Story by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

Cliff Hudson shared his story of earning an OU history degree, a Georgetown University law degree and leading Sonic Corporation’s national growth to 3,600 franchises as a self-described jack-of-all-trades at the Second Half Expo in October.
As keynote speaker, the Edmond resident, 67, spoke at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. He emphasized at the beginning of his speech he still likes to read history. He made some history of his own during 34 years of helping lead Sonic to national acclaim in the drive-in restaurant world
“We were thrilled to have Cliff Hudson as the keynote speaker of our inaugural Second Half Expo,” said Bob Loudermilk, event founder. “As a successful businessperson and community leader, he has the credentials to deliver an impactful and credible message. Just like in his thought-provoking memoir “Master of None – How a Jack-of-All-Trades Can Still Reach the Top,” Cliff shared relatable experiences with his audience.”
Hudson gave several examples of how he listened to his franchisees ideas and adapted them into Sonic’s business of driving innovation and long-term business performance. Some would say this was crucial in making Sonic America’s Drive-In.
Hudson was tapped to lead Sonic in 1995, overseeing the drive-in chain’s growth from 1,500 locations in 27 states with systemwide yearly sales of $905 million to 3,547 locations in 46 states and systemwide sales of $4.5 billion. Franchise opportunities at Sonic have been rated as high as number three in the country.
His audience was treated to a surprisingly candid speaker who shared rare insight into his ability to climb the leadership ladder while guiding adaptation in the menu and business model at Sonic Corp.
Each time the Sonic board made him an offer to give him more leadership potential at the growing national brand Hudson was faced with a major decision, a consuming question about his career.
First hired as general counsel, promoted to chief financial officer and later chief operating officer, the board finally asked him to serve as CEO and chairman of the board.
As he became a more skilled negotiator and capable administrator, he said he would study at each new opportunity. He then had a dialogue with himself wherein he would ask himself what the outcome would be if he did not measure up to the new challenge.
Each time a promotion was offered he realized the worst thing that could happen to him was he would leave the company with more stock ownership and for the last promotion leave having been the CEO of a major national corporation. He served as CEO for 23 years.
But clearly all of this was based on a firm foundation of education, good interpersonal skills gained as president of Northwest Classen High School Student Council, and entrepreneurship from college on. While studying at the Georgetown University Law Center he edited the prestigious International Law Journal (a publication of the Association of Student International Law Societies).
He said several times there were valuable ideas offered by individual franchisees. He took their idea to sell ice cream, which Sonic did not then offer, to heart. He realized Sonic could add the two cheapest things to any product, air and water to create more sales and offer the customer more services. The more air added to ice cream produces a light and creamy texture. Water could be added to slushes and flavored drinks to expand a line of flavors to give the franchisees more products to sell and increase sales.
Seeing dissatisfaction among some of the franchisees about Sonic’s national product being so regulated sparked his innovation mindset. Instead of addressing too much regulation, he innovated by proposing arranging for suppliers to provide national contracts to standardize supplies delivered to each franchise location. This dropped the price franchisees were paying for their supplies and made them more successful.
His speech was well received and after the applause died down many in the audience formed a line to buy his memoir at a book signing. Hudson’s wife Leslie sat at the table with him, opening the books for him to autograph for the buyers.
“Hudson is a good role model for those in the 50+ generation and the gist of his philosophy is available at his web site. He appears to have no plans for slowing down anytime soon,” Loudermilk said. “In addition to his time with family and now serving of counsel in the Crowe and Dunlevy’s Oklahoma City office, Cliff serves on three non-profit boards as well one for-profit board.”
Hudson’s philanthropy extends to local schools and his alma maters. The Hudsons endowed the Hudson Fellows scholarship fund for select Ph.D. students at the University of Oklahoma College of Public Health. They increased their scholarship gifts to $5 million and the OU Board of Regents named the (now) Hudson College of Public Health in their honor in 2018.
He is past chairperson of Georgetown University Law Center’s Board of Visitors. In addition he has served on the Oklahoma City School Board and the board of the Oklahoma City MAPS for Kids—a $700 million school revitalization program.

