Story and photos by Darl DeVault, Contributing Editor

Few in Oklahoma have been more immersed in Oklahoma tennis than Australian ex-patriate Colin Robertson, 77, who came to Oklahoma City on a tennis scholarship in 1966. Seniors can now read about his five decades as a player, instructor, and coach entertainingly told in his heavily illustrated new book, “Sydney to Oklahoma: Tennis, Stories, Travels and More.” (Total Publishing & Media, 2022)
Robertson richly details his playing days at Oklahoma City University in the new book. Seniors who joined the national tennis boom in the 1970s will remember him serving as the first tennis director at the newly opened Oklahoma City Tennis Center. He provided the spark in teaching many players who went on to serve the community as instructors and club managers. His move to instructing and managing at local private tennis clubs paralleled indoor tennis’s dynamic growth in the 1980s and 1990s.
“I was in position over those decades to see tennis really take off in Oklahoma,” Robertson said. “My hiring as the first director of the Oklahoma City Tennis Center in 1966 put me into contact with all the movers and shakers in tennis at that time in central Oklahoma. Many are still close friends to this day.”
The author dedicates two chapters of his book to his years coaching tennis at Oklahoma City University (1987-2002). His insider’s view of the ups and downs of coaching at a college level is revealing and heartwarming. Stories about the parade of international players he coached at OCU are at times hilarious and often inspiring. His teams’ five national championships at OCU testify to the lessons he learned and put to use while guiding the program’s success.
“Coaching at OCU was something I just fell into,” he says, “but those turned into some of the most memorable years of my life. I’m proud of the success of many of those teams, but I cherish more the bond I developed with most of those players—many who had come from outside the United States.”
The second part of “Sydney to Oklahoma” conveys the author’s assessment of the current state of Oklahoma tennis from his court developer and tennis business owner viewpoint. The reader will be surprised and gratified at the progress the Sooner state has made in the last two decades at the public and collegiate levels. The magnificent new facilities at the state’s major colleges are described and shown in striking photographs. Just as notable, the new public facilities in Tulsa and the Oklahoma City metro are detailed. Importantly, Robertson tells how interest and funds were generated to transform collegiate and public facilities.
“The extraordinary new tennis facilities at several colleges and city parks in Oklahoma is a great untold story in the state,” Robertson says. “The national tennis community now sees Oklahoma as a leader in tennis facilities. Surprisingly, many Oklahomans are unaware of just how far the state has come over the last few decades with these new developments.”
Robertson points out Edmond Center Court, the public facility in Edmond, is one facility gaining national prominence. Several tennis notables have called this indoor-outdoor facility the finest public facility in the world. “Edmond has done a remarkable job with their new public facility,” Robertson says. “To be getting praise internationally really speaks well of this tennis center. Again, a part of the great untold tennis story in Oklahoma.”
Over his decades in Oklahoma, the author personally met most of the key players and organizers in Oklahoma tennis—and many renowned players who came to Oklahoma for exhibition matches. His story of Bobby Riggs’s visit to Oklahoma City in the 1980s is unforgettable. He pays tribute to many of these often-quirky tennis personalities in a revealing chapter on Oklahoma’s tennis characters.
Now a tennis consultant at the Buccaneer Beach and Golf Resort in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Robertson concludes the book with thoughts about the sport and tennis enthusiasts in Oklahoma. He held several book signings in Oklahoma City and Tulsa in late November. He will return to Oklahoma in February for a series of talks and book signings throughout the state.
This book is a must-read for seniors who have played or followed tennis closely in Oklahoma since the 1960s. It richly details the decades Robertson spent inspiring players and developing the sport in the state. Online purchases of this autographed book are available at www.OklahomaBooksOnline.com/colin-robertson.

