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As the longest-serving public service commissioner in the nation, Bob Anthony has continued his family’s legacy of service to Oklahomans.
For the better part of the last 30 years, a wooden box has sat on Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony’s desk.
On top is the inscription, “The Secret to Success.”
Upon opening the box, you’ll find a single word: “Work.”
That same box sat on Charles Roth Anthony’s desk after the orphan of Tennessee farmers brought a unique family style of retail trade to Oklahoma and 20 other states.
Most know him as C.R. Anthony founder of Anthony’s.
But to Robert Holland Anthony, he was a grandad and one of the men who helped instill an indomitable work ethic and passion for service.
For decades now, Bob Anthony has poured into Oklahoma – the last 21 of those years as Corporation Commissioner.
C.R. Anthony company store in El Reno, Ok.
By all accounts, he has had a successful career.
“The word success, humility makes me have a pause there,” Anthony said. “Whatever (success I’ve had) I attribute to my parents and the upbringing, emphasis on education, and the opportunity to start working for our company at the age of 10.”
At 10, Anthony was getting up early on Saturday mornings to man the C.R. Anthony’s mailroom. From there he advanced to the warehouse then into the stores, sweeping up at the North May location.
The next summer, when he turned 16, he became one of the company’s top salesmen, helping people at the South Oklahoma City store.
All was under the watchful eye of his grandfather and his father, Guy.
His father served for three years in the Pacific during World War II and his older brother served in Vietnam as a Marine Corps lieutenant. Bob himself rose to the rank of Captain during his 12 years with the Army ROTC and the U.S. Army Reserves.
THE ANTHONY’S BRAND
In 1922, C.R. Anthony opened his first family clothing store in Cushing. Upon the elder Anthony’s retirement in 1972, Bob’s father, Guy, became president of the company and served in that capacity for eight years.
Eventually, at the age of 32, Anthony would follow in his grandfather and father’s footsteps, serving as the company’s president from 1980-87.
Armed with degrees from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance, Harvard, Yale, and the London School of Economics, Anthony took his family’s company to new heights.
While Anthony’s may have been popular in Oklahoma, you may not have realized the chain was actually in 21 states and was the largest privately-owned company headquartered in Oklahoma, issuing some 14,000 W2s a year.
During his seven years as president and chairman of the executive committee, Anthonys had as many as 300 stores, and sales for the retail chain increased from $256 million to $411 million.
Sales, payroll, employment, and dollar profits reached all-time record levels.
In 1986, Anthony accepted the “Five Who Care” Corporate Humanitarian Award on behalf of the C.R. Anthony Company — only the third corporation to be so honored.
The award recognized Anthonys’ contributions to a variety of charitable organizations as well as the company’s employees and their involvement as volunteers in their respective communities across Oklahoma.
Bob rose to the rank of Captain in the Air Defense Artillery branch during his twelve-year association with ROTC and the U.S. Army Reserve.
A NEW CALLING
Serving the public was nothing new to Bob Anthony, but public service was something different entirely.
In 1987, the shareholders voted to sell the C.R. Anthony Company to an investor group sponsored by Citicorp Venture Capital.
The $112 million transaction marked the largest venture capital investment in Oklahoma for more than a decade, and the value of the Anthony Company employee retirement trusts increased substantially.
The following year, Anthony launched his first of six victorious statewide political campaigns and was elected to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
“Somebody asked me to run,” Anthony said with a laugh. “I’d never been to the corporation commission.”
The Corporation Commission was established in 1907 by Article 9 of the Oklahoma Constitution, and the First Legislature gave the Commission authority to regulate public service corporations; defined as those businesses whose services are considered essential to the public welfare.
The legal principle for such regulation had been established in 1877 when the United States Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling, Munn v. Illinois, that when a private company’s business affects the community at large, it becomes a public entity subject to state regulation.
Initially, the Corporation Commission regulated transportation and transmission companies, mostly railroads and telephone and telegraph companies.
