by Bobby Anderson, staff writer

Valir Hospice has been honoring America’s veterans for more than a decade now.
But Vice President of Hospice Care Laura Trammell, M.Ed, LPC wanted to make sure Valir’s Veteran’s program was the best it could possibly be so she sought out retired Major Traceee Rose, APRN, to make it happen.
Valir Hospice Care is a family of dedicated professionals who care for terminally ill patients, providing them and their families with physical, psychological, social and spiritual support. Using individualized pain – and symptom-management plans, Valir works to enhance the patient’s quality of life.
With a significantly large veteran population, Valir Hospice serves scores of military families each year.
“One of my goals is for her to continue to educate our team that works day-to-day with our veterans and share her knowledge and speak that speak that she knows how to do and educate our team,” Trammell said of Rose. “I think she’s going to be the bridge that we’ve definitely needed in order to have the best program out there.”
The critical care nurse brings her 27 years of Army experience with her to her new role as director of clinical operations.
“I hope to bring enthusiasm. I love veterans because I am a veteran and my dad is a veteran,” Rose said. “I love hearing the stories, being able to talk with them and share their commonalities and being able to speak their language.”
That language is one of shared strife and successes, of losses and victories and of bonds forged.
For many veterans, that language is often lost forever.
But both Trammell and Rose have seen first-hand rekindling that fire at the right moment can bring peace to not only patients but their families.
“A lot of people say they have veteran’s programs but what does that really mean,” Trammell said. “We’re extremely dedicated and we’re extremely proud of it. My father served in Korea and he never spoke about what happened to him.”
“Like Traceee says there are stories out there all the time. I knew we had to do something. I would want my dad honored like this. It’s amazing what our military has done for us.”
Rose retired from the Army in September 2017. The Nurse Corps officer spent nearly three decades serving her country and finished her career in Hawaii.
She wanted to continue to make a difference.
“I had been in large medical facilities my entire nursing career,” Rose said, noting her last hospital had 425 beds with 5,000 employees. “I wanted to find something, somewhere smaller – not necessarily hospital-based where I could feel my ripple effect. Sometimes we get lost in a big pond and you’re just a cog in a wheel.”
Trammell interviewed Rose and quickly realized she needed to put her behind the wheel of Valir’s veterans services.
Even though the armed forces provides palliative care in a different setting, the trauma and intensive care nurse quickly fell in love with the new position.
“All veterans have a story. Every veteran has a story and sometimes they’re just not ready to talk about it or they don’t think it’s relevant right now,” Rose said. “They feel they just did their job and then got out.” In the future Rose would like to partner with more veteran’s organizations to work with in outreach projects.
“The closeness and camaraderie, it just felt comfortable. I knew I wanted to work there,” Rose said. “Just being able to hold a hand and reassure a family, that’s the rewarding piece of all of it.”
It’s no coincidence that Rose felt a pull that Valir was investing in veterans.
CEO Tom Tucker is a West Point graduate and owned a company that forged the Purple Hearts bestowed to those wounded or killed in service.
“It is a gift to the family and a lot of times it’s the part they need in the grief cycle to help them adjust to what’s going on,” Trammell said of honoring veterans before they pass.
“It can bring a lot of understanding,” Rose added. “A lot of it is understanding who your parent was because your parent lived a whole life before you came along.”
Those special ceremonies where families get to see their loved ones honored often provide a glimpse into a world they never experienced.
“We’ve been able to see – even patients with significant dementia – they recognize when they’re being honored,” Trammell said. “It’s been very special for the families to see a little bit of their loved one come back toward the end of life.”
And to honor them as the hero they are.

