The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) Black Heritage Committee is organizing a tour of sites significant to the Civil Rights Movement in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. The week-long trip will depart Sunday morning, May 10, from the Oklahoma History Center and return Friday evening, May 15. There are a limited number of bus seats available. Visit www.okhistory.org/freedomtrail to view the itinerary and to register for the tour.
Tour locations will include Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Ark.; the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.; the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala.; Edmund Pettis Bridge and National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Selma, Ala.; and the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture in Natchez, Miss..
“I am excited to help provide this opportunity to see where American history and change actually occurred,” said Shirley Nero, OHS Board member and OHS Black Heritage Committee chair.
You can find more information including registration at www.okhistory.org/freedomtrail or by contacting Larry O’Dell at [email protected].
Founded in the 1970s, the OHS Black Heritage Committee is a committee of the OHS Board of Directors. Its goal is to share Oklahoma’s African American history. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.

Decades Old Rule Updated to Reflect Today’s Workforce

Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul announced a new final rule today, modernizing an agency disability rule that was introduced in 1978 and has remained unchanged. The new regulation, “Removing the Inability to Communicate in English as an Education Category,” updates a disability rule that was more than 40 years old and did not reflect work in the modern economy. This final rule has been in the works for a number of years and updates an antiquated policy that makes the inability to communicate in English a factor in awarding disability benefits.
“It is important that we have an up-to-date disability program,” Commissioner Saul said. “The workforce and work opportunities have changed and outdated regulations need to be revised to reflect today’s world.”
A successful disability system must evolve and support the right decision as early in the process as possible. Social Security’s disability rules must continue to reflect current medicine and the evolution of work.
Social Security is required to consider education to determine if someone’s medical condition prevents work, but research shows the inability to communicate in English is no longer a good measure of educational attainment or the ability to engage in work. This rule is another important step in the agency’s efforts to modernize its disability programs.
In 2015, Social Security’s Inspector General recommended that the agency evaluate the appropriateness of this policy. Social Security owes it to the American public to ensure that its disability programs continue to reflect the realities of the modern workplace. This rule also supports the Administration’s longstanding focus of recognizing that individuals with disabilities can remain in the workforce.
The rule will be effective on April 27, 2020.

The Inspector General for the Social Security Administration, Gail S. Ennis, is designating Thursday, March 5, 2020 as National “Slam the Scam” Day, to raise public awareness of government imposter telephone scams across the United States.
These pervasive scams—in which callers pretend to be government employees to mislead victims into providing personal information or making payments—have become a scourge on the American public. The Federal Trade Commission recently reported victims lost nearly $153 million to government imposter scams in just fiscal year 2019. Social Security-related scams in particular have skyrocketed over the past year to become the #1 type of consumer fraud reported to the Federal Trade Commission and the Social Security Administration.
To combat these scams, the Social Security Administration and its OIG have undertaken a public outreach campaign to educate the public so they will know how to identify these scam calls. We want the public to know SSA will never:
* Tell you that your Social Security number has been suspended, or offer to increase your benefits or resolve an identity theft issue for a fee.
* Call to threaten you with arrest or legal action if you do not immediately pay a debt, fine, or fee.
* Request immediate payment via gift cards, cash, wire transfers, or internet currency like Bitcoin.
* Demand secrecy from you in handling a Social Security-related problem, or tell you to make up a story to tell your friends, family, or store/bank employees.
Social Security Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is engaging other Federal agencies and the private sector to promote a National “Slam the Scam Day” as a National Consumer Protection Week initiative. On March 5, we plan to participate in a USA.gov-hosted Twitter chat, and a Facebook Live event at Social Security. We want to warnallAmericans to hang up on all government imposters, and ask them to spread the word to family and friends.
“Awareness is our best hope to thwart the scammers,” said Inspector General Ennis. “Tell your friends and family about these scams and report them to us when you receive them, but most importantly, just hang up and ignore the calls.”
We encourage the public to report Social Security scams online at https://oig.ssa.gov. IRS imposter scams can be reported to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and other government imposter scams to the Federal Trade Commission.
Look for us on Facebook and Twitter for updates about National “Slam the Scam” Day events. For questions or interview requests, email [email protected] or call (410) 965-2671.
Please visit https://oig.ssa.gov/scam for more information

