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.

story and photo by Traci Chapman

David Krukiel and Brandon Meszaros had a dream – an idea that could impact how the world saw memory care and change the lives of those people who needed that care.
That dream should become a reality in a few short weeks, when Iris Memory Care opens in Edmond.
After working together for many years, Krukiel and Meszaros decided to strike out on their own. The first step was research – a lot of it, market studies and long days formulating just how they wanted to move forward with their new project. The location actually came relatively easy to the partners.
“We saw that there was a strong need for memory care in Edmond, so we decided to start here,” Krukiel said.
As the partners worked on the physical concept for Iris Memory Care, the most important component would be the caregivers who provide residential care. That’s where Leslie Stone came in, someone Krukiel said he knew would be the key to making sure the foundation of Iris was not only maintained, but would flourish.
“What we always felt was lacking to a degree (in other facilities) was compassion, dignity and comfort, and we searched for someone with a like mind on those concepts,” Krukiel said. “The mission is impossible without the perfect staff.”
“The main thing we always want to remember is how our residents will be feeling, the challenges they face and how we can make every day better for them,” Stone said. “Their families also deserve to know that someone who truly cares for them is there for them every day.”
With Stone on board, the work began in earnest on the building itself, something that would be different than any other memory care facility the team had ever seen, Krukiel said.
“Most of the times you see these large buildings with lots of people, but we don’t believe that’s conducive to the best, the quality care, that people with these challenges face,” he said. “So, we decided – we knew that home is where people feel the most comfortable, and that’s what we did in building Iris.”
The two-building complex will therefore be home to 40 people, 20 in each home. Rooms are set back from the hall, so it doesn’t feel like a hospital or hotel, Krukiel said. The large main room, where residents will eat their meals, is also a gathering place and one set up for recreational activities and visits. A second, smaller day room will provide more of the same, as well as a salon-inspired area.
“Many of memory care residents don’t like to have their hair washed; we thought the idea of the salon could bring back good memories of when they saw their friends at the beauty parlor,” Stone said. “Everything we’re doing is a way to make them feel comfortable and so they want to come out and interact, which can be a challenge with memory care patients.”
Perhaps the main physical feature of the Iris philosophy is its kitchens, designed as an open space, much like in a home. Featuring a granite bar where residents can sit and watch meals prepared or sometimes interact in that preparation, the space is fundamental to the team’s concept.
“It all goes together – we don’t want the residents to feel like numbers, we want them to know they’re cared for, that this really is their home,” Krukiel said. “Staff members will take their meals with the residents, so they have that interaction, as well.”
“They (staff members) are caregivers first, but friends also,” Stone said.
While recreation will play an important part of Iris’ residents lives, so too will something not found at any other Oklahoma memory care facility. Its long name is “Snoezelen Multi-Sensory Environments.”
“Basically, Snoezelen is a term for a variety of relaxing spaces that can help reduce agitation and anxiety, but they are also something that can stimulate the user, encourage communication and help them to interact – with both the unit and with others,” Snoezelen consultant Carolyn Jackson said.
For Iris Memory Care residents, that can be particularly helpful, as those patients frequently encounter “sensory overload.” The soothing lights and colors of the Snoezelen unit can also be accompanied by music, aromatherapy and images, can be something that might make the difference in reaching a particular patient.
“We’ve been told no one else in Oklahoma has a Snoezelen; for the places that do, many of them have a dedicated room for it,” Krukiel said. “We decided to get a smaller unit, but one that would have the ability to be moved from room to room – that way our residents will have better access to it.”
“We just want them to always feel comfortable, always feel safe and loved,” Stone said. “This is just another great way for us to be able to accomplish that.”

Dove Schmidt from Depew, OK, was crowned Ms OK Senior America on June 25.  She will be competing in the National pageant for Ms Senior America in Atlantic City, NJ in October.  The Ms. Senior Oklahoma Foundation is having a CASINO PARTY FUNDRAISER at  the  Quail Springs Grand Tapestry located at 14201 N Kentucky, Oklahoma City,  Oct. 8th  from 6:00 to 9:00 pm with hors d’ oeuvres and beverages. Join us as we help to provide a special send off and encourage her in the final step of competition.

