Story by Darl Devault, Feature Writer

As Father’s Day, June 20, rolls around an Oklahoma City father and son are proud to share their bond by continuing their mission to brighten the days of hospitalized children. The pair have created an exotic car outreach to give kids in hospitals a special experience to help keep their minds engaged and focused on a positive future.
Eric Wynn is the older of Redline4Kids original organizing duo who readily gives full credit to his son who had the idea. The two and nonprofit volunteers have been busy the last few years taking their exotic cars to children’s hospitals for special events.
Youngsters in hospital beds may have access to exotic car driving video games at home using a controller and their TVs. This nonprofit gives them the ability to sit behind a real steering wheel of the latest generation of exotic cars to help them deal with the stress of being in a hospital environment. Their goal is to bring joy to kids, and hope to families, through an experience with exotic cars.
While not trying to foster a new group of automotive fanatics, the organizers want to give young patients a break from their normal routine.
This desire to create a novel experience for children in hospitals springs from the creator’s early confinement to a hospital bed when he was first diagnosed with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis at age four.
Now 25, Chance wants to offer kids in a hospital environment a fun exposure to cars most adults do not get by adding a fun part to their long hospital stays. The organizations name comes from high performance manual shift cars, where its instrument panel features a tachometer with a red line showing engine revolutions per minute where it is important to make the next shift.
“From experience I know hospital life, especially as a kid, is not fun and can be pretty traumatic,” said Chance Wynn, nonprofit president. “Any opportunity you get to escape, even if it is for just an hour is special. Whether you are a girl or boy, car lover or not, when you get close to these exotic cars it is a blast. It has been proven repeatedly as we have done so many of these events over the last four years from OKC to Dallas—Ft. Worth, and all the way to Miami Florida. It is all thanks to our great sponsors and volunteers. Without their support brightening children’s patient days would not be possible.”
The Wynns and volunteers want to give the kids a break from the hours upon hours of hospital routine by sparking their imagination of driving fun, fast cars. Chance is proud his idea gives such a memorable diversion from hospital routine to young children. The group offers them an outing, so the child can leave their hospital room which helps with cabin fever.
For those youngsters who already have a passion for automobiles it may be a dream come true to develop great memories that will stick with them.
The volunteers from Redline4Kids usually show up with a mixture of a dozen near-race cars, exotic or American muscle cars for the kids to enjoy. A few are among the fastest street-legal production cars in the world. Often the cream of the crop is European. They are built one at a time on a race engineered chassis with aerospace materials to create style, elegance, untamed power and speed on wheels.
“I love doing this event and excited to keep sharing my blessings with your organization and all of the kids!” said Tom Gore, volunteer car owner. Thank you so much for making this venue available to us.” He volunteers his legendary exotic, a 2019 Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder.
For the young patients, the experience runs the gamut from receiving a 1/64-scale die-cast toy car to play with to being able to climb behind the wheel of what seems like to them a “one-of-a-kind life-size car creation” because of their iconic rarity. Each child receives an event T shirt, wristband, a little Hot Wheels car and cards with photos and info about each vehicle on display.
“Once my son Chance bought his first exotic car, we quickly learned how kids wanted to get their picture taken with the car, or even sit inside of these types of cars,” said Eric Wynn, Redline4Kids board president. “As Chance spent a good deal of his childhood sick and in the hospital, the idea just came to him one day. He told me ‘Dad, I have an idea to help kids that are just like me’ and five years later here we are!”
The first event at OU Children’s Hospital was well documented in videos on YouTube by Imagine Productions OKC. They have also been featured on the front page of The Oklahoman newspaper.
After the first event in 2017 for OU Children’s Hospital where they have now appeared four times, the group targeted Texas patients. They visited the Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, Children’s Medical Center in Plano, the Cook Children’s Hospital in Ft. Worth and Children’s Health in Plano through 2018.
In 2018 they refocused on Oklahoma with appearances at Bethany’s Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital twice. The exotic cars have also brightened the patient’s days at INTEGRIS Children’s – Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City and the J.D. McCarty Center in Norman. And in 2019, Redline4Kids recruited more exotic car enthusiasts to launch in Florida at The Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Fort Lauderdale.
As restrictions for the pandemic are lifting the Redline4Kids exotic cars are schedule to brighten the children’s days at the J.D. McCarty Center in Norman the third Saturdays in June and July. The group is working to finalize the dates for OU Children’s Hospital and INTEGRIS Children’s – Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City.
For more info, or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.Redline4kids.org.