The Second Legislature put oil pipelines under regulation. The Commission began regulating the prices of telephone calls in 1908 and telegrams in April 1912. Regulation of water, heat, light, and power rates began in 1913.
The Commission began regulating oil and gas in 1914 when it restricted oil drilling and production in the Cushing and Healdton fields to prevent waste when production exceeded pipeline transport capacity.
As an officer and then public servant, Anthony saw distinct similarities in his roles.
“Both of them have the same oath of office – to support, obey, and defend the constitution,” Anthony said. “It’s a sacred duty and I’m proud the good Lord has given me an opportunity to be in service.”
“The scriptures also call us to serve, not to be served.”
Anthony has long been an Oklahoma favorite. He garnered 60 percent of the vote in 2018 during his last re-election campaign with more than 700,000 votes and carrying all 77 counties to earn a sixth-consecutive term.
In 2000, he received more votes than any candidate for state office in Oklahoma history.
Anthony is the longest current serving public service commissioner in the United States.
Oklahoma is one of only 10 states where commissioners are elected by the public. Positions are appointed by the governor or legislature in the remaining states.
His work for un-covering corruption earned him the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s highest citizen award in 1995
“My record in office reflects independence and commitment to the public interest and general welfare,” Anthony said. “No one has accused me of being owned by any special interest group.”
Many Oklahomans have fond memories of Anthony’s department stores. Whether it was shopping for new school clothes in August or Christmas presents in December, customers were always met with a smiling face at the register.
“The friendliest store in town” was C.R. Anthony’s slogan along with the idea of determining not how much, but how little something could be sold and still earn a profit.
Bob Anthony learned from an early age that if you worked for your customers and your employees everything else would fall into place.
And if he ever forgets, all he has to do is open that little wooden box.
Legend at Rivendell resident Casimir Sokolnicki is set to celebrate 104 years this December.104 year old, Casimir Sokolnicki receives award alongside friends and family at Legend at Rivendell.
by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer
When Casimir Sokolnicki came to Legend at Rivendell Assisted Living four years ago, nobody knew just how much of a story he had to tell.
And this December, he’ll have a few of those stories to share as he celebrates his 104th birthday.
Sokolnicki was recently honored by the Oklahoma Assisted Living Association as the oldest resident in Oklahoma.
Sokolnicki came to Legend at Rivendell Assisted Living about four years ago.
A couple of years later, Carrie McGovern started as the life enrichment coordinator.
“He is very polite, proper. I would say he’s soft-spoken and our oldest veteran,” McGovern said.
Sokolnicki’s story began on December 20, 1919, in Cleveland, Ohio.
That year, a pound of bacon was 34 cents, eggs were 55 cents a dozen, milk was 26 cents per gallon and a loaf of bread was nine cents.
He had two sisters and one brother, the latter who lived for three days before succumbing to the Spanish Flu.
He graduated from East Technical High School in 1938.
He married Lois Lorene Berry on Oct. 20, 1942.
Sokolnicki was married for 68 years. Two children, six grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren would follow.
He spent time in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He dedicated 20 years of his life as an aircraft maintenance and flight engineer.
In total, his government service spanned 44 years with time spent with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Sokolnicki was responsible for running flight inspections on B-25, B-26, and B-47 airplanes, keeping thousands of lives safe at home and abroad.
He has seen so much change.
“Computers,” Sokolnicki said when asked about some of the biggest changes he’s seen. “I don’t use one but it’s amazing. I remember crystals and cat whiskers, they called them, touching together to hear radio transmissions. Now my daughter’s iPhone does everything.”
With a more than century of experience, he’s a wealth of information.
“Don’t give up,” he said when asked for his piece of advice. “Things are changing but we can’t live in the past. Just try to keep up. People have to adapt. Always look for something over the hill to push yourself.”
Sokolnicki is a regular in the Rivendell dining area and to those special events that he enjoys, particularly National Ice Cream Day.