Story by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

Seven years after retiree Mac Troy began writing his novel and a year after his own untimely death, the longtime Oklahoma City resident’s time-travel saga “Out of Time” is finally in print.
Featuring a modern-day teenager’s time travel to Oklahoma’s Territorial days, the book would never have been published without the assistance of his widow, Carol Wilkinson Troy, a longtime on-air personality and executive at KOCO-TV5 in Oklahoma City.
“Out of Time” is the realization of Mac’s dream to write a book that would transport readers of all age groups to new worlds,” Carol Troy said. “His not living to see his dream realized was sad enough, but it would have been truly tragic if his efforts had all come to naught.”
The paperback book of 350 pages will make its debut on Friday, Dec. 3, at Full Circle Bookstore in north Oklahoma City. A talk about the book and its long journey to print will be given by several guests invited by Carol, who will sign books for her late husband.
Finally retired after decades of producing television documentaries and operating his own advertising agency in Oklahoma City, Troy began writing “Out of Time,” his third work of fiction, in 2014. Although he produced numerous award-winning documentaries and ads during his career, including one Emmy nomination, the noted metro resident was at heart a fiction writer.
“Mac was a voracious reader,” Carol said, “and he lived a pretty adventurous life, including directing a documentary film crew in the climbing of Citlaltepetl, the third highest peak in North America. His life experiences and love of the written word came together in his writing.”
“Out of Time” follows the adventures of teenager Travis “T-Bone” Stone of modern-day Dallas, Texas, who unexpectedly finds himself and his dog transported back in time to Oklahoma’s territorial days. Adjusting to his new life as a greenhorn cowboy, the athletic youth falls into the company of a colorful assortment of rough-and-ready characters who teach him how to survive the dangers of life in the West.
Along the way, the wide-eyed time traveler meets the mysterious Wind Dancing, a fetching Cherokee maiden who has more than a little to do with T-Bone’s time-travel adventure. His ready adaptability to his new environment and his passionate feelings for Wind Dancing leave young T-Bone with mixed feelings about returning to his former life in the 21st century.
Although a complete work of fiction featuring a dog that communicates with the young at heart, Troy strived for historical accuracy in his depiction of life in the early 1890s Oklahoma and Indian territories. The author consulted with noted Oklahoma historian Dr. Bob Blackburn to achieve this realism.
“The author has done a superb job of mixing fantasy time travel with an authentic history of cowboys and Indians in the Old West,” Blackburn said. “I thoroughly enjoyed this book.”
Blackburn has been invited to the Dec. 3 book signing to comment on the historical events and characters in the book. Several other special guests, including Oscar-winning producer Gray Frederickson, may be present to discuss Troy’s efforts to get his final manuscript in print.
“It’s been just a little more than a year since Mac’s death,” Carol said, “so the celebration of his book’s debut will also serve as a nice commemoration of his life and his passion for writing.”