Dear Savvy Senior,

I recently learned about a property-tax relief program for seniors in the county where I live. Apparently, there are hundreds of these programs across the country that many retirees, like me, are eligible for but don’t know about. What can you tell me about this? — Overtaxed Eddie

Dear Eddie,
Great question! Residential property-tax refund and credit programs exist in nearly every state, but unfortunately few people know about them. These programs can help retirees and many other Americans by reducing their property taxes. Here’s what you should know.
Rising Property Taxes
Property taxes are a major source of income for local governments, but while they help fund key public services, they can be a financial drain for many homeowners, especially retirees, many of whom live on fixed incomes.
According to Attom Data Solutions, a property-data provider, the average American household payed $3,785 in property taxes in 2021, but this amount varies widely depending on your state’s tax rate and your home’s estimated value. For example, New Jersey residents paid $9,476 per year on average in 2021, while West Virginia residents paid $901.
To help ease this tax burden, most states offer a number of property-tax relief programs. But states aren’t always proactive in letting people know. It’s up to you, the homeowner, to find out what’s available in your county or city that you may be eligible for, and to apply.
Relief Programs
Property tax relief programs, sometimes called exemptions, release eligible homeowners from paying some or all of their property tax obligation. How long the exemption lasts can vary depending on where you live, and the reason you’re applying for the exemption.
The tax-relief process varies by county, city or state. In general, you’ll have to meet certain eligibility requirements, submit an application and provide documents that support your request. Most programs will either reduce, waive or freeze property taxes for seniors, veterans, surviving spouses, disabled and low-income residents.
But there are some counties that also offer basic homestead exemptions to homeowners regardless of age or income, and others that may provide exemptions to homeowners that have recently made energy-efficient improvements to their home.
Where to Look
The best way to learn about local property-tax relief programs and their eligibility requirements is to visit your county, city or state website that collects your property tax. Most of these sites also provide applications and instructions, and will allow you to apply either online, by mail or at your local tax office.
Another good resource for locating programs in your area is the Lincoln Institute, which has a property-tax database that lets you to browse programs across the country. To access it go to ResidentialPropertyTaxReliefPrograms.org.
AARP may also be able to help through their Property Tax-Aide service – see PTAconsumers.aarpfoundation.org. This free program, which is available in 13 states (Arizona, Colorado, Florida–Miami Dade County, Illinois-Cook County, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York and North Carolina) and the District of Columbia helps eligible homeowners and renters apply for relief.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

A seasonal virus that takes a toll on young children and older adults has returned this fall with a vengeance.
Surges in respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, typically parallels flu season, running from late fall into the spring, but this year’s outbreak started earlier than normal. This month, the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported rising case numbers and hospitalizations for RSV in many parts of the state. The figures mirror national trends.
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation physician-scientist Hal Scofield, M.D., said the current deluge in cases could be traced to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We saw a dramatic reduction in RSV during the pandemic due to the precautions we took to curb the spread of the coronavirus,” said Scofield, an immunologist. “Infants and young children whose immune systems had never been exposed to the virus were in a protective bubble. Now that bubble has burst.”
RSV typically causes a mild cold. But among children younger than 5, RSV is responsible annually for 100-300 deaths and up to 80,000 hospitalizations in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus is even deadlier among older adults. A 2022 National Institutes of Health study estimated more than 6,000 people 65 years and older die each year from RSV complications.
OMRF scientist Susan Kovats, Ph.D., studies RSV. She noted that before the pandemic, almost all children contracted the virus by age 2. Kovats said that because so many children avoided exposure to it in 2020 and 2021, the virus appears to be “playing catch-up” in pediatric populations.
Kovats is working to understand why RSV impacts children more frequently than adults and why it hits some infants so hard. The work is setting the stage for better treatments and will aid in vaccine design for the condition.
“Our early indications are that neonatal cells are less likely to make the proteins that stop a virus from replicating in the body,” Kovats said. “In essence, it appears to confirm previous evidence that babies’ immune systems are not quite developed enough to fight off RSV.”
Research teams worldwide are working on RSV vaccines. Pfizer plans to submit its vaccine, which protects infants from RSV by inoculating pregnant women, for Food and Drug Administration approval by year’s end. The results of the FDA review of British drugmaker GSK’s vaccine for older adults are expected in spring 2023.
Until a vaccine is available, Scofield said the best ways to avoid — and avoid spreading — RSV mirror those for the flu and Covid-19. “Wash your hands, wear a mask in crowded places and stay home if you’re sick,” he said. And if, despite your best efforts, you or a loved one has a run-in with a respiratory virus this holiday season, monitor symptoms closely.
“RSV can usually be managed at home. But when someone is having difficulty breathing or is exhibiting symptoms of dehydration, it’s important to get an evaluation from a health care professional.”

