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 swbelle@cox.net or by phone/text at 405-662-6551.

By Marise Boehs

George M. Sutton Wilderness Park
Norman • 225 N. Webster Ave
This 1.4 mile loop is a popular area for birding, fishing, and hiking. Located in the city of Norman, it is a popular spot for runners, dog walkers and others out for some fresh air and exercise. It has numerous benches and rest areas. You may see small mammals such as rabbits, skunks, opossums, and squirrels, as well as birds and waterfowl.

It is open during the day only. Bring your own water and snacks as none are available in the park area. Dogs on a leash are acceptable. Bike riding is prohibited

Martin Park Nature Center
OKC • 5000 W. Memorial Rd
The OKC Parks and Rec website says this is “more than just a park, a hub for nature exploration and education for visitors of all ages. Guided hikes, education programs and an interactive learning center provide visitors a place to learn about nature and wildlife in a serene, suburban environment”.

But if you just want to take a nice nature hike this is the place. I walked about 2 miles and didn’t come close to covering all the trails. I had to keep reminding myself I was, in fact, in  NW Oklahoma City. Although I heard no cars or sirens or trains.
Just don’t go on Monday or Tuesday as the park is closed. The rest of the week it is open 7am-8pm.

M.E. Copelin Nature Trail
Yukon • 2200 S Holly Ave (in City Park)

While this little nature trail is part of the City Park in Yukon it is nonetheless a beautiful little trail. It is very peaceful and quiet, not very long and can easily be worked in with a walk of the park’s concrete paths. Find it tucked away in the vicinity of the Holly Trail.

If you have a favorite park you would like to see highlighted let me know.
For more photos and details of the trails in this article, check out my blog at www.mariseboehs.com/blog.

Story and photos by Darl DeVault, contributing editor

Karen Brown Tims, 70, an Arcadia businesswoman, was crowned Ms. Oklahoma Senior America 2023 at the 15th annual pageant on April 15 at the spacious Mustang Performing Arts Center with Miss Oklahoma 2022, Megan Gold, as mistress of ceremonies. Ms. Oklahoma Senior America 2022 Roxanne Parks crowned her after the judges’ selection.
This annual pageant honors ladies 60 and up who personify the “Age of Elegance” by competing to reign as 2023 Ms. Oklahoma Senior America.
With 15 contestants competing in Interview, Talent, Evening Gown and a presentation of their philosophy of life, hailing from Arcadia, Jones, Newcastle, Bethany, Oklahoma City, Sand Springs, Yukon, Nichols Hills, Mead, Del City and Edmond, Oklahoma was well represented.
“Life is not over past 60. Continue to strive and accomplish, Tims said in an interview. “Our purpose is great even yet! The young people need to hear what we have learned and our guidance is imperative. This pageant and ALL the people involved inspired me and made me oh so happy! I would shout out to all women who are interested in joining us in the fun and growing with courage and confidence. It is never too late!”
Contestants were Barbara Bryant-Waggoner, Jones, Trish Carr, Newcastle, Sharron Clifton, Bethany with Wonna Cornelson, Lynn Jones, Carla Joy, Doreen Miles Williams, Edie Thomas, all of Oklahoma City and Karen Brown Tims, Arcadia. The others were Debbie Hay, Sand Springs, Ellen Henson, Yukon, Pam Holzberger, Nichols Hills, Judy Jackson, Mead, Eileen Milles, Del City and Venessa Saunders, Edmond.
The judges’ selections that round out the court for the 2023 Ms. Oklahoma Senior Pageant are Barbara Bryant-Waggoner first runner up, Ellen Henson as second runner up, Lynn Jones third runner up and Sharron Clifton as fourth runner up.
The contestants displayed a hobby or talent within 2 minutes and 45 seconds, modeled a long evening gown, gave their philosophy of life within 35 seconds, and were interviewed by judges for 5 minutes.
Tims garnered the most applause for her spoken word talent presentation conveying the zest of the “Age of Elegance.” Here is her “Bending Time” presentation about how all the ladies competing were so happy verbatim:
Think with me for a moment, please, and with a show of hands, who, like me, has often wondered how to slow down time? My life seems to be flying by.
The truth is, we cannot change time; however, we can change our perception of time, and we all know our perception is our reality!
Remember when we were children and how slowly time seemed to go by? Seeming that summer and Christmas would never get here?
As children, we were spontaneous, and all our experiences were new. Remember going out for recess and how fun it was and how that time went by quickly? How often would we beg, “Oh, please, just five more minutes” while doing something really fun?
My research tells me that as adults, we have become less mindful of our experiences, causing time to fly by! So…Start noticing the wonder and amazement of everything!
Let’s make our day last longer by going to new places, meeting new people, trying new activities, and being spontaneous.
My research further tells me; time seems to slow down when we make drastic changes!
Break old habits! Change what you have for breakfast. Eat dinner in the dining room on China and not in front of the TV on paper.
Above all, be unpredictable; it will make your friends and, better yet, your children wonder what you are up to.
I entered this pageant!
And to prove my point, this is a two-minute timer, and in my perception, I have been speaking with you for 10 or 15 minutes. Woo Hoo! I just bent time in my life.
I leave you with this, as a mother and grandmother, I give you all permission to take more recesses, and YES, you may have five more minutes.
Tims is a busy entrepreneur running her three businesses, two of which she added since she was 60. She owns Bankers Insurance Group, CB Farms and a residential rental property firm. Her business exploits are scheduled to be featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur and Fortune magazines in the next few months as a part of a Women Business Leaders in Oklahoma article. She balances that with spending treasured time with her two granddaughters.
Her love of horses extends to cowboy mounted shooting, cutting horse contests and trail riding. She volunteers at a nonprofit horse therapy program that teaches troubled children to ride. She enjoys skeet shooting and bird hunting on her farms.
Her volunteer work includes the Oklahoma City Rescue Mission, National Cowboy Western Heritage Museum, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Oklahoma Foster Care Review Board, House of Healing, Healthy Living Center and her church.
Tims will be sponsored by the Ms. Senior Oklahoma Foundation to compete in October at the National Ms. Senior America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Foundation will pay her airfare, room and registration fee.
The national pageant is a nonprofit organization that honors senior women’s achievements and encourages them to use their full potential to share a positive outlook on life with others. Organizers say it is more than a “beauty pageant,” Senior America is a re-affirmation of life and self-worth, laughter and tears, inner beauty and outward charm.
This philosophy is based on the belief that seniors are the foundation of America and our most valuable treasure. Organizers say the younger generation has the opportunity to build a better society through seniors sharing of knowledge, experience and resources.
The Ms. Senior Oklahoma Foundation has been staging the pageant since 2008, now under the direction of State Administrator Carol Kallenberger and Directors Deborah Wedel and Dove Schmidt.
Kallenberger from Guthrie dedicates much of her time to this annual event. She says these elegant ladies reflect the grace, charm and fortitude that shines brightly throughout our state. “It was truly an amazing event with all the contestants displaying every aspect of the “Age of Elegance,” Kallenberger said. “I sincerely believe that a crown is not always made of rhinestones. It is made of discipline, determination, and courage. Thanks to everyone who helped make our 2023 Ms. Oklahoma Senior America Pageant a great success.”
For more information about Ms. Senior America, please visit
http://senioramerica.org.