Effective February 10, the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID)’s Oklahoma City Office will be relocated to our new facility: Oklahoma Insurance Department, 400 NE 50th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73105.
As part of the moving process, email and network access will be limited from Wednesday, February 5 through Friday, February 7, 2020. The Oklahoma Insurance Department will resume normal operations on Monday, February 10, 2020 on its regular schedule from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For immediate assistance during this time, you may call Communications Director Liz Heigle at 405-522-0683.
We thank you for your patience and cooperation during these few days as we transition to a more efficient and effective office environment.
If you have questions about other insurance issues, contact the Oklahoma Insurance Department at 1-800-522-0071 or visit our website at www.oid.ok.gov.

Story by Darl DeVault

Seniors still prefer books and make up many of the volunteers and customers at the huge two-day Friends of the Library Booksale 2020 February 22 and 23 at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. As thousands of book lovers gather in the Oklahoma Expo Hall the sale proves in the world of digital access, the Age of the Book is still with us.
Subtitled “Booksale—40 Years Strong”, the annual sale provides a diverse selection of books, CDs, DVDs, magazines and more for every demographic of customers.
“It is amazing the wide range of subjects—including fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, biographies, medical, westerns, romance, children’s, encyclopedias, reference and foreign language, plus a large selection of music, DVDs and audio books,” said Don Dory, 73, Booksale Coordinator. “Thousands of shoppers have been coming for years for our wide selection and low prices. In the General Area, hardback books are one dollar each and paperbacks and magazines are 50 cents each. Collectors go for the Items in the Better Books Room which vary in price, mostly under $5.”
The nonprofit Friends of the Library has used this book sale to raise money to support the Metropolitan Library System. In it’s now 40-year run, the Friends have given more than $4.8 million in grants to the system. All of this is due to the tireless efforts of hundreds of volunteers each year.
Almost five million dollars in 40 years is a big number and so is the 800,000 books available this year. All this means the sale becomes the largest nonprofit bookstore in Oklahoma for three days.
“Customers run the gamut of need—many trying to select best sellers, classics, collectibles and research books needed for school,” Dory said. “Thousands will be seeking to complete personal libraries in certain subjects, while parents will be striving to enhance their children’s reading exposure.”
Friends of the Metropolitan System members can shop a Presale from 1 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21. Held the day before the sale goes public, members are invited to first access. Annual memberships are available for $15 in the lobby starting at noon. Children 12 and under accompanied by an adult are free.
After 40 years, the sale is well established on the literary sale calendar for customers coming from all over Oklahoma, surrounding states and the whole region. Selective shoppers are advised to join the nonprofit to ensure the best possible purchasing opportunity.
Book lovers line up all three days awaiting the door’s opening. A quick survey of the parking lot shows that many of those customers are from out of state, coming to Oklahoma each year for the huge selection. The multi-day event attracts more than 10,000 book lovers.
In some ways the diverse selection offered represents a snapshot of a high-quality American publishing museum with the bonus that everything is available for purchase.
“Donated all year from various sources, the books are both common and select, while the other offerings are extremely varied, even including music,” said Beth Toland, 65, publicity chairperson. “This diversity means the sale is in one sense our states largest literary event.”
Admission is free 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 22 and 23.
The shopping is so robust that a dozen checkout points are offered by volunteers in each of the two sections. And yet, so many customers arrive early a line forms for the first few hours each day. The book shopping is intense, almost competitive, as this is a once a year opportunity.
Customers, depending on their need for new reading material, come with a wide variety of book hauling capability, as there are no shopping carts provided. Shoppers will see every form of wheeled cart pressed into service by other shoppers as they move among the tables laden with thousands of books. Large boxes are everywhere as some shoppers limit themselves to just those books they can carry.
The volunteers display 40 years of expertise in staging the sale by sorting the books into sections. Those sections are a wide cross section of interest, from tables of books by Oklahoma authors to books about Oklahoma.
Some years special sections offer brand new books donated when book stores and Oklahoma publishing houses use their donations as a way to balance their inventory.
Many business and industry concerns are well represented when entities going out of business donate their libraries. Retiring attorneys provide shoppers the chance to buy law books at a steep discount.
Volunteer shifts are still open, as the group is still looking for volunteers! To volunteer or for more information about Booksale, visit www.mlsfriends.org. For additional questions contact the Friends at 405 606-3763 or [email protected].