Seeing him and the history he carries has McGovern in awe.
“It is really cool,” she said. “Most of our residents are in their 80s and 90s. It’s so cool because they have seen so much development and technology has come so far. It’s walking history really. They’ve seen things change.”
According to the not-for-profit Centenarians of Oklahoma, there are believed to be 400-500 centenarians living in Oklahoma. That’s roughly one centenarian for every 7,413 people in our state.
The Oklahoma Assisted Living Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of dignity and choice for older Oklahomans and to the quality of their care in the senior living setting.
Closing in on 104 years, Sokolnicki thinks about what he would like to be remembered for. It’s something we should all strive for.
“Forgive people,” he said. “Because a lot of times they just don’t know what they’re doing.”
Legend at Rivendell Assisted Living is located at 13200 S May Ave in Oklahoma City. Come by Legend at Rivendell or visit https://legendseniorliving.com.
Daily Living Centers Offer Veterans Opportunities For Social Engagement, Volunteer Events
Veterans Leon and Guy at the VA Living in Norman for their SHINE veteran service project, posing next to a bucket of bingo cards because they tag team bingo games at the Bethany center.DLC President and CEO, Amanda Dirmeyer, creating Veterans Day cards for veteran organizations in the community.
Story by Van Mitchel, Staff Writer
Daily Living Centers Inc, a nonprofit Adult Day Service Provider that serves adults with developmental disabilities, senior adults, and veterans, based in Oklahoma City, previously celebrated Veterans Day in a meaningful way- giving back to their community.
Each Daily Living Centers location completed a service project to serve local veterans. DLC is a proud member of SHINE, Start Helping Impacted Neighbors Everywhere, a volunteer program created by Oklahoma County Commissioner, Brian Maughan.
The Bethany Center created thank you cards to give to the VA Living Center in Norman. The Bethany participants and staff had a cookie and punch party with the veterans at the VA Home in Norman while dropping off the cards.
The South Oklahoma City Center visited the OKC VFW, located at 4605 South Pennsylvania, to decorate for Veteran’s Day.
“Citizens for SHINE (Start Helping Impacted Neighborhoods Everywhere) encourages non-profits and businesses to recognize their employees, participants, or residents volunteer efforts. It is great to see members of Daily Living Centers giving back through SHINE. Every bit of litter pick-up, every flower planted, and every hour invested in a better community pays dividends for us all, stated County Commissioner Brian Maughan.”
In 2021, Daily Living Centers joined the Citizens for SHINE Program. Since then, their participants have completed over 60,000 volunteer hours.
“We have a volunteer SHINE program, and a lot of our veterans are a part of that where they can give back to the center or the community,” said Amanda Dirmeyer, Daily Living Centers President & CEO. “They can volunteer here in the center where some of them just help with rolling out the silverware or preparing for activities, or we actually will go out and clean up a park or maybe stock shelves at a food pantry. We have a Navy veteran who even started a choir here.”
Dirmeyer said Daily Living Centers is grateful to serve participants from all walks of life and to be able to meet their individual needs.
Since 1974, Daily Living Centers (DLC) has provided rest and hope for caregivers. They are Oklahoma’s first and leading non-profit adult day provider for senior adults and adults with disabilities ages 18 and older. There are three locations that offer nonresidential affordable day services for over 200 participants 246 days a year in an environment that enhances mind, body, and spirit. While attending DLC, “participants” enjoy healthy meals, exercise programs, socialization, activities, and outings that meet their individual needs.
Dirmeyer said they have a fleet of vehicles including limos and wheelchair accessible vans that provide door-to-door transportation and medical rides.
She said many of the participants have physical and/or mental limitations or suffer from isolation and depression.
Common diagnoses found in those DLC serve include dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, traumatic brain injury, autism, Down Syndrome, and other developmental disabilities. Caregivers often say that DLC services are “lifesaving.”