Now through Christmas night at Joe B. Barnes Regional Park

Story by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

Midwest City’s Holiday Lights Spectacular creates a free holiday drive-through wonderland of twinkling lights celebrating the magic of the season with more than 100 animated light displays.
“The City of Midwest City is excited to bring Holiday Lights Spectacular back for the 2021 holiday season,” said Josh Ryan, communications and marketing director. “The lights are an important holiday tradition for families in eastern Oklahoma County. Despite the many challenges we had in getting the show running this year, we knew it was a challenge we had to overcome.”
The lights at the popular destination giving visitors plenty of the Christmas spirit to enjoy shine brightly each night through Christmas night (Dec. 25). The holiday light’s shimmer will be viewable from the comfort of personal vehicles in a driving tour from 6-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 6-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 6-11 p.m. Christmas Eve and Christmas day.
Joe B. Barnes Regional Park comes alive with secular and religious displays featuring the vibrancy of a majestic 118-foot Christmas tree Illuminated with more than 9,000 LED lights and topped off with a dazzling 8-foot star.
Visitors can enjoy driving through more than one million sparkling lights, many of which are animated. This seasonal celebration of animation is the hallmark of the display’s dazzling winter wonderland claim to fame.
The lights of every color spectacular features the animated illumination celebration of a dancing forest light show performing to traditional holiday music. Visitors tune their vehicle radio to a specific frequency to hear the holiday music that accompanies the animation.
The one-of-a-kind Santa fly fishing in a 20-foot-tall waterfall with gliding fish and prancing animals is a unique feature of the loop through a quiet wooded area. Elves are seen baking their Christmas confections in the animated Candy Cane Company.
The Park is transformed into a lighted wonderland where visitors can see anything from the Nativity scene to Santa playing soccer. Visitors drive through the park and experience the displays while in the warmth of their car. The estimated drive time for completing the tour is 20-30 minutes.
This family tradition began in 1995 with just 44 displays and has grown to be what at one point was the largest animated lights display in a five-state region.
The Park, 10 minutes east of OKC at 8700 E. Reno Ave., is easily found from I-40. Head north on Douglas Blvd. to find the lit snowflakes heading west on SE 15th St. to the entrance south on Century Blvd between Midwest Blvd. and Douglas.
Admission is free, thanks to the Midwest City Chamber of Commerce and many merchants. The Holiday Lights Spectacular runs on sponsorships and donations. Donations are appreciated onsite or contact organizers.
With easy access from I-40 and just 10 minutes east of Oklahoma City, visitors and their family will want to make this an annual tradition for years to come.
For group arrangements for the light show, including guided group tours and itinerary planning and more general information call 405-739-1289 or visit Holiday Lights Spectacular | Midwest City Oklahoma. Organizers thank sponsors for their support that allows them to present this community service to the public.

Story and photos by Darl DeVault, contributing editor

Two of Oklahoma’s most esteemed combat Veterans spoke about their service at a reception on Marines Corp Day, the night before they were honored as Parade Marshalls at the Midwest City Veterans Day Parade.
They were hosted by civic leaders and volunteers in welcoming home Vietnam Veterans in an often-somber reception planned by Midwest City Mayor and U.S. Coast Guard Veteran Matt Dukes.
More than 100 Vietnam combat Veterans gathered at the Reed Center in Midwest City saw several somber military traditions presented.
The men heard speeches by U.S. Air Force (Ret.) Colonel Chuck DeBellevue, 76, America’s top air ace of the Vietnam War, and U.S. Army (Ret.) Major Ed Pulido, whose vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Baqubah, Iraq in 2004. The two combat Veterans emphasized the attending Veterans’ sacrifice and service was vital to keeping America free.
Four Carl Albert High School Air Force Junior ROTC cadets presented the colors.
Two other cadets then performed the POW/MIA Missing Man Table & Honors Ceremony in a dignified and solemn manner. The National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia first conceived the poignant observance. The emphasis given to the empty chair sitting at a POW/MIA table by the two cadets brought home to the audience the plight of prisoners of war and missing in action soldiers even today.
Dukes emphasized in his opening remarks he was humbled to offer a belated welcome home to Vietnam Veterans from Midwest City, the city where patriotism lives and the spirit flies high.
Area resident U.S. Air Force (Ret.) Col. Bruce Ewing was moved by the honor to attend the event. “For me this was the ‘Welcome Home’ that we always wanted but never, till lately, got,” Ewing said. “Midwest City got it right…and I feel the combat Veterans in attendance could feel proud of their service a bit more openly than in years past. In short, it was a joy to be there.”
Ewing served in country as a captain 1970-71, as part of the Air Force Advisory Group advising the Republic of Vietnam Air Force at Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon, present day Ho Chi Minh City. He was also TDY to Udorn Royal Thai AFB ,Thailand in 1971 when DeBellevue and Steve Richie got their fifth MiG kill making Ritchie the Air Force’s first Vietnam ace and moving Chuck on to his later status of leading ace in that war. He retired as a Colonel in 1990 after 27 years of service.
Local Veterans of Foreign War posts, American Legion and the South Vietnam Veterans Association were well represented at the more than 10 tables full of in country Vietnam Veterans.
DeBellevue, narrated his September 9,1972 mission two MiG kills. Those two kills added to his previous four air victories made him the top air ace of the Vietnam War in his F-4 Phantom II. He ended his detailed account of that mission by emphasizing how humble he was because so many fellow service members made every flight possible.
The Edmond resident expressed gratitude for those gathered with whom he shared the perils of war in Southeast Asia to ensure freedom for all Americans.
In honor of those U.S. Marines gathered, the 246th birthday of the Marine Corps ceremony was conducted that evening, also known as Marine Corps Day. Retired Marines Dave Willis and Donald Schmidt cut the symbolic birthday cake in traditional style with a ceremonial sword while Dukes narrated the history of the Corps and ceremony.
Pulido gave a more personal speech. The Edmond resident received the Bronze Star with Valor and the Purple Heart after his left leg was amputated. This ordeal is depicted in his book “Warrior for Freedom: Challenge, Triumph and Change, The Major Ed Pulido Story.”
Major Ed, as he is known for his nationwide impact on the Veteran services movement, spoke of his father’s cancer diagnosis in December. He expressed its connection to Agent Orange and how it has impacted his family.
His father, U.S. Army (Ret.) Chief Warrant Officer 4 Manuel J Pulido served in Vietnam and after as a Hughes helicopter crew chief as a Battalion Aviation Maintenance Officer. “My father is an immigrant from Colombia who took the sacred oath seriously to defend this great nation during and after the Vietnam war.” Major Ed said. “As a Vietnam-era Veteran who served with honor and distinction for more than 30 years, he taught us the importance of always making sure we understood the mistakes made in not properly honoring his comrades by an ungrateful nation will never again be made on our future war fighters. Because as he puts it, we will never leave anyone behind again on the field of battle and on the Homefront ever again. So, help him God.”
“On behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for your service,” Major Ed ended his speech. “Thank you for your sacrifice. We will never leave you behind on the field of battle and on the Homefront, so help us God.”