www.tealridge.com

David and Cory LeNorman have a unique perspective on the critical nutritional needs of newborns and a heightened awareness of the demand for extraordinary care. Their daughter, Quincy, was born 24 weeks into pregnancy, much earlier than the 38- to 40-week period considered optimal by neonatology experts. The family’s personal experience was the driving force behind their dream, and motivated the $1.5 million gift made to establish the Quincy LeNorman Nutrition Center at The Children’s Hospital at OU Medicine. The gift will significantly advance the care provided at the nationally ranked hospital, adding state-of-the art technologies that further elevate best practices in nutritional science.
“We’re both grateful and delighted to accept this generous gift presented by the LeNorman family,” said Jon Hayes, president, The Children’s Hospital. “It perfectly joins the long-held, shared vision of hospital and physician leaders with the heartfelt desire of the LeNormans. Thanks to this funding, we’ll realize a mutual goal to build upon and expand nutrition services that are vital to health and healing of the children we care for at The Children’s Hospital.”
Born weighing less than two pounds, Quincy LeNorman, the center’s namesake, spent the first 88 days of her life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children’s. Now 17, she thrives as a student who plays high-school soccer, with no evidence of an early struggle for life. Quincy’s mother, Cory LeNorman, said her pregnancy was normal in every respect, with no hint of trouble until two days before delivery.
“The reason Quincy is here today is because of the great support we received – skilled and dedicated nurses, doctors and other personnel, and a facility that was equipped to provide the best possible care.”
Nearly three months after her birth, Quincy was discharged from the NICU. But the LeNormans never forgot the labor of love that gave Quincy a chance at life. In years that followed, David and Cory began to consider ways to give back that would match their keen interest and address identified needs at The Children’s Hospital.
At the same time, NICU personnel and hospital leaders envisioned better ways to meet their patients’ diverse nutritional demands. Laying the groundwork to bring the vision to reality, leaders toured several NICU centers in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, observing best practices in neonatal nutrition handling, touring thoughtfully planned facilities, and identifying a model to emulate at Children’s.
Trent Tipple, M.D., neonatology specialist and chief of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, The Children’s Hospital, said, “The Children’s Hospital is where the state’s tiniest and most vulnerable patients come for the level of care their complex conditions require. The future center represents another major step forward in neonatal nutrition. Thanks to the LeNorman family, we will have greater capacity to deliver life-saving technologies and redefine excellence in neonatal care.” One of the significant components that will distinguish the new nutrition center will be its use of sophisticated software that will track and analyze detailed metrics information. A human milk analyzer will determine how and to what extent milk must be fortified to meet specific nutritional needs. It will also identify babies whose growth is not progressing adequately.
Jamie Kilpatrick, M.S., R.N., CENP, director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children’s, said, “Currently, formula and human milk preparation for neonates is done in a small human milk lab, which we have already outgrown. Feeding preparation for other hospitalized children occurs in a separate area. All services are performed by excellent and expert hospital team members who follow best practices to meet high-reliability nutrition demands. However, a more seamless operation – more centralized and expanded for greater efficiency – will support our capacity to supply the best nutritional services possible on a broader scale.” The proposed nutrition center will benefit not only babies receiving care as NICU patients, but other infants and pediatric patients who face a range of complex feeding needs. These special needs may be related to specific treatment, care or rehab related to surgery, or due to other unique nutritional deficits or sensitivities.