Iru Daugherty

(Right) 100 years old. Tulsa – Moved to Tulsa in 1987 to work at Victory Church, her son Pastor Billy Joe asked her to “love on people.” She has had an interesting life with wonderful people & is so grateful for good friends. Her words of wisdom to younger people: “Follow the Lord. Trust in the Lord. Listen to Him. Believe in Him!”

Mildred Cox

(Left) 100 years old. Broken Arrow – Mildred was born in Kentucky but is now a Golden Okie. Mildred was the cashier at Ted & Debbie’s Flower & Garden before retiring in 2017. She loves God and her Family.

Dewey Muirhead

(Right) 100 years old. Wewoka – Served in the Army Air Corps as Military Police (MP) and loved his motorcycle. He cooks himself a big breakfast everyday, enjoys old Western swing music and likes antique car shows. His life advice to others: “Work hard; have fun; love your family and make memories!”

Velma Oliver

(Right) 100 years old. Claremore – Her husband was military so they traveled all over the country & lived in Jurupa Valley, CA for several years. She was a farmer, homemaker, mother & housekeeper, so she never really retired. She enjoys Mexican food & gardening & volunteered at the Salvation Army.

Story by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

Cliff Hudson shared his story of earning an OU history degree, a Georgetown University law degree and leading Sonic Corporation’s national growth to 3,600 franchises as a self-described jack-of-all-trades at the Second Half Expo in October.
As keynote speaker, the Edmond resident, 67, spoke at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. He emphasized at the beginning of his speech he still likes to read history. He made some history of his own during 34 years of helping lead Sonic to national acclaim in the drive-in restaurant world
“We were thrilled to have Cliff Hudson as the keynote speaker of our inaugural Second Half Expo,” said Bob Loudermilk, event founder. “As a successful businessperson and community leader, he has the credentials to deliver an impactful and credible message. Just like in his thought-provoking memoir “Master of None – How a Jack-of-All-Trades Can Still Reach the Top,” Cliff shared relatable experiences with his audience.”
Hudson gave several examples of how he listened to his franchisees ideas and adapted them into Sonic’s business of driving innovation and long-term business performance. Some would say this was crucial in making Sonic America’s Drive-In.
Hudson was tapped to lead Sonic in 1995, overseeing the drive-in chain’s growth from 1,500 locations in 27 states with systemwide yearly sales of $905 million to 3,547 locations in 46 states and systemwide sales of $4.5 billion. Franchise opportunities at Sonic have been rated as high as number three in the country.
His audience was treated to a surprisingly candid speaker who shared rare insight into his ability to climb the leadership ladder while guiding adaptation in the menu and business model at Sonic Corp.
Each time the Sonic board made him an offer to give him more leadership potential at the growing national brand Hudson was faced with a major decision, a consuming question about his career.
First hired as general counsel, promoted to chief financial officer and later chief operating officer, the board finally asked him to serve as CEO and chairman of the board.
As he became a more skilled negotiator and capable administrator, he said he would study at each new opportunity. He then had a dialogue with himself wherein he would ask himself what the outcome would be if he did not measure up to the new challenge.
Each time a promotion was offered he realized the worst thing that could happen to him was he would leave the company with more stock ownership and for the last promotion leave having been the CEO of a major national corporation. He served as CEO for 23 years.
But clearly all of this was based on a firm foundation of education, good interpersonal skills gained as president of Northwest Classen High School Student Council, and entrepreneurship from college on. While studying at the Georgetown University Law Center he edited the prestigious International Law Journal (a publication of the Association of Student International Law Societies).
He said several times there were valuable ideas offered by individual franchisees. He took their idea to sell ice cream, which Sonic did not then offer, to heart. He realized Sonic could add the two cheapest things to any product, air and water to create more sales and offer the customer more services. The more air added to ice cream produces a light and creamy texture. Water could be added to slushes and flavored drinks to expand a line of flavors to give the franchisees more products to sell and increase sales.
Seeing dissatisfaction among some of the franchisees about Sonic’s national product being so regulated sparked his innovation mindset. Instead of addressing too much regulation, he innovated by proposing arranging for suppliers to provide national contracts to standardize supplies delivered to each franchise location. This dropped the price franchisees were paying for their supplies and made them more successful.
His speech was well received and after the applause died down many in the audience formed a line to buy his memoir at a book signing. Hudson’s wife Leslie sat at the table with him, opening the books for him to autograph for the buyers.
“Hudson is a good role model for those in the 50+ generation and the gist of his philosophy is available at his web site. He appears to have no plans for slowing down anytime soon,” Loudermilk said. “In addition to his time with family and now serving of counsel in the Crowe and Dunlevy’s Oklahoma City office, Cliff serves on three non-profit boards as well one for-profit board.”
Hudson’s philanthropy extends to local schools and his alma maters. The Hudsons endowed the Hudson Fellows scholarship fund for select Ph.D. students at the University of Oklahoma College of Public Health. They increased their scholarship gifts to $5 million and the OU Board of Regents named the (now) Hudson College of Public Health in their honor in 2018.
He is past chairperson of Georgetown University Law Center’s Board of Visitors. In addition he has served on the Oklahoma City School Board and the board of the Oklahoma City MAPS for Kids—a $700 million school revitalization program.