Two scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation have been awarded grants for research aimed at extending the period of good health as we age.
The American Federation for Aging Research and the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research awarded grants to OMRF’s Ann Chiao, Ph.D., and Matt Bubak, Ph.D. The organizations work together to support junior researchers focused on the basic biology of aging.
Chiao received a two-year, $125,000 grant from AFAR to better understand a molecule inside each cell that is crucial for generating energy. As we age, levels of that molecule, NAD+, slowly diminish within the heart. Chiao will study how this occurs, and the role it plays in fatigue, shortness of breath and other symptoms of decreased heart function in older people.
“There is a lot of research looking at NAD+ in aging-related diseases,” said Chiao, who joined OMRF in 2019 from the University of Washington. “What’s different about this study is that we are looking at it only within the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell.”
Chiao’s lab will focus on how and why the molecule dwindles in mitochondria and, in future research, whether medication could prevent it from happening.
Bubak is among nine scientists nationally to receive a one-year, $60,000 postdoctoral fellowship from the Glenn Foundation. He will explore the decline of skeletal muscle mass and function that begins around middle age.
His research will test whether muscles in older mice become more youthful following a plasma transfer from younger mice, and whether that benefit is enhanced if the donor mice exercise.
“The idea is that we can create a more youthful environment in old mice so that the muscles can respond to stress, such as exercise, like young mice,” said Bubak, who is a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Benjamin Miller, Ph.D. “If we’re correct, then potentially the application for humans would be both simple and cost effective.”
Future studies will explore how long the youthful effects last following a plasma infusion, he said.
OMRF Aging and Metabolism Research Program Chair Holly Van Remmen, Ph.D., said the two grants ultimately could help reverse two key aspects of aging.
“These two scientists are trying to figure out how to make an older person’s heart and skeletal muscles work like those of a younger person,” Van Remmen said. “We know an active lifestyle prolongs the healthiest period of our lives, but for those who can’t or won’t exercise, this work could someday make a big difference.”

Fannie Jones

Fannie Jones of Oklahoma City turned 109 years old this past August. We honored her today as the second oldest living Centenarian in Oklahoma. Fannie’s favorite song is Amazing Grace. What an honor to meet this sweet lady and induct her into our Hall of Fame!

KNOW A CENTENARIAN?
If you know of a Centenarian you would like to honor, please visit
http://centenariansok.com/ and download, complete and submit our form. One of our team members will contact you directly with the next steps.

Annie Laurie (Ivey) Whited

Annie Laurie (Ivey) Whited of Noble was manager of the gift & book shop at the OU Continuing Ed Center before retiring in 1984. She attended Crosspointe Church in Norman and was a member of the Army Officers’ Wives Club. Annie’s words of wisdom: “Love the Lord, exercise, eat well and love others!”

KNOW A CENTENARIAN?
If you know of a Centenarian you would like to honor, please visit
http://centenariansok.com/ and download, complete and submit our form. One of our team members will contact you directly with the next steps.

Wanda Ovella (Venable) Moore

102-year-old Wanda Ovella (Venable) Moore of Stillwater was born & raised in Cushing where her father built many homes. She never really considered how long she would live, has not thought much about the fact that she has surpassed 100, loves to share stories about her life with family & friends, has been very fortunate to have lived the life she has had & is truly blessed.

KNOW A CENTENARIAN?
If you know of a Centenarian you would like to honor, please visit
http://centenariansok.com/ and download, complete and submit our form. One of our team members will contact you directly with the next steps.

