a normal and natural response. Sharing your grief with others and listening to the experiences of others can help you to be heard and know you are not alone in your grief. The program is free of charge, but space is limited. To enroll, please call 405-609-4578 or register online.
To register online, click here: Grief Support Group | INTEGRIS Health (coursestorm.com)
To learn more about our grief support program, click here: https://integrisok.com/locations/hospice-and-home-care/integris-hospice-in-okc/grief-recovery-resources

Visit: https://www.tealridge.com/

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

With hospitals nationwide struggling with bed availability, Integris Health has embarked on a new healthcare model that could revolutionize the way patients receive care, all in the comfort of their own homes.
“Really what opened up the need for this is clearly the surge we’ve had with the Covid pandemic,” said Lisa Rother, RN, director of Integris Health@Home. “It’s opened up payor’s eyes to actually reimburse hospitals for innovative care models that allow us to extend access to care within other creative environments such as the home environments.”
With the onslaught of COVID-19, health systems everywhere have turned to technology to find better solutions for patients. Virtual doctor visits once thought impossible are now considered routine. In the pursuit of constant innovation, Integris Health partnered with Medically Home Group, Inc. to provide hospital-level care to patients in the comfort and convenience of their own homes.
“We have to demonstrate all of the care we could provide in a brick and mortar hospital that we would be able to support and provide that same level of care in the home environment,” Rother said. “Now that we have a payor model that will allow us to bill for patient care it really allowed us to seek partners in helping us to provide a model of care we can deliver in that home environment.”
The command center that receives all the data is monitored 24/7 by a team of Integris Health physicians and nurses who will respond to a patient’s medical needs via video or telephone.
Daily in-home visits by a nurse practitioner and other health care professionals are also part of the treatment plan. IV therapies, oxygen treatments, lab tests, mobile imaging like x-rays, and ultrasound are all performed in the home. Other services include skilled nursing, medications, infusions, behavioral health, and rehabilitation.
Integris Health@Home at Integris Baptist and Southwest Medical Centers are now seeking qualifying patients to receive acute hospital-level care in the comfort and convenience of their own homes.
Patients consenting to admission into this model of care must meet inpatient admission criteria, live within a 30-mile radius of the admitting hospital, and have the clinical and social stability to receive care at home.
Common conditions for patients receiving acute care in the home include congestive heart failure, respiratory ailments, diabetes complications, infections like pneumonia, as well as COVID-19.
“We began researching innovative ways to provide this type of care to eligible patients before the pandemic began, but the COVID crisis prompted us to accelerate our timeline,” said Timothy Pehrson, president, and chief executive officer of INTEGRIS Health. “We see the benefit as twofold. The program allows our patients to heal in a familiar environment surrounded by loved ones while improving access by opening up beds for other high acute issues.”
Qualifying patients will receive a remote patient monitoring kit and other home health equipment as needed for their particular diagnoses. Standard equipment includes a blood pressure monitor, pulse oximeter, cellular-enabled digital tablet, and a digital scale. Based on need, additional equipment such as a continuous heart rate and oxygen sensor will be added. All the devices connect to a tablet through Bluetooth and transmit vital signs to a remote monitoring center. Patients are also given an emergency call bracelet.
The Integris Health@Home Command Center hospitalists and nurses connect with the patient through telehealth visits scheduled regularly throughout the day coupled with caregiver visits to the home to administer medications, deliver equipment and supplies, and perform clinical procedures.
The Integris Health@Home Command Center is located at Integris Baptist Medical Center Portland Avenue
Rother said patients will also have the ability to contact their nurses directly as needed through the push of a button.
“Technology is enabling us to provide the right care to patients in a way that is safe and helps them recover where they are most comfortable,” Pehrson said. “As the Hospital at Home model continues to expand across the country, we expect more and more patients will choose to receive this high-quality care at home.”
Research backing the clinical benefits of remote patient monitoring has been available for well over a decade, with a study published back in 2005 showing that hospital-at-home care resulted in patients having a shorter length of stay — 3.2 days versus 4.9 days — and fewer complications.
A Kaiser Permanente study revealed that of 13,055 patients enrolled in its COVID-19 Home Monitoring program between April 2020 and February 2021, 95.5 percent recovered and completed the program, 10.6 percent were admitted to the hospital, and 0.2 percent died. The model will be offered at Integris Canadian Valley and Integris Health Edmond in late spring.