by Greg Schwem

I know my memory is ebbing as I age. Why else would I run to the Apple Store at least twice a year to replace charging chords I was CERTAIN I had packed before leaving the hotel room or home share property where I spend so much of my time now that I’m traveling again?
But I refuse to blame the alarming disappearance of wardrobe items on my mental faculties. Especially when my daughters are convinced a haunted spirit, one that seems to grow more annoying each day, lives within my family’s confines.
As I write this, I am still searching for a sweatshirt, adorned with my youngest daughter’s college emblem, that I planned to wear on a recent campus visit. I ended up having to purchase one at the university bookstore. Is it me or do colleges double the prices on souvenirs when parents’ weekend rolls around?
My oldest daughter, living at home while she completes an online master’s degree, is convinced the ghost took it.
“What ghost?” I asked, while tearing apart my closet and finding, among other things, an insurance card from 1997 and a receipt from a local paint store.
“The one that randomly closes my door,” she said. “And turns on the ceiling fan light when I’m sleeping. That happened last week.”
She is also convinced the ghost is male, as evidenced by the low voice she claimed to have heard one night while watching television; a voice her sister also heard from the other room.
“He took your sweatshirt for sure,” she said.
I scoffed at her supernatural beliefs, certain the shirt would turn up eventually.
Until my shorts disappeared too.
I had returned from a workout and, a day later, realized they were missing. Normally I wouldn’t care; I do possess other exercise attire, unlike some of the guys at my gym. I don’t know the name of the dude who spends 30 minutes every morning on the elliptical machine, but I do know he is very fond of his 1985-86 Chicago Bears Super Bowl T-shirt. On the rare day he is absent, I assume he is doing laundry.
But then I remembered I had put my driver’s license in these shorts. Ever lose your driver’s license? It limits your ability to perform a myriad of functions, only one of which is driving.
I searched my closet. I emptied my laundry hamper. I did the same to a half-unpacked suitcase from a previous trip. I strained my back pulling the washer and dryer away from the wall, convinced the shorts had fallen behind one of them. I checked unlikely places, including under my bed, my office desk drawers and even our kitchen pantry. I know that’s weird, but I once shut the pantry door not realizing our dog was in there. Never a barker, she simply laid down and napped until dinner time.
Meanwhile, my daughter watched from the doorway.
“It’s the ghost,” she said.
“It’s not the ghost,” I yelled in frustration, gesturing with a hand dripping in last week’s garbage. The shorts weren’t in there either.
“I know I did not leave the gym without pants. Somebody would have noticed. Probably the police.”
That evening I announced I would be getting up early to obtain a new license at the Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles. If the shorts turned up, I gave my wife and daughter strict instructions not to move them.
“Do not disturb the crime scene,” I said.
The next morning the shorts were neatly folded on my bathroom vanity.
“They were in my suitcase,” my wife said. “Don’t ask me how they ended up there.”
But I know EXACTLY how they ended up there.
The male ghost is trying to drive me insane.
So he can move in on my wife.
(Greg Schwem is a corporate stand-up comedian and author of two books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and the recently released “The Road To Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate Comedian,” available at Amazon.com. Visit Greg on the web at www.gregschwem.com.
You’ve enjoyed reading, and laughing at, Greg Schwem’s monthly humor columns in Senior Living News. But did you know Greg is also a nationally touring stand-up comedian? And he loves to make audiences laugh about the joys, and frustrations, of growing older. Watch the clip and, if you’d like Greg to perform at your senior center or senior event, contact him through his website at www.gregschwem.com)