By Nick Thomas

Perhaps you remember her as TV mom Marsha Owens in ABC’s popular 80s sitcom “Mr. Belvedere” starring alongside baseballer-turned-actor Bob Uecker and British actor Christopher Hewett in the title role. But Ilene Graff is also an established singer whose career began in musical theater. In recent years her live festive Christmas special, “The Ilene Graff Holiday Show,” has delighted audiences at 54 Below, a supper club in the basement of New York’s famed Studio 54 theater.
“We couldn’t do it because of COVID for a couple of years, but I’m thrilled to be back on stage December 28 with a new show,” said Graff from Los Angeles. “I loved the holiday specials of the 60s and 70s on programs like ‘The Andy Williams Show,’ so that’s the mood I’ve always tried to bring to my shows. I have special guests, we chat, sing holiday songs, and just try to keep it warm and friendly with a family feeling including some light-hearted moments of reflection and love.”
A native of Queens, New York, Graff lives in Los Angeles but always enjoys returning “home” to the East Coast where she and her husband, composer Ben Lanzarone, maintain an apartment.
“I love celebrations and hosting parties, and I do love the holidays,” she said. “So a few years ago I pitched this idea to my family and we put together the first holiday show which was a huge success. It just became something I wanted to continue.”
That first show was a real family affair also featuring brother Todd, an actor, writer, and director, her Tony Award-winning cousin Randy, actress/dancer daughter Nikka, as well as Ben. But with their busy schedules, only her husband could regularly join her in subsequent December holiday presentations.
“I love working with him so that’s another reason I wanted to continue doing them,” she said.
Ilene says she still encounters people unaware of her musical background.
“Most know me from television but don’t realize that I started on Broadway, so they are kind of surprised that I’m a real singer!” she said, laughing (see www.ilenegraff.com). “I also sang a little on maybe three episodes of ‘Mr. Belvedere’ so that was always a surprise for the audience.”
One of those episodes first aired in December 1989. In “A Happy Guy’s Christmas” the Owens family is cast in a local production of a Charles Dickens classic.
“We did a silly take-off of ‘A Christmas Carol,’” she recalled. “They dressed me up with this beautiful long blonde wig and Christopher was attached with wires so he could fly. It was exactly what you wanted from a Christmas episode – goofy and yet heartfelt and sincere.”
Graff remembers her years on the “Mr. Belvedere” set with fondness. “It was an amazing cast and crew who worked so well together. You know how some people are just funny? Well, that was Bob, completely natural and comfortable on camera and one of the smartest people I’ve ever known – and he still broadcasts baseball (at 88, for the Milwaukee Brewers)! Both he and Christopher were such great guys and insisted that everybody in the cast and crew be treated equally on the set. How lucky I am to have those memories in my career.”
Graff hopes to create new memories for herself and the audience when she returns for this year’s holiday show.
“I’ve always thought of myself as a singer who got into acting and the acting really took over for many years,” she says. “But I never stopped singing because that’s just who I am. Music, singing, and of course family are everything to me.”

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See www.getnickt.org.

Local professional artists Denise Duong and Gabriel Friedman and art therapist Brittany Dray have been working with Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health patients for the past several months, helping them develop skills to reduce and manage anxiety and fear and to develop self-expression through art.
Dray explained that art therapy offers tools to aid relaxation and pain management, boost self-esteem and resilience and grow a sense of community at the hospital.
Friedman designed and built a giant puzzle as a foundation and Dray helped more than 90 patients create large puzzle pieces representing their stories. The pieces were gathered by Duong and Friedman who connected the experiences together and created a wall-sized mural of the puzzle. Themes of connection, strength and comfort were noticed by the artists, which inspired the story of Duong’s painted mural which scrolls atop the work of the children.
“I see the puzzle as a reminder that we are all connected,” Friedman said. “If one piece is missing, the puzzle doesn’t really function anymore. I wanted kids to hopefully absorb the idea that they might be doing just one little section of the puzzle, but without that section, you wouldn’t want to do the puzzle. I hope it seeps in that they are all a piece of the puzzle.”
The finished artwork is now a permanent feature in Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, hopefully inspiring other pediatric patients. The project was funded by grants and gifts from Bob Moore, Kirkpatrick Family Fund, CrossFirst Bank, Oklahoma City Community Foundation, Dunkin’ and others.
Just in time for holiday gift-giving, replica tabletop-sized boxed puzzles are available to purchase for $39 each at this link:
https://www.plentymercantile.com/puzzle-756pc-art-helps-kids-heal.html
Following Thanksgiving, the puzzles will also be available for purchase at Red Shelf Gift Shop at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health, and Oklahoma City retail stores including Plenty Mercantile, Little D Gallery, DNA Galleries, JRB Art at the Elms, The Learning Tree, and Omni Hotel OKC. All proceeds will fund future art programs for children.