Story and photos by Darl DeVault

Oklahoma Senior Games cycling competitors gathered Sunday, September 16 last year at the Lake Stanley Draper Marina to stage for their either one lap or two lap races starting north around the lake. Many of the 55 cyclists who started racing at 8 a.m. in a mass start travelled from out of state to qualify for the 2019 National Senior Games in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“Oklahoma offers many of these Texas riders racing today another chance to qualify for nationals,” said Kathleen Fitzgerald, OSG state director. “It is surprising at first, how far they will travel to qualify for nationals, until you talk to them and realize these are really competitive older folks who want to stay fit year-round as cyclists.”
The 22K and 44K road races drew the most contestants last year at Draper, while the 5K and 10K time trial events that started at noon and 1 p.m. saw many of the same road racers participate.
The 22K course, one clockwise lap around Draper, saw the group stay together. They finished almost together on the long downhill that sweeps from the south to the finish near the road that leads into the marina. Many of the racers continued for another lap around Draper to contest the 44K category.
The 40 and over bicycle racers were hoping to place first through fourth place at last year’s games so they could qualify for the 2019 National Senior Games in New Mexico. Those games just took place June 14-25.
Many of the same racers, trying to qualify for Nationals, lined up again at noon or 1 p.m. to start an individual 5K or 10K time trail on an out and back loop north on the lake road. The cyclists, many riding specialty time trial bikes, began their race against the clock in one-minute intervals. Starting order was from youngest to oldest starting with males and ending with females.
The events observed U.S.A Cycling rules and went off without any wrecks or mishaps throughout the day.
In the time trial events, riders were not allowed to draft (take pace behind another rider) closer than 25 meters ahead, or two meters to the side. If anyone had broken this rule, they would have received a time penalty.
Both road race distances and the two time trail distances offered dual opportunity for qualifying for nationals. Qualifying in any event at the 2018 event earned the athletes the right to compete in either or both their respective events at Nationals.
2019’s events for 40+ cyclists will take place Saturday, September 21 at the lake with a similar schedule as last year. Entry Deadline is September 7 this year and staging will again be at the marina at 8301 SE 104th. Street.
Divisions will be contested in recumbent, Paralympic Upright, Paralympic Handbike, Paralympic Tandem and Paralympic Tricycle if enough racers enter those categories,
Racers 40+ can go online to okseniorgames.com for more information or call (405) 821-1500.
In a recent article published by the Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Health online, bicycling is described as providing important physical benefits. First, it is an aerobic workout, which for seniors is the heart of any health plan, pun intended. Cycling, therefore, is good for their heart, brain and blood vessels.
Cycling is easy on joints, Dr. Safran Norton says in the article. He says that unlike walking, cycling is good for anyone with joint paint or age-related stiffness.
Bicyclists use their largest muscle group, the legs, which helps them build muscle while toning other muscles needed to keep them balanced and steer the bicycle.
These benefits carry over into everyday activities while helping cyclists build bone density, says Dr. Norton.
Greater Fort Lauderdale, Florida will host the 2021 National Senior Games, the largest multi-sport championship event in the world for adults 50 and over. More than 10,000 qualified athletes, accompanied by an estimated 15,000 visitors, are expected to compete in 20 medal sports in 2021.
The National Senior Games, begun in 1987, has 54 affiliated qualifying member games in North America promoting wellness and active, healthy lifestyles for older adults.

Story and photo by Mike Lee, Staff Writer

For the past 57 seasons, Zee Howell has faithfully manned Section 9, Row 60 seats 23 and 24 at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
The 94-year-old is one of the university’s oldest season ticket holders and he plans on starting his 58th OU football season when Louisiana-Monroe comes to town on Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.
But Oklahoma football is only part of the story when it comes to this former Navy diver.
“OU has given a real good account of theirselves, they sure have,” Howell said sitting in his home that bears a Norman address but has a Goldsby water tower in the front yard.
Howell has seen it all during five decades as a season ticket holder.
He’s gotten a front-row seat to four of the team’s seven national championship runs. He’s seen teams coached by Barry, Bud, Bob and unfortunately Blake.
The Idabel native has written more than his fair share of checks to the university, each more than the last.
So why buy season tickets?
“You get lot better seats,” Howell said with a chuckle. “You come in on game day you may be sitting two blocks up the road.”
One row down and seven seats over sits Howell’s kids.
“He wanted a pair close enough for my brother and I so he could keep an eye on us but we were far enough away we couldn’t bug him,” daughter Valencia Howell says.
The only OU-Texas game Howell has missed was in 1957 when Valencia was born at the old Presbyterian Hospital.
“He still hasn’t forgotten about that. It’s not my fault,” Valencia said in her defense. “My brother was born nine years to the day within two hours of the exact same time. The doctor had gotten hold of (mom) in advance and told her ‘you can go, but don’t get too excited.’”
Game day in the Howell household consists of brewing a pot of strong coffee and reading the newspaper before heading to the stadium early to avoid the traffic. He’ll sit in the stadium well after the game for the same reason.
Now retired, Howell has time on his hands and he doesn’t mind that.
At age 18, Howell completed his Naval training in San Diego just before World War II.
“There was a ship sitting out in the bay and one chief said ‘that old ship is a good working ship that can go to sea and haul three million gallons of oil. Don’t worry about it. The Japanese aren’t worrying about our tankers they want our destroyers,’ Howell remembered a chief saying.
“Guess what? It was the first damn one that got sunk.”
Howell was on that ship – the U.S.S. Neches – in his bunk January 23, 1942 when a Japanese two-man sub followed it out of the Pearl Harbor bay around the defensive netting and kept pace for a few miles before unloading two torpedoes.
December 7, 1941 may have been a day that lived in infamy but it was January 23rd that Howell found himself bobbing in the ocean.
He was one of 56 sailors trapped inside a room in the belly of the ship and the only one who got out of that space.
The next day the U.S.S. Jarvis picked up the 182 survivors and took them back to Pearl Harbor.
After leaving the military Howell went to work at Tinker Field. He got in on the ground floor of the computerization of the base and eventually retired as a civilian second chief.
After that he had plenty of time to devote to his favorite passion – OU sports.
At softball games his seat right behind home plate puts him right in earshot of the umpire, who had better call it fair and square or else Howell lets him know about it.
Howell, also a huge softball fan, has his opinions on many of OU’s coaches.
On OU Softball Coach Patty Gasso, who just led her squad to a third national title:
“She’s earning her money,” he says.
On Bob Stoops: “The success he’s had kind of speaks for itself I guess,” Howell says.
On Athletic Director Joe Castiglione: “Well, he makes a lot of money,” Howell said with a chuckle.
Rain or shine you can expect to see Howell at Owen Field come the second weekend in September.
In his estimation, there’s no place he’d rather be.
And for 58 years now he’s had the best seats in the house.