To celebrate the season, Willowood at Mustang Senior Living, offering assisted living and memory care, will be hosting a holiday “Parade of Trees” event.
Several local businesses and vendors have donated six to 14-foot Christmas trees decorated according to the theme: “Christmas Past, Present and Future.” From Wednesday, Dec. 1 through Tuesday, Dec. 14, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, the public is invited to tour the display and enter a raffle to win a tree from the display. In addition, each tree will be entered to win the award for “Favorite Design.” The winning business or vendor will receive a wine and cheese basket to share with their team.
This event is free, and guests will be asked to follow COVID-19 protection measures. While vaccinations are not mandatory to attend, they are encouraged. Upon entry, guests will be given a symptom questionnaire. Hand sanitizer will be available and face masks are required inside to protect our residents.
“We’re so grateful for the generosity of the area businesses and vendors that partnered with us for this event and donated the festive Christmas trees for our ‘Parade of Trees,’” said Executive Director Cathy Collins. “We can’t wait for guests to visit our community and see what’s sure to be a winter wonderland.” Willowood at Mustang Senior Living was designed to meet the growing need for senior housing and health care in Canadian and Oklahoma Counties and the surrounding area. Willowood at Mustang provides assisted living and memory care residences and offers services centered on quality care and life enrichment. The community is managed by WellAge, a respected senior care management company located in Lakewood, Colorado. For more information about Willowood at Mustang Senior Living, call 405-860-6326 or visit www.WillowoodatMustang.com.

By Nick Thomas

Premiering in Los Angeles a few days before Christmas 75 years ago this year, “The Yearling” depicted the post-Civil War Baxter family struggling to survive in the backwoods of Florida. Notwithstanding fine performances from screen parents Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman, the film soon became a family favorite due in no small measure to Claude Jarman Jr. and his dramatic portrayal of their son, Jody.
Just 10-years-old when filming began in spring 1945, it was young Claude’s first professional acting job. His powerful emotional performance was recognized with a Juvenile Academy Award.
“The only previous experience I had was in fourth and fifth-grade school plays and some community theater in Nashville where I grew up,” said Jarman from his home north of San Francisco. “MGM conducted a national search and the director, Clarence Brown, wanted a boy who was totally natural and looked the part – a skinny blonde kid, which I was.”
Location filming in Florida took several months and was especially challenging because the director required dozens of takes for almost every scene which often featured animals, notably wild deer.
“They are obviously unpredictable,” explained Jarman. “In one scene I had to run up to a neighbor’s house with the deer following me, but it wouldn’t. We had to do that probably 100 times before getting it right.”
Jarman says several fawns were used in the film and each was named.
“My favorite was called Bambi and it grew into a yearling during the movie. Bambi was probably in 70% of the scenes where you see a deer and was the only one that would sit on my lap for hours with its legs folded which is usual because they normally want their legs down so they can quickly run from danger. I had a wonderful relationship with that fawn which, like me, grew up while making the movie.”
Like Bambi, Claude also grew taller during production, but he actually lost weight as the grueling shooting progressed through the humid Floridan summer.
“In those days, we could shoot 7 days a week in Florida,” he recalled. “I was 110-lbs at the beginning of filming but lost 10-lbs by the end and was totally spent.”
Considering his limited previous acting experience, Jarman’s moving performance is still impressive to watch, especially the final scenes with the deer.
“The cast and crew were together for many months, so as the filming progressed you really got into the part and lived it,” he said. “It was emotional for me, but you just took it one day at a time.”
Jarman’s film career ended in the mid-50s, but not before working with legends such as John Wayne in “Rio Grande” and Randolph Scott in “Hangman’s Knot.” “Intruder in the Dust,” dealing with racial issues in the South, remains a personal favorite. He discusses his career in his 2018 autobiography, “My Life and the Final Days of Hollywood,” available through Amazon and his Facebook page (www.facebook.com/MYLIFEANDTHEFINALDAYSOFHOLLYWOOD).
“I made 10 other films after ‘The Yearling,’” says Jarman, “but nothing came close to being as difficult.”
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See www.getnickt.org.