“Our populations are adults with developmental disabilities as well as senior adults,” Dirmeyer said. “We feel it is important for caregivers to know that veterans can attend our centers through VA funding. They need to be established with the VA and have a VA physician who will provide a consult in order to start attending a DLC center.”
Dirmeyer said DLC offers meals, exercise and art therapy, as wells as help with personal care if anyone needs assistance in the restroom or bathing services.
“We have breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack every day. A variety of different types of exercise classes are offered including chair Zumba, yoga, cycle classes, and more,” she said. “We do a lot with music therapy and art therapy. Our participants, they’re very creative, and so we can do things with painting, crafts, and puzzles. Games and reminiscing activities are great to stimulate the mind. Weekly community outings are planned for each center which include libraries, parks, museums, and big events such as the circus.”
Dirmeyer said the VA will pay for veterans to attend DLC.
“A lot of people are not aware that the VA will pay for our services, and they’re able to come here,” she said. “They build friendships and meet with other veterans and swap stories. It’s beneficial for them because we recognize them for their service.”
Dirmeyer said she has a passion working to help seniors.
“My passion has always been to work with seniors, and I’ve been in the senior healthcare field for about 22 years now,” she said. “My biggest goal is to spread the word everywhere because this service is so vital, especially to caregivers.”
For more information regarding Daily Living Center’s services, contact Ragan Franklin at (405) 792-2401 or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dailylivingcenters
Lonnie DaVoult, former pastor of the Charity Free Will Baptist Church, celebrates his 100th birthday by standing in front of his parishioners. He delivers a heartfelt sermon to his parish about 73 years of inspiration of “teaching and preaching” and how he did not have plans to stop anytime soon.
ABOVE: Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs recently presented centenarian Veteran, Lonnie DaVoult with a special tribute in honor of his service to our nation. Dr. Susan Bray-Hall, Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs, Chief of Staff, presents Brother Lonnie with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Secretary of Veteran Affairs.
Story and photos provided by Carmen Daugherty
Supervisory Public Affairs Officer – OKC, VA Health Care System
On Sunday, October 22, the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs, local community, family and friends gathered at the Charity Free Will Baptist Church to honor and celebrate the 100th birthday of World War II Veteran and Pastor Lonnie Evert DaVoult. Brother Lonnie was recognized with the distinguished title of Veteran Centenarian.
Born on October 20, 1923, Brother Lonnie was the founder and 33-year-Pastor of the Charity Free Will Baptist Church. DaVoult was drafted in the U.S. Army in January 1943, and he served in the Signal Corps during World War II.
A cake was presented to Lonnie by the Charity Free Will Baptist Church, to celebrates his 100th birthday.
“I was grateful for serving and to the Army for giving me the opportunity to drive all over Europe,” said DaVoult. His WWII military assignment was to deliver messages to the front lines and because of his service to the nation, he was highly decorated, was wounded in action, and is the recipient of the Purple Heart Award.
“My secret to long life is because I gave myself to God, to continue teaching and preaching his mighty word and you have to stay active to stay alive,” DaVoult said. Preaching is a joy for him and he has been doing it for 73 years and doesn’t see himself quitting anytime soon. Seeing and listening to his sermon, anyone would be envious of this centenarian’s energy, passion and enthusiasm.
LEFT: A time line of Lonnie DaVoult’s Important events in life including draft card, arrival in Europe and the announcement of his graduation and degree from Free Will Bible College in Nashville.
DaVoult was presented with a Letter of Appreciation and coin from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. OKC VA Chaplains Office presented Brother Lonnie with a lapel pin, letter, portion of a flag (to carry it with him from a grateful nation) and hand-made quilt.
The OKC VA believes 100 years on this earth is a milestone worth celebrating and it is a priority to recognize as many Veteran centenarians as possible.
The OKC VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement program called the Centenarian Celebration Project is a special initiative honoring Veterans turning 100 years old.
Congratulations to Brother Lonnie DaVoult. The OKC VA wishes you to have many more years of preaching and teaching as you continue to inspire those around you.