By Nick Thomas

First screened in movie theaters during the early 1920s, the “Our Gang” film series was produced for another two decades and featured an ever-changing cast of children, showcasing their comedic neighborhood antics.
Throughout the series of some 220 short films created by producer Hal Roach, about 40 child actors appeared regularly beginning in 1922’s silent era and continuing through 1944. Sidney Kibrick is one of the last surviving “Our Gang” cast regulars.
Kibrick, 95, appeared in more than 2-dozen ‘Gang’ shorts, initially as an unnamed character but eventually anointed with the nickname ‘Woim,’ the exaggerated Brooklyn pronunciation of ‘worm.’ Other well-known members of the gang included Spanky (George McFarland), Butch (Tommy Bond), Buckwheat (Billie Thomas), and Alfalfa (Carl Switzer).
“We’d have 2 hours of schooling in the morning and then work anywhere from 6 to 16 hours until we finished,” recalled Kibrick from his home in Los Angeles. “There was a lot of work, no question about it, but our director Gordon Douglas was a terrific guy and he was really able to get a lot out of each kid.”
Despite the long hours, there was occasionally time to relax and be a kid off-camera.
“There was a big pond at the studio, so Spanky and I would go fishing a lot,” said Kibrick. “We developed a lifelong friendship and although he moved to Dallas while I lived in Beverly Hills, we used to visit and stay at each other’s homes time and time again over the years.”
Despite dozens of kids running around on set, Kibrick remembers things never getting out of control.
“We had scripts and had to rehearse before shooting so it was very structured,” he recalled. “Parents had to be on the set at all times.”
And while most of the young actors got along, Kibrick remembers one troublemaker.
“Alfalfa (Switzer) was a very difficult kid and created a lot of problems on the set. He was not nice – not only to the gang, but to the boys and girls who were extras in the movies. It was just his nature. Years later, he was killed in a fight, so he was basically a tough kid.”
So too was Kibrick’s character, Woim.
“I was Butch’s sidekick and we were the bad guys always taking on Spanky, Alfalfa, and Darla (Hood),” he explained.
Born in Minneapolis, young Sid was just an infant when the family moved to Los Angeles so his dad could find better work and was later ‘discovered’ after turning five.
“My mother took us to Grauman’s Chinese theater and after the movie, a man came over to us, pointed at me, and said he could ‘use that little kid in the movies,’” Kibrick recalled. His parents really pushed him and his brother, Leonard, into acting.
“I was earning $750 a week in ‘Our Gang’ which was a lot in those days, especially during the Depression,” he said. “But by the time I was 15, I’d had enough. My parents wanted me to continue but finally my mother went along with my wishes. I later attended college and became a real estate developer. So I had a very successful post-Hollywood career.”
Last year, Kibrick attended the opening of an exhibit at the Hollywood Museum honoring the 100th anniversary of the “Our Gang” series. “It’s nice to be remembered!” he said.
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See https://www.getnickt.org/.