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

As covid just won’t go away, I find it comforting and safer to recall previous travels, that I hope you will find interesting, until safe travel becomes the norm.
Best known for its history as a steel town, Bethlehem Pennsylvania has a number of gifts for the traveler searching for authentic Americana. A few of the buildings on the vast expanse of the grounds of the Bethlehem Steel plant have been preserved as giant iconic sculptures of steel as a backdrop for a plaza and event space called SteelStacks. The space consists of several outlets for information and entertainment including, the ArtsQuest Center for films, shopping, snacks, the Air Products Town Square with its performance stage for free programming year round, the outdoor space of the PNC Plaza and the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks amphitheater for all types of music.
And while at SteelStacks it would be hard to miss the 40 foot tall glass sculpture in the spiral staircase produced by ArtsQuest’s Hot Glass Studio (The Banana Factory). The studio is open for public viewing as the craftspersons blow and manipulates hot glass into a variety of shapes. The process is hypnotic as the glass team aeems to do an impromptu dance as they assist the main glass blower. Samples of their work are on display and perhaps can be purchased. The free gift of observing the glass blowing experience is another valued gift of Bethlehem.
While in Bethlehem you must visit the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem; whether it’s for gaming, a gourmet meal with exceptional service at Emeril’s Chop house, or just marvel at the Steel plants transformation into a glamorous high end entertainment venue. My beverage and dining offerings were beyond my expectations. Additional food service is available at the Carnegie Deli, St James Gate Irish Pub and Carvery, The Market, Chopsticks or the Cobalt Buffet and Café. Of course the Sands offers an expansive hotel and even an upscale shopping mall with such stores as, Tommy Hilfiger, Izod, Ultra Diamonds, and Lenox to name a few.
For a more traditional dining experience, you can take in Fegley’s Brew Works located on Main Street where the beer makers craft is taken seriously. Not being a beer person I was pleased to learn of the different qualities and techniques that make up the brewers art from light ales to dark and tasty beers. Some beers are seasonal, as is their Pumpkin Ale, but others range from the award winning Fegley’s E.S.B., an amber light; to the dark Steelworkers Oatmeal Stout, which is a reply to Guinness and is described as “a meal in a glass.” In addition to their unique beers they offer a nice selection of wines from California, Argentina and Germany.
For a quiet and laid back evening, the Edge Restaurant fills the bill, with subdued lighting and white table cloth elegance. You are taken back to a fine dining experience unexpected in this rural Pennsylvania setting. My Sautéed Scottish Salmon with Fig Balsamic was surpassed by their special side dish of potatoes au gratin; a seemingly simple dish but which always gets rave reviews.
Of course the real charm of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is staying in downtown proper with its historic buildings dating back to 1700s and perusing the shops including the extensive Moravian book store with seems to go on forever. Being founded in 1745 it claims to be the World’s Oldest Book Store. I wonder what London would have to say about that. The Bethlehem hotel is a member of the National Trust Historic Hotels of America, but modern in comfort and amenities, in an upscale 1920’s atmosphere.
The hotel’s bar, the Tap Room, adjacent to the main lobby, proudly boasts photographs of the hotels past guests including, Thomas Edison, Amelia Earhart, Johnny Bench and Presidents Eisenhower, Clinton, Kennedy and Ford. For a step back in time a visit to the 1758 Moravian Sun Inn can be toured, or you may reserve your space on an adventure in the afterlife with their paranormal experiences.
Before there was steel, the towns religious founders pondered over a name for their new town, and feeling inspired, named it Bethlehem. Today it is known as the Christmas City complete with a shining star in the hills. The gifts of Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley can be enjoyed year round for a quaint historic American experience with a dash of dining, education and entertainment.
www.historicbethlehem.org
www.artsquest.org
www.suninnbethlehem.org
http://www.statetheatre.org
http://www.martinguitar.com