Charity Free Will Baptist Church is located at 2900 S Westminster Rd, Oklahoma City, OK 73130 https://www.charityfwbc.com/.
For more information about the OKC VA CDCE Centenarian Celebration Project, please contact the OKC VA website at https://www.va.gov/oklahoma-city-health-care/, contact [email protected] or visit the VA main page at https://www.va.gov/ Home | Veterans Affairs.
Anna Covey, Community Liaison with VIPcare, which helped sponsor a veteran’s resource fair in November in Guthrie.Mark Cope with Nerve Renewal was one of the vendors that participated in the November veteran resource fair in Guthrie.
Story and photos by Van Mitchell, staff writer
Anna Covey, Community Liaison with VIPcare, said pop-up resource fairs like the one held for veterans Nov. 16 at the American Legion LeBron Post 58 in Guthrie allow them to learn more about both VA benefits and community resources and benefits available to them, including value-based healthcare.
VIPcare and Senior News and Living sponsored the Guthrie event, and more resource fairs are planned for 2024.
“VIPcare is committed to delivering compassionate and preventive healthcare, a standard that our veterans rightfully deserve,” Covey said. “This level of exceptional healthcare is something everyone should have access to.” Covey explained that VIPcare specializes in primary care for individuals 65 and older. They accept most Medicare Advantage plans and work personally with insurance plans to ensure military families receive the coverage they need and deserve.
“We believe in better healthcare as opposed to ‘sick care,’” Covey said. “VIPcare eliminates potential healthcare burdens by offering same-day appointments and transportation assistance to and from appointments. Because our doctors only see an average of 12 to 15 patients a day instead of the industry standard of 25 to 35, they’re able to spend more time with patients, sometimes up to 30 minutes. This allows for a different mindset and a different way of providing care. At VIPcare, it’s about time. More time with the patient. More time to care.”
Steven Sibley, Senior News & Living Account Executive and Retired/Disabled Veteran, said he was approached by VIP Care about co-sponsoring community-based resource fairs.
“This is all about partnering with our advertisers, bringing their services and resources to the communities where they serve and our readers live,” he said. “We also brought in representatives from the VA, the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, and invited several of Guthrie’s local resource providers, like the Chamber and a veteran owner barbershop. They were all excited to participate.”
Steve Gentling, Guthrie’s Mayor, a veteran and post member himself remarked, “Events like this is great. Bringing these resources to the communities where veterans live is the best way to not only educate them, but it also shows them how much we care and honor their sacrifices.”
Mark Cope with Nerve Renewal attended the Guthrie event, and said veterans currently make up 5 to 10 percent of their patient load. He said attending resource fairs allows veterans to learn about Nerve Renewal services.
“With the VA we are in the process of educating their doctors about our services,” he said. “Once we have an opportunity to inform them about this treatment option, the numbers of our veteran patients should increase.”
Cope said Nerve Renewal treatments are FDA-approved.
“We are using a drug-free treatment which involves electrical stimulation combined with a vitamin B-12 complex nutrient blend,” he said. “We’re utilizing equipment to depolarize the nerve cell membrane, which basically shuts the nerve signal down. While that is happening, the nerve is open to receive nutrients from the Vitamin-B injection. What we’re doing is nourishing those nerves.”
Cope said another aspect of the treatment is when they turn the nerve signal off, it sorts of resets the brain and the nerves so they are not firing as much, reducing nerve pain during the treatment.
“We find about 80 percent of our patients have lasting relief when they complete the entire treatment program,” he said. “If a veteran has been diagnosed with neuropathy, they simply need to request a community referral from their VA primary care provider or neurologist, tell them about Nerve Renewal and that they want to come to us for treatment. I think that resource fairs are great for educating veterans about all the different services that are available to them.”
Kim Vincent, the Post Adjutant, was thankful for all who attended and supported the event.