Adventure Road offers up Oklahoma sights

by Bobby Anderson,
Staff Writer

If you’ve gotten your kicks on Route 66 then you’ll love the drive along I-35.
That’s the thought behind a new Chickasaw Nation tourism campaign centered around the sights, sounds and tastes along the 130-mile stretch of the interstate affectionately called Adventure Road.
Some 230 partners have come together to highlight what’s available to see and do on less than a tank of gas.
Paige Williams is the director of corporate development and tourism for the Chickasaw Nation. She says the initiative highlights parts of Oklahoma some have never seen.
“It’s not just what is around (I-35) but it goes into the communities and cities that are unique destinations and attractions. It’s an initiative to promote people getting out and exploring Oklahoma’s adventures.”
Oklahoma has long been famed as one of the top road-trip destinations in the U.S., featuring a stretch of the iconic Route 66 slicing a winding path straight through the Sooner State. It’s another stretch of highway, however, that is putting Oklahoma on the map for the next generation of leisure travelers.
The state’s Adventure Road corridor – a 130-mile stretch of restaurants, shops, attractions, sporting and entertainment options along and adjacent to Interstate 35 – is making its mark as a top driver in Oklahoma’s growing tourism industry.
Adventure Road, an initiative of the Chickasaw Nation aimed at promoting tourism during the summer vacation season, is in its second year, following a vibrant 2015 travel season.
Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby says the program has been wildly successful and is expanding this year.
“We are very pleased Adventure Road has helped draw more attention to the diverse landscapes, outstanding attractions and retail opportunities this area has to offer,” said Gov. Anoatubby. “We hope to continue that success as we move forward with Adventure Road in 2016.”
SMARI Insights, an independent market research firm, found the Adventure Road initiative generated 385,000 new trips to Oklahoma in 2015, resulting in approximately $647 million in visitor spending from March to September 2015. An evaluation of the initiative’s supporting marketing campaigns showed it generated more than 210 million overall impressions as well as over 230,000 visits to AdventureRoad.com.
Bill Lance, Chickasaw Nation Secretary of Commerce, reiterated the initiative’s main focus for 2016 is to raise awareness of all tourism partners to both in- and out-of-state audiences, but that it will also focus on feedback from travel partners to enhance the experience.
“With tourism as the state’s third-largest industry, it is proven that millions of visitors consider this region to be a top travel destination,” said Lance. “Adventure Road, through the willingness and enthusiasm to collaborate among travel partners, helps visitors realize the hundreds of diverse cultural, entertainment and adventure experiences that await to be explored.”
Adventure Road is a collaborative effort between the Chickasaw Nation and partners, which are comprised of businesses, attractions, organizations, restaurants, shops and boutiques, hotels and bed and breakfasts. The Adventure Road territory follows I-35 from the Red River to just north of Oklahoma City, expanding more than 100 miles east and west.
For the 2016 travel season, the number of Adventure Road partners has grown 53-percent – from 150 at the time of 2015 launch to 230 just one year later – in more than 25 cities. Travel partners consist of both Chickasaw Nation and non-tribal businesses.
This season, visitors also can expect to see a new travel guide and map as well as additions to AdventureRoad.com, including downloadable travel deals and discounts, and more customized travel destinations that target specific areas of interest.
A multimedia campaign will feature Adventure Road collections in major markets throughout Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. For more information about travel partners, or to plan your own Adventure Road trip, visit adventureroad.com.
The interactive web site allows travelers to create their own custom adventures.
“You can create an itinerary that fits your need and your friends’,” she said. “Maybe you’re a grandparent taking your grandkids on an adventure. It allows you to create this adventure online and you can share it with someone.”
From tours of the Bedre Chocolate Factory to taking a ride on the Air Donkey Zip Line, the web site offers an almost endless list of things to do. And many of the sites have special promotions just for those following Adventure Road.
The second year features a unique CD with travel music to help cruise down the road. Iconic road trip tunes have been redone to keep you company.

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Southwest Oklahoma, held in Lawton, Okla. on Saturday, August 27, had a record-breaking year with over 300 people in attendance and nearly $45,000 raised to support the mission of the Alzheimer’s Association. To show your support in OKC, join us at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark on Sept. 24. Visit OKCwalk.com to start, register or donate to a team today.