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
3110 N.W. 15 Street – Oklahoma City, OK 73107
https://realtraveladventures.com/?s=terry+zinn
https://realtraveladventures.com/?s=zinn
http://new.okveterannews.com/?s=TERRY+ZINN
www.martinitravels.com

Willowood at Mustang Senior Living announces that industry veteran Cathy Collins will serve as the community’s new executive director. Collins will oversee operations of Willowood at Mustang Senior Living’s assisted living and memory care apartments.
Collins has served seniors for most of her life. A born and raised Oklahoman, she began her career as a certified nursing assistant, then a certified medical assistant, and later became a licensed practical nurse. In the years that followed, she worked in healthcare administration.
Now, as Executive Director for Willowood at Mustang, Collins will lead a team of senior care professionals in providing residents with the best quality services and care, all while ensuring residents are thriving in a loving, safe, fun community environment that feels like home.
“At the end of the day, it’s the best reward to know I’ve made a difference in residents’ lives,” said Collins. For more information about Willowood at Mustang Senior Living visit: https://willowoodatmustang.com/

Dear Savvy Senior,

Can you recommend some good resources that can help my wife and me determine the best claiming ages for maximizing our Social Security retirement benefits? Just Turned 62

Dear 62,
Deciding when to start collecting your Social Security benefits is one of the most complicated and consequential decisions in retirement. The difference between a good decision and a poor one could cost you and your wife tens of thousands of dollars over your retirement, so doing your due diligence now is a very smart move.
Factors to Consider
As you may already know, you can claim Social Security any time between the ages of 62 and 70, but each year you wait increases your benefits between 5 and 8 percent. However, there are other factors you need to take into account to help you make a good decision, like your health and family longevity, whether you plan to work in retirement, along with spousal and survivor benefits.
To help you weigh your claiming strategies, you need to know that Social Security Administration claims specialists are not trained or authorized to give you personal advice on when you should start drawing your benefits. They can only provide you information on how the system works under different circumstances. To get advice you’ll need to turn to other sources.
Online Tools
Your first step in getting Social Security claiming strategy advice is to go to SSA.gov/myaccount to get your personalized statement that estimates what your retirement benefits will be at ages 62 through 70. These estimates are based on your yearly earnings that are also listed on your report.
Once you get your estimates for both you and your wife, there are a number of online Social Security strategy calculators you can turn to that can compare your options so you can make an informed decision.
The best one that’s completely free to use is Open Social Security (OpenSocialSecurity.com), which runs the math for each possible claiming age (or, if you’re married, each possible combination of claiming ages) and reports back, telling you which strategy is expected to provide the most total spendable dollars over your lifetime.
But if you want a more thorough analysis consider fee-based calculators like Maximize My Social Security (MaximizeMySocialSecurity.com) or Social Security Solutions (SocialSecuritySolutions.com). Both of these tools, which are particularly helpful to married couples as well as divorced or widowed persons, will run what-if scenarios based on your circumstances and show how different filing strategies affect the total payout over the same time frame.
Maximize My Social Security’s web-based service costs $40 per year for a household, while Social Security Solutions offers several levels of web-based and personalized phone advice ranging from $20 to $250.
In-Person Advice
You may also be able to get help through a financial planner. Look for someone who is a