https://www.villagesokc.org/pages/10042-gift-homepage

From Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn [email protected]
text and photo provided by the Oklahoma Historical Society

The gift of travel is common at this time of year and is never more welcomed when you can travel to experiences close to home.
The Oklahoma History Center and Historical Society offers several holiday events. Thank you to the Oklahoma Historical Society for the press release below.
Honey Springs Battlefield announces its Civil War Christmas Event to be held on Saturday, December 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. The event will be steeped in the history of Christmases past, and full of fun for adults and children alike. Children will have the opportunity to see the visitor centers new exhibits and to take photographs with Santa.
Civil War soldiers dressed in period attire will add to the festive event along with crafts and refreshments. The program is free to the public.
Honey Springs Battlefield is also celebrating the opening of all permanent exhibits inside its visitor center near Checotah.
Visitors will have the opportunity to experience an immersive, 3-D theatrical video performance bringing to life the Battle of Honey Springs. Additionally, guests can explore the new east gallery exhibit hall featuring 14 audio players with recordings from firsthand, written accounts of soldiers who fought at the Battle of Honey Springs, as well as exhibits highlighting firearms, ammunition, and artillery used in the battle. There may be outdoor education stations surrounding the visitor center with living history demonstrations of Civil War military drills, artillery practices, and civilian life throughout the day.
This new, interactive exhibit at the Honey Springs Visitor Center will bring the battle to life in a way that is not only educational, but impactful,” said Trait Thompson, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society. “This battle was the most important of the Civil War in Indian Territory and it deserves the compelling rendition we now have in place. I’m thankful for our incredible Oklahoma Historical Society staff members from Honey Springs and other sites who contributed their talents to this incredible new exhibit.”
The project to build and install exhibits at the Honey Springs Battlefield site is the long range vision of the Oklahoma Historical Society Board and staff who began making plans for this military site dating back to the 1960s. Several stages of interpretation have unfolded over the years, including the trail signage and the slow installation of interactive exhibits that has now been completed.
Ask site director Adam Lynn and he will tell you that countless individuals, communities, donors, organizations, scholars, archaeologists, curators, volunteers, construction teams, maintenance workers, and staff members have contributed greatly to making the long range plans a reality.
“The battlefield and new state-of-the-art exhibits located inside the visitor center started with a vision that will soon come full circle,” said Lynn. “We are beyond thankful and excited to offer visitors, schools, and groups of all ages a complete experience equal to the size and importance of one of the most important chapters in all of Oklahoma history!”
The exhibits will include a new 3–D theater that will show the documentary film The Battle of Honey Springs on a regular basis for visitors to immerse themselves in the story of the historic site. Honey Springs Battlefield is located east of US Highway 69 between Oktaha and Rentiesville. The site is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Contact the center at 918-617-7125 or [email protected].
OTHER Oklahoma Holiday events include; December 10 discussion at the Oklahoma History Center of the excavation and transportation of the steamboat Heroine from the Red River; A Christmas Tea, December 11, at the Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School from 1:30 to 4 p.m.; Christmas at the Fort Towson Historic Site December 11 from 1 to 3pm; or the Fort Gibson Holiday Bake Day on December 17 at 11 am.

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
3110 N.W. 15 Street – Oklahoma City, OK 73107
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