“We were honored to host so many resource providers, and see so many veterans and family members”, she said. “This has been a vision for quite some time, so when Steve Sibley and I first met a few weeks ago, he acted quickly to pull it off. I am beyond thankful for his work and professionalism in doing so.”
Sibley, a Medicare Product Specialist for Veterans, who co-owns Sibley Insures with his wife, said he was pleased with the turnout at the Guthrie Veteran Resource Fair.
“We had 22 resource providers and probably twice that many veterans and their spouses,” he said.
For more information about Nerve Renewal visit https://nerverenewalnow.com/.
For more information about VIP Care visit https://getvipcare.com/oklahoma/.
For more information about Senior News and Living visit https://okveterannews.com/.
For more information about Sibley Insures visit https://www.sibleyinsures.com/
Herb Magley, retired geologist and board of directors member of Alzheimer’s Association Oklahoma Chapter, used interesting rocks and lots of humor in his Senior LifeSkills Learning presentation.Participants in Dr. Jonathan Vestal’s workshops test grip strength, foreground, and standing on one foot, background, as indications of brain health.
The brain has plasticity and can grow at any age – if you use it.
Seniors in Oklahoma City took this “use or lose it” message seriously all year long.
More than 55 people every month took advantage of free sessions called Senior LifeSkills Learning workshops. These are the people, age 50 and more, who take personal responsibility for continued learning. Senior LifeSkills Learning topics ranged from “How to Fall Correctly” to “Get a Grip on Improving Your Brain,” to “Insider Tips on Doctors Visits” and much more. All the presentations are based on approved and tested research, but presented for practical application and in “plain English.”
One of the popular workshops involved identifying and differentiating certain smells. This demonstrates strong brain activity. The sense of smell is one of the first things to change as Alzheimer’s disease takes root, even before other symptoms appear. The workshop offered a simple but valid standardized “scratch and sniff” screening to encourage intentional training of the brain to recognize smells.
VillagesOKC organizes and promotes these monthly 90-minute events in cooperation with Our Lord’s Lutheran Church which provides the space.
In order to circle the city with learning opportunities, VillagesOKC also created three Positive Aging days of learning at local campuses. The first Positive Aging was held at Rose State College, then in June one was held at Southern Nazarene University, and most recently Positive Aging: Love Your Brain was held at MetroTech Springlake campus. Combined attendance at the Positive Aging and LifeSkills Learning events totaled 839.
More than 220 individuals came for a day of learning from local professionals such as Bruce McIntyre from the Parkinson’s Foundation and Richard V. Smith, MD, Neurosurgeon at Mercy. Dr. Smith gave the latest in stroke information and prevention. Dr. Jonathan Vestal reminded attendees to “do what you did at first” – hold your head high, look straight ahead when walking, shake hands often and break bread together. He even had the crowd standing on one foot to improve balance. These daylong events were free and included a light lunch and a movie. All had one focus: improving the brain.
Everyone wants a better brain. The Netflix documentary, “Living to 100” illustrates how people around the world are living long and living well. And it all starts in the brain.
The brain represents who we are, which is why so many are eager to learn about ways to improve the brain. In the last Positive Aging event of the year, we watched the documentary, “My Love Affair with the Brain,” which is the story of Dr. Marian Diamond and her 60 years of brain research and teaching at the University of California at Berkeley. She succinctly summarized the way to keep the brain growing and improving: diet, exercise, something new, something challenging and love.
Here in Oklahoma, there are many organizations which do a magnificent job of helping when seniors are in need or in crisis. Although VillagesOKC members do help each other as good neighbors, VillagesOKC’s focus is uniquely education. We are in the business of prevention. Empowering the 370,000 adults 50 and older in greater Oklahoma City to first take personal responsibility and then help another as the very best way to provide for everyone. The village movement encourages learning so each can make the best personal choice. Learning leads to planning for the bumps in life and this leads to serving others.
In three words, VillagesOKC members: Learn. Plan. Serve.
To learn more about http://www.villagesokc.org/, call or text 405.990.6637 or email [email protected].