The 2024 Oklahoma Senior Follies is being reimagined this year! There will be lots of glitz and glamor as well as some new faces on stage. We will be opening with OKC Chorus (Sweet Adelines). Our variety show will also include Tarpley Tappers, Barbara DeMaio (opera star), our gorgeous beauties, and Mark and Patti Mellow as our Dynamic Duo! This year the beauties will not only be announced but will also participate by singing and dancing in the background in some of the numbers.
Gina Bramlett and Michael Pone are our Co-directors this year. Dr. Matthew Jones is our talented music director. They will be working their magic to make this a show to remember for the entire family!
The show will be at UCO Mitchell Hall on Saturday, June 8th at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 9th at 3:00 p.m. Ticket prices are $30.00 each or $25.00 each for a group of ten or more. Tickets are available on our website at www.oklahomaseniorfollies.com by clicking on purchase tickets, or by calling the box office at 405-974-3375.

by Mike Lee
Staff Writer

Bettina Trice has dated the sexiest man alive. She’s traveled the world, had a world championship whippet and all those things still don’t come close to accurately portraying this unique 81-year-old.
Trice started painting when she was four, copying Dick Tracy out of the paper.
She’s lived her entire life by the philosophy you’re never bored if you’re an artist.
In the 1950s, Trice’s mother entered her in a beauty contest. The shy Oklahoma City girl made it to the stage but then figured out she had another problem.
“They accepted me and that night I said ‘Dear Jesus, what am I going to do. I don’t dance and I don’t sing,’” Trice remembers. “He gave me the message of doing art. I sketched the Mona Lisa in three minutes and would you believe I won.”
Trice went to Central High School growing up and then married
Through the years Trice has run Betty’s Gift Shop and she’s worked for Wolf & Wolf Advertising.
Art is life for Trice and one day she hopes to have her work displayed in an Oklahoma museum.
“It keeps you in touch with God,” she said.
For about a month, when she was still Betty Salmon, she found herself face-to-face with Harry Belafonte – voted at the time the sexiest man alive. She coyly asked for an autograph insisting it was for her sister.
“As I was walking away he asked if I could give him a ride,” Trice said. “We dated for over a month.”
She still remembers the first date when they went to a local restaurant.
“He said ‘I want you to go first because I wouldn’t want to embarrass you,’” Trice said. “I took his hand and told him if we couldn’t go in together I wasn’t going in. We went in and everyone stood up and applauded. Can you believe that in Oklahoma in the 1960s?”
In addition to the artwork that adorns her walls at Emerald Square Assisted Living Center, Trice has vacation photos of her and her husband in China and Italy. She spent a month touring China and visited the Great Wall. She’s dined at the luxury Hotel Cipriani in Venice, drinking wine with peaches for breakfast.
Her destinations have also included Japan, Europe and Mexico.
Trice and her husband – who owned Trice Electronics – had three children and plenty of grandchildren and great grandchildren have followed.
Those who may have dined at Sussy’s Italian Restaurant in Oklahoma City may remember the hand-painted mugs owner Jack Sussy used to give out. The Chicago native commissioned Trice to paint some 5,000 cups, each different.
“The waitresses didn’t like me very much because every time they came in they wanted to use their cup,” Trice said. “He finally put in some lazy susans. They didn’t think that was very funny.”
From time to time she gets approached by Emerald Square residents about painting self portraits or portraits of their animals.
She’s happy to oblige, painting almost every day.
Several of the paintings that hang on her wall are of her whippets.
During her life, Trice also became certified to teach tennis lessons. Her and husband built the first indoor tennis court in Oklahoma City.