www.harborchase.com

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

For 30 years now, John Houge has has helped seniors lead a longer, safer and more comfortable life all in the comfort of their own homes.
As the state manager, Houge helped bring Craftmatic adjustable bedding to Oklahomans near the turn of the century, ushering in a new era in home health and safety products.
And for the past 13 years he’s been an expert traveling the metro counseling seniors on the benefits of A Safe Solution walk-in tubs.
For many seniors, the worry about a fall is always in the back of their minds.
According to data compiled from the 1997 and 1998 National Health Interview Survey, the majority (55%) of fall injuries among older people occurred inside the house.
Falls in the bathroom are a major source.
Combine already slick surfaces with water and rugs and getting in and out of a bathtub and it can be a recipe for disaster – literally.
That’s where Houge and A Safe Solution come in. Walk-in tubs provide homeowners with the peace of mind knowing they will be as safe as possible.
“I enjoy going to see people and I enjoy helping them with their home health needs,” Houge said.
A SCARY FALL
According to the National Institutes of Health, one in three adults aged 50 and over dies within 12 months of suffering a hip fracture. Older adults have a five-to-eight times higher risk of dying within the first three months of a hip fracture compared to those without a hip fracture. This increased risk of death remains for almost ten years.
Beyond suffering pain, a hip fracture results in a loss of physical function, decreased social engagement, increased dependence, and worse quality of life. Many people who have a hip fracture need to change their living conditions, such as relocating from their home into a residential aged care facility.
Ultimately, the often rapid regression of an older person’s health following a hip fracture means outcomes are poor.
By offering high-quality walk-in tubs that are safe and therapeutic, individuals overcome the risks of bathing in a standard bathtub.
For those who struggle to get into and out of a standard tub, dreading the difficult 30” threshold and slippery bathtub floor, a walk-in tub is the answer to changing bathing requirements.
Safety is a major reason many rely on walk-in tubs, but Houge said there’s a host of other reasons.
BLISSFUL HEALTH
The benefits of a relaxing bath are becoming clearer and clearer in scientific literature.
Hydrotherapy is the full immersion of the body into both hot and cold water as a natural and holistic treatment which detoxifies the blood, stimulates blood circulation, enhances the immune system, improves digestion, reduces inflammation and much more.
For thousands of years, people around the world have benefited from the healing power of hydrotherapy. In recent decades, doctors have confirmed the healing power of bathing, and studies and testimonials have shown how hydrotherapy is a reliable and affordable home remedy for treating the symptoms of many of today’s most common ailments.
According to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, type II diabetes patients reported a 13% reduction in blood-sugar levels, improved sleep, and an increased sense of well-being by simply enjoying warm water therapy as a home remedy for diabetes symptoms. Research shows stress reduction improves the quality of life and may indirectly improve blood sugar control.
“There’s the safety and integrity of being able to take care of themselves,” Houge added. “There’s enough safety (features) that most of our customers can take a bath by themselves without being afraid.”
Houge makes his sales calls personally.
“I don’t send a salesman. We’re family-owned, operated and local,” said Houge, who owns the business with wife Karen.
Knowing that change – even change for the good – can be stressful, Houge is there to answer any and all questions before during and after the process.
Once all questions are answered the product can be installed in as little as a day, with two days of set time to insure the optimal cure.
“It feels great because that’s what they really want,” Houge said. “It’s rewarding when they finally see the benefit. Most of our customers are pretty conservative. That is why our mission statement has always been to provide the highest quality products at the most reasonable price in the industry.”
Houge offers Veteran’s Discounts and lifetime warranties along with free in-home estimates.
He can be reached at 405-226-8424 or by email at https://www.safesolutionswalkintubs.com/.

by Ron Hendricks

Hearing Loss Association of America Central Oklahoma Chapter (HLAA COC) is proud to introduce this year’s two scholarship recipients. Haleigh Scott and Peter Hardt. Each was granted $1,000 to assist with this year’s college expenses.
Haleigh is the daughter of Crystal & Derek Wilson. During Haleigh’s public education she never attended any special classes but learned early to sit up front and listen carefully. Haleigh faced what many people with hearing loss learn to deal with; questions, isolation, and feeling somehow different. She is attending University of Central Oklahoma and is pursuing a degree in Crimminal Justice and a minor in Forensics. While at UCO Haleigh is also on the cheerleading squad and is active in campus life. She has overcome those feelings insecurity & embarrassment.
Peter Hardt is on track to graduate the University of Oklahoma after the Fall 2020 semester with a degree in Accounting and a minor in Political Science. While at OU Peter has been appointed to be the Director of the Department of Exterior for Oklahoma Student Government. Peter was the first child to have their hearing loss detected by the infant and new-born hearing screening in the State of Oklahoma. Throughout his life he has spoken to parents, been on panels, a summer camp counselor, and has been held up as an example of what a person with hearing loss can do. Peter is the son of Jan & Michael Hardt of Oklahoma City.
HLAA COC is offering scholarships of $1,500 each for the upcoming school year. Application must be made by April 6, 2020. For more information visit the website, WWW. OKCHearingLoss.org.
The Hearing Loss Association of America Central Oklahoma Chapter is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Out Chapter is run entirely by volunteer, there are no paid positions. [the HLAA hopes to open the world of communication to people who have a hearing loss by providing information, education, support and advocacy.