Karen Hoyt, of Tulsa, Okla., lives her life in honor of the stranger who gifted her a second chance at life. Now, an active community volunteer, she encourages those in need of that same gift.
Karen lives every day with a grateful spirit and the heart to be an encouragement and motivation to others. She had always lived a healthy life despite being born with only one kidney. She was active in her community as a volunteer, teacher and Sunday school teacher at her church. In 2010, she learned that her liver was failing, and she was later diagnosed with the Hepatitis C virus.
She was sent home thinking her days were numbered. Despite this news, she clung to her faith and began eating even healthier than she had before the diagnosis. Luckily, antiviral medication came out and she was cured of Hepatitis C by 2011 but end stage liver failure still loomed over her.
Karen went back to her career as a teacher and continued to live as healthy as possible. During one of her screenings, the doctor determined that her damaged liver was not removing toxins from her blood, which diminished her mental capabilities. She also became limited on what she could do as she frequently had muscle fatigue, liver pain and joint pain.
After learning to manage her pain, Karen’s luck began to worsen. When she was at one of her regular check-ups, the doctors found a cancerous tumor on her liver. Her doctors recommended a liver transplant, and in the midst of the listing process, she began to make end-of-life plans with her daughter. To cheer their spirits, they began to look online at stories of hope from others who had received a transplant. Karen was encouraged, and continued to eat healthy and walk when she could.
When Karen was fully listed on the transplant waiting list, she was humbled to think that at someone’s greatest crisis in life they would make a decision which would eventually grant her many more years to live. She was so humbled that she called her transplant coordinator and almost asked them to remove her from the list.
As she waited for a second chance at life, Karen underwent many procedures to shrink the tumor on her liver so that she could remain on the transplant waiting list. Twice, Karen was called in hopes that she would receive her liver, but neither were a good fit.
However, on April 13, 2015, Karen received her liver from a selfless donor and learned that her donor was the same age as many of the students she was teaching in school. Karen had the privilege of advising one more English class full of seniors after her transplant.
Karen continues her work with senior high school students. To this day, Karen volunteers at the school she taught at for many years and at the hospital with people who have just received a transplant.
Karen is a motivation and encouragement to many. She encourages others waiting to receive their life saving transplant, and she spends her time teaching nutrition classes. The classes help those struggling with kidney or liver disease learn to eat better in order to live a healthier life.
Driven to honor her donor, Karen participated in the 2016 Transplant Games of America. She began entering 5K runs to raise awareness for organ donation. She also is more adventurous and does things she wouldn’t have tried before to honor him and his life.
Karen has had the opportunity and privilege to be involved in her grandkids lives and is thankful for the chance to be a sister, mother and wife.
While Karen has never had the opportunity to meet her hero’s family, she truly lives her life in honor of the young man who saved her life.
About LifeShare
LifeShare is a nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to the recovery of organs and tissue for transplant purposes. We work closely with five transplant centers and 145 healthcare organizations in the state of Oklahoma to facilitate donation. Additionally, we strive to raise awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation through public education.
For more information about LifeShare, please visit:
www.LifeShareOK.org.

by Bobby Anderson
Staff Writer

It’s the gamut of reactions that Jerry Deming, TTS-CTS, receives when she counsels patients in the Norman Regional Health System about their tobacco use.
In her tobacco cessation role she’s been screamed at. She’s been stared at, through and around.
She’s been shunned and she’s even been hugged.
But this year she’s been able to help Norman Regional’s nurses develop a new Smoke-Free Families campaign that is gaining traction.
Deming began working with the Women’s and Children’s unit after Norman Regional nurses and managers sought help.
“There was an understanding that there were a lot of women leaving the hospital to smoke,” Deming said. “This is a very common problem. I’m in contact with people worldwide and we all deal with this problem in our hospital and clinic settings.
“We all scratch our heads and think ‘what are we going to do to handle this.’ It’s a big problem. It comes up again and again.”
Staff understood that once a mother and her baby went home then it would be easier for the patient not only to smoke, but smoke around the child.
Deming brought forward the idea that it’s a population issue and not one of monitoring.
“We needed to drill down a little bit deeper and figure out how we can help these people get through a hospital visit staying away from tobacco use and even contemplating the idea of … even quitting to have a smoke-free family.”
When leaders got together to decide a plan of action they realized they were entering uncharted landscape. Nowhere could they find a comprehensive plan dealing with the in-hospital maternity population.
Hospital stays are often so short that no one had really figured a good way to approach the issue.
Planning meetings included physicians and nurses. A craving scale – much like a pain scale – was developed.
Nurse Manager Alyson Heeke, RN, saw an opportunity.
“Part of the reason we started this in the first place is we noticed there was an awful lot of times our babies were traveling back and forth to the nursery so their parents could go outside and smoke,” Heeke said. “That became a big concern for us just in the fact they were only with us 24 to 48 hours and a good portion of the time these folks who were really addicted the babies were in the nursery sometime 20 out of 24 hours.
“We couldn’t provide what we needed for our patients if they were always outside.”
Nursing became involved in the LEAN (Lean Education Academic Network) team project helping develop educational material including posters for the room and signage for outside.
“The nurses really did want it to be a successful process for the patient as much as possible and not to be the police officer,” Heeke said. “They wanted to help them understand this also impacts how well they bond with their baby, how they do with their breastfeeding issues and all those other things which are complicated by smoking.”
Director of Patient Care Services, Susie Graves, RN, said many women who are able to quit smoking for their pregnancy often will allow themselves to resume after they deliver.
“Part of what we wanted to do was help them through. Don’t have a start date. Let that continue,” Graves said. “They all know they shouldn’t smoke … but we’re just there not as judges but as support and giving them the resources they need.”
If the patient agrees, nurses are assessing each patient every shift regarding their tobacco usage and craving level.
“(Before) nurses felt pretty helpless,” Heeke said. “Their patients would come from a C-section and be begging for a wheelchair the second the baby was born to go outside and have a cigarette.
“At this stage, with all the things we’ve created it’s given our nurses an opportunity to have something to say to the patient beyond ‘don’t you think it would be a good idea to quit.’”
Deming travels through the halls of both Norman Regional hospital complexes visiting with patients who have indicated a history of tobacco use.
For nine years now she has worked with smokers. Some are just thinking about quitting. Others are desperately looking for a way out.
And some won’t even acknowledge she’s standing in front of them.
She terms her approach as “motivational interviewing.” She stresses to her patients that she’s not there to judge.
Nearly every person Deming visits understands that they need to quit tobacco. Many have tried multiple times on their own without success.
“When we look at this population it’s the most difficult population to approach,” Deming said. “Most people smoking during their pregnancy feel ashamed of it. They don’t like to talk about it. Of course, they are very addicted to tobacco at this point because they haven’t stopped smoking. Most people know there’s going to be a health issue related to that.”
And now Norman Regional nurses have even more to offer to help these patients quit.