RIVERMONT INDEPENDENT LIVING IN NORMAN ANNOUNCES THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS SERVED REACHES 999 … 1,000!
Rivermont Independent Living, a residence of Legend Senior
Living®, announced today that the number of residents who have made the community their home has reached 1,000. Residents 999 and 1,000 are husband and wife, Bill and JoAnn Oliver, so they share the title. Legend Senior Living, headquartered in Wichita, KS, owns and operates over 50 Legend and Windsor residences in six states.
The Olivers are lifelong Oklahoma residents who have been married for 66 years. They have two children, three grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. Bill worked for the U.S. Postal Service at various places in Oklahoma, performing training. They settled in Norman when the postal training center opened here.
“What we like most about Rivermont is the atmosphere and the people,” said Bill. “All the people are accepting of others that come in. The food is good! And we enjoy the ability to sit outside and enjoy the outdoors.”
Joann cites going out to eat as their favorite activity and appreciates the Rivermont location, out of the hustle and bustle of the metro area but close to many good places to eat and things to do.
Plus, easy highway access takes them straight up the road to their church, the Alameda Church of Christ.
“We’re so happy to have Bill and Joann at Rivermont,” said Residence Director Rita Myers. “And we’re proud to have served many older adults with the Legend trademark of vibrant independent living. The Olivers make the most of it!”
“Our daughter was a big influence in our choice of Rivermont, and we’re so glad we chose so well,” said Joann. The Olivers have been avid travelers throughout Europe and Colorado on many off-roading and skiing adventures. Living at Rivermont allows them to maintain their active lifestyle minus the home maintenance.
Rivermont Independent Living is located at 800 Canadian Trails Dr, Norman, Oklahoma 73072.
Legend Senior Living® is a privately held senior housing and services company based in Wichita, Kansas. Legend grows the number of properties it owns and operates every year, now numbering more than 50 – independent living, assisted living, memory care, and personal care – in Florida, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.
Executive Director Beth Patterson with RSVP of Central Oklahoma.
Beth Patterson to Retire After 41 Years of Matching Older Adults with Meaningful Volunteer Opportunities
A come-and-go retirement party is scheduled to honor long-time RSVP of Central Oklahoma Executive Director Beth Patterson. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, December 14 at 351 N. Air Depot Blvd., Suite O, Midwest City. Patterson will retire at the end of December.
This year, RSVP of Central Oklahoma celebrated 50 years in the community matching older adults with meaningful and rewarding volunteer opportunities. Patterson has led the organization for 41 of its 50 years.
During her four decades, Patterson has linked the skills and talents of 6,700 older Oklahomans with more than 500 local nonprofit organizations in need of volunteer support. In the time under her direction, the volunteer members who make up RSVP have contributed 8.9 million volunteer hours to help make central Oklahoma a stronger and healthier community.
“As we reflect on Beth’s years of service and her unflagging dedication to improving and celebrating the lives of older Oklahomans throughout Central Oklahoma, we are reminded of the incredible impact of her kindness and compassion that spreads so far beyond what we can measure,” said RSVP Associate Director Laura McRaniels.
Patterson moved to Oklahoma from Minnesota in 1984. She and her husband, Kelly, recently celebrated 36 years of marriage. They have three grown sons, and three grandchildren. Patterson is a community volunteer member, having served as a volunteer with Catholic Daughters, Meta Fund, Relay for Life, and currently with the Midwest City Lions Club.
In case of inclement weather, the retirement party will be held on December 19.
Since 1973, RSVP of Central Oklahoma has helped older adults 55+ continue to live with purpose and meaning by connecting them with rewarding community volunteer opportunities. RSVP is a partner of AmeriCorps Seniors and the United Way of Central Oklahoma. To learn more about becoming a volunteer, call Laura McRaniels at 405.605.3110 or visit rsvpokc.org. You can also follow RSVP on Facebook at facebook.com/RSVPokc.