An Oklahoma Man Shares His Heart Transplant Journey

With a renewed lease on life, this Thanksgiving will be extra special to Jack Chappell, 57. After showing signs of heart failure nearly a decade ago, this father of two began the fight of his life.
In 2012, Chappell fell ill with persistent symptoms. “I felt like I had a cold I couldn’t get rid of,” he says. “I coughed a lot. I couldn’t get rid of it. I just felt lousy. I also felt like I was putting on weight.” In 2013, after a business trip and at the urging of his wife, he was diagnosed with heart failure due to a severely weakened heart muscle by his primary care physician and was connected to cardiologists at INTEGRIS Health.
2015 was a difficult year for the Chappell family, and Jack especially, as his father tragically succumbed to terminal heart failure at the age of 82. Within a short time after his father’s passing, Jack’s heart failure also worsened to the point where his life was in imminent danger. He was admitted to INTEGRIS Health under the care of Douglas Horstmanshof, M.D., co-director of INTEGRIS Advanced Cardiac Care (IACC), and underwent placement of a life-saving HeartMate 2 Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD). Chappell recovered quickly and was able to leave the hospital just over two weeks after LVAD surgery. He rapidly returned to work and an active life, supported by his LVAD. After the need for a LVAD replacement in 2019, the IACC team recommended pursuing a heart transplant, and in 2020, Chappell was placed on the transplant list to begin the search for a new heart.
“Jack is an individual who exemplified the value of being at the only hospital in Oklahoma that has access to all options to treat his worsening heart failure – in this case a LVAD that allowed him to work, care for his family and live successfully for years with a good quality of life,” states Horstmanshof.
Jack’s journey to a new heart was prolonged after contracting COVID-19 in November 2020. Despite a successful recovery from COVID under the care of the IACC team, his health declined again in early 2021, and he was admitted to the hospital for ongoing care while awaiting his new heart. He would spend four long months in the hospital waiting for his heart transplant. “That’s a long time to be in the hospital for sure,” he admits. “But I got used to the routine of being there. I’d wake up, eat breakfast, do my labs, and work remotely from my hospital bed. I was able to stay busy.”
In July 2021 he received the life changing news that he was getting a new heart. Chappell says he was in shock and then broke down in tears. “I honestly don’t remember going to surgery. I just remember waking up in the ICU with a brand new heart and a second chance at life.”
“After getting his new heart, every member of the INTEGRIS Health staff that was involved in his care celebrated with Jack and his immediate family,” Horstmanshof remembers. “Our whole team remains so proud of him for his dedication and grace throughout his journey and looks forward to many more years of knowing and caring for him as his INTEGRIS Health Family!”
Chappell recently joined other LVAD patients and completed the 5K in the Oklahoma City Marathon. He routinely stays in touch with the LVAD team and speaks to other heart transplant and LVAD patients as an advocate for the program.
A group of people posing for a photo Description automatically generatedJack enjoyed a fulfilling and active life with his LVAD, but is looking forward to rediscovering swimming or being in water without concern for his device. Now, after his transplant, he is getting back to traveling, going to football games, all while knowing he has more time to spend with his family. However, there will always be a special place in his new heart for the hospital he called ‘home’ for so long.
“We’ve got the best heart team right here in Oklahoma City. I don’t know why anyone would go anywhere else.”

The American College of Rheumatology has selected Oklahoma Research Foundation physician-researcher Joan Merrill, M.D., as a recipient of its 2018 Master designation.
Recognition as an ACR Master is one of the highest honors members can receive and only those who have made outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology are selected. The ACR selected 21 individuals for the designation this year.
The contributions come through scholarly achievements and service to patients, students and the profession.
Merrill was presented with the award at the college’s annual meeting on October 20 in Chicago.
“I went to my first ACR meeting during my rheumatology fellowship in 1987 and I haven’t missed a meeting since,” she said. “Now more than 30 years later, it’s an honor to receive this award after a long, long career in this field.”
A graduate of Cornell University Medical College, Merrill joined OMRF from the faculty of Columbia University in 2001 to establish a clinical trial laboratory to work on ways to successfully test drugs for lupus.
Since then, she’s built a research cohort of more than 500 lupus patient volunteers, led numerous clinical trials for investigational lupus treatments, and pioneered novel trial designs for testing innovative therapies for lupus and other autoimmune illnesses.
Lupus, a chronic, disabling disease, has proven challenging to understand, said Merrill, resulting in more than $1 billion lost in failed trials. Only one treatment has been approved for the disease in the past 60 years.
Recently Merrill has been at the forefront of improving the recruitment of minority patients to clinical trials for lupus. She has also has been spearheading a call for transformative changes in trials for new lupus drugs.
“The goal is to have more approvals of effective drugs and to prevent ineffective ones from succeeding,” said Merrill. “That would be huge, because our patients need safer and better treatments.”
The American College of Rheumatology is a nonprofit organization founded in 1958 to improve the care of patients with rheumatic disease.