integrisok.com/seniorlifewellness.com

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

It’s not often that a call goes out for missing paintings from a recently deceased artist. But such is in progress with the Museum of the Red River in Idabel, Oklahoma. Home to the late Harold Stevenson,(1929-2018) The museum hosted a call for his works for display in a retrospective to be held at the museum March 10 – June 7, 2020.
There is a scheduled toast to the Martini cocktail, one of Harold’s social trademarks, at a future reception. In 1995 I was re-introduced to the Martini over a lunch with Harold and subsequently remember Harold with each of my Martinis. http://www.martinitravels.com/philosophy-of-the-martini.html
There is a famous Stevenson painting called “The Eye of Lightning Billy.” In tribute to that you see here my photograph of Harold holding the cocktail glass subject of his “Martini Man” painting made in Wainscott. I have entitled my photo, “The Hand of Harold Stevenson.”
Harold Stevenson was honored with a Legislative proclamation at the Oklahoma State Capitol on the afternoon of April 19, 2017, followed by a public reception.
The recognition came as a result of decades of exhibitions with Harold’s studios ranging from Paris, to Idabel Oklahoma, Key West, and Wainscott, New York. As a native from Idabel Oklahoma, he returned to his beloved community as an example of the circle of life. He returned to his childhood home on Avenue A and subsequently passed it on to his nephew who built him a cabin in the Idabel woods.
In a 1998 Persimmon Hill Magazine interview by M.J. Van Deventer, she writes: “Harold Stevenson was drawing and using colors even before he learned to write his name. “I invented painting all by myself,” he says. Today, he is considered an iconoclast, an uncompromising artist who listened only to his own voice and paints the subjects that bring him the greatest pleasure.”
Stevenson was born on March 11, 1929 in Idabel and died there in 2018. Growing up in Idabel Harold was readily accepted by his neighbors when he asked to paint their portraits which later resulted in a larger than life exhibition of his works titled, The Great Society. With encouragement from the founder of the Oklahoma Art Center in Oklahoma City, Nan Sheets, Harold received education from the University of Oklahoma in 1947, Mexico City College, and studied under Yasuo Kuniyoshi and Max Schallinger.
Decades later his larger than life portraits were accepted into the Fred Jones Junior Museum of Art’s permanent collection accompanied with a monumental exhibition. The Museum recently accepted a collection of Harold’s paintings from longtime friend, Buddy Dugan, from Dugan’s San Francisco’s home collection.
Besides the Fred Jones Junior Museum of Art collection, his works are also in the permanent collection of New York’s Whitney Museum, the Guggenheim, and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Besides other exhibitions his reclining panoramic portrait, inspired by actor Sal Mineo, is in the Guggenheim. Of note was his huge painting of Spanish bullfighter, El Cordobes, when it was hung from the Eiffel Tower. Harold is best known for his large canvas paintings, some ranging from six feet by ten feet.
Harold’s contemporaries and acquaintances included artists; Marcel du Champs, Jackson Pollack, Andy Warhol, Poteet Victory and philanthropist Peggy Guggenheim where he visited her at her Venice palazzo. He has been described as one of the art worlds icons with work that spans almost seven decades. He is part of a generation that was once classified by a 1962 art show in New York City as the “New Realists.” With an avid interest in classical history Harold Stevenson’s subject matter includes realistic depiction of classical subjects, Oklahoma cowboys, native Americans, landscapes and an admiration of the human form.
This exhibit of Stevenson’s art at the Museum of the Red River, is a rare opportunity to see a retrospective of a home town artist presented in his home town.
For information on museum hours and of public receptions visit; The Museum of the Red River, at 812 E Lincoln Rd, Idabel, OK 74745 (580) 286-3616 [email protected]

More information on Harold can be found: www.museumoftheredriver.org/harold-stevenson-exhibit-planned-for-2020 or his official website, www.HaroldStevenson.com.