Dear Savvy Senior, A while back I saw an article on different ways to scatter a person’s ashes after they’re cremated, but I’ve misplaced it. Can you help me with this? I’m preplanning my funeral and would like to include instructions on what to do with my remains that my family will appreciate. Planning Ahead

Dear Planning,
There’s no shortage of options when it comes to handling or disposing of your cremated remains after you’re gone. Your family can keep, bury or scatter them in a variety of imaginative ways that reflect your life and personality. Here are some different options to consider.
Scatter them: The most popular option is to have your ashes scattered at a location you loved to be i.e., a favorite fishing spot, camping area, golf course, beach, park or at home. If you choose this route, keep in mind that some places, such as national parks, require a permit. And many public areas, like parks or sports stadiums may prohibit scattering.
Store them at home: Many families choose to keep their loved ones close, by storing them at home. If you and your family choses this option, you can purchase a decorative urn through your funeral provider or online at Amazon.com. Or you may want to use an old cookie jar or favorite container that reminds your family of you.
Bury/inter them: The burial option is good if you wish to have a special place for your family to visit. This is also the only option for cremated ashes sanctioned by the Catholic Church, which specifies that ashes of the dead should be kept in sacred places like a cemetery or a columbarium and not kept at home or scattered.
Plant them: If you’re the environmental type, you can have your ashes planted with a tree. There are companies that offer living urns – like TheLivingUrn.com or UrnaBios.com – that mix your ashes with other nutrients that can be used to grow a plant or tree in your yard or a place of your choosing.
Scatter them at sea: If you love the water, there are many businesses that offer ash scattering services at sea, especially close to coastal areas, or your family could rent a boat and do it themselves. There are also companies like EternalReefs.com that offer reef memorials so your ashes can rest on the ocean floor.
Scatter them by air: This option will scatter your ashes into the sky so the particles can be taken by the wind. To do this, they could hire a private plane, helicopter or hot air balloon service, or use a balloon scattering service like Mesoloft.com. Or they could even send your ashes into outer space with Celestis.com.
Turn them into a record: If you love music, a UK company called Vinlyly (Andvinyly.com) will turn your ashes into a vinyl record. You supply the music (or voice recording) and cover image, and the company creates a memorial that your family can listen to for years to come.
Turn them into jewelry or glass: If you love jewelry or glass trinkets, there are companies – like CloseByMeJewelry.com, SpiritPieces.com and ArtFromAshes.com – that will turn your ashes into wearable jewelry or glass art memorials.
Go out with a bang: If you’re a hunter or a gun lover, a company called Holy Smoke (MyHolySmoke.com) will create loaded ammunition out of cremated remains. Your family could store the ammo in the engraved wooden box it comes in, or they can send you off in a gun salute.
Turn them into art: If you love art, arrange for an artists or family member to paint your portrait, or a picture, with some of your ashes mixed into the paint. Or, if your family is into tattoos, many tattoo artists will mix some ashes with ink to create a memorial tattoo.
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.

Robyn Sunday-Allen of Edmond was selected as the 2022 Oklahoma Mother of the Year®. She is the 76th woman in Oklahoma history to hold this honor. She (Cherokee) currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic. She has been recognized for her work and leadership with the Indian Health Service’s Lifetime Achievement Award; Luana Reyes Leadership Award; The Journal Record’s 50 Making a Difference Woman of the Year Honoree 2009, 2010, and 2012; The Journal Record’s Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEO Honoree 2009-2011; and was inducted as the first-ever CEO in Oklahoma’s Circle of Excellence. An Oklahoma proclamation from Gov. Brad Henry declares November 14 Robyn Sunday-Allen Day.
Sunday-Allen, along with honorees from states across the United States, will be recognized during the 87th National Convention of American Mothers, Inc. this April. One honoree will be named the National Mother of the Year® during the convention.
Since 1935, American Mothers, Inc. has had the honor of searching for and selecting the Mother of the Year® in every state, district and territory in the country. “Now more than ever, people are seeing the work that goes into motherhood and truly recognizing the resiliency of mothers. It is an honor to be an organization that has built a legacy network of moms across the nation while sharing their stories of strength and inspiration,” said Joyce Stevens, President of American Mothers, Inc.
For a full list of Mother of the Year® honorees please visit AmericanMothers.org. Nominations for Mother of the Year® are accepted annually, Mothers Day – September 15. For general media inquiries or to set up an interview with the 2022 Oklahoma Mother of the Year®, contact Sabrina Wisher-DeWitt at [email protected].
Robyn Sunday-Allen (Cherokee) currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic. She attended the University of Oklahoma, where she received her BA in Psychology, BSN in Nursing, and MPH. She is currently on the Board of Advisors for Greater OKC Chamber of Commerce; State of Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce; New View Oklahoma; Oklahoma Quality Foundation. She is also a Graduate of Leadership Oklahoma City Class XXIX and Leadership Oklahoma Class XXVI. She has been recognized for her work and leadership with the Indian Health Service’s Lifetime Achievement Award; Luana Reyes Leadership Award; The Journal Record’s 50 Making a Difference Woman of the Year Honoree 2009, 2010, and 2012; The Journal Record’s Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEO Honoree 2009-2011; and was inducted as the first-ever CEO in Oklahoma’s Circle of Excellence. An Oklahoma proclamation from Gov. Brad Henry declares November 14 Robyn Sunday-Allen Day. She is married to Russell and they have one son, Eli.