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

Some Florida resorts are located amid a massive amount of traffic and tourist activity. The Marriott Pompano Beach Resort and Spa is somewhat off the beaten track, and is boon for motorists, with their own transportation.
While a stroll within a mile of the property can be charming, there are not many cafes, restaurants or shops within the immediate area. If your desire is to get away from it all, and just ensconce yourself in a comfortable setting with pristine and maintained beaches, 2 pools, 2 towers of accommodations and delicious eating experiences, Marriott Pompano Beach Resort and Spa may be your ideal.
When you consider a visit to Florida at any time of year, it is important to keep in mind the annual hurricane season from mid-summer through September. Of course these days, predictable weather patterns of past years seem to be unpredictable. It’s a boon to Pompano that they are far North of Miami Beach with its recent health headlines. It also is North of Fort Lauderdale, and a comfortable distance from its neighbor Lauderdale-By-the-Sea, which is a more active community with its many eateries and entertainment options. Again motorists will find it near enough to quench a typical Florida tourist’s appetite.
Near Pompano is the Hillsboro Lighthouse, privately owned and only open for tours at certain times, being a coast guard operated property. Upcoming tour dates for 2016 are: September 10, October 8, November 6, and December 3.
Happily, sequestered in your ninth floor ocean front room with balcony, you might find the sporadic afternoon thunderstorm a real 3-D entertainment, more impactful than the best free action disaster movie, shown on your large in room TV screen. Be sure and inquire about a corner suite room, for added luxury. As with many upscale hotels, housekeeping may be sporadic, even when alerting them to your out of room schedule.
Check in time is listed at 4 pm, but as someone I know had to do, you might have to wait until 6 pm, which will give you time to explore the property, Atlantic Ocean beach, Spa, and exercise room or grab a bite to eat.
McCoy’s restaurant both comfortably inside or out by the active pools, offers a variety of delectable meal options and beverages with congenial wait staff. If you’re a fan of specially cocktails, with the proper and courtesy instruction, they follow through with your requests most satisfactorily.
Florida still offers what many sun worshipers require and the family welcoming Marriott’s Pompano Beach Resort, might be your new favorite Florida oasis for you and your extended family.

For more information and reservations: www.marriott.com/fllpm

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
http://realtraveladventures.com/author/zinn/
http://www.examiner.com/travel-in-oklahoma-city/terry-zinn
www.new.okveterannews.com – www.martinitravels.com

What is your favorite thing about living at Grand Tapestry at Quail Springs?

“I love the pool.  I also like relaxing on the patio with my friends.  It is beautiful here.” Sue Cooper
Resident

“The people here are fabulous!  Everyone goes out of their way to make things great.” Patti Vienup
Resident

“My favorite part is the friendship. There are two women that I do everything with. We call ourselves, The Three Musketeers.” Mary Hendrickson
Resident

“The people here are wonderful.  I love the many activities and I feel like I am living in a 5-star hotel.” Gwyn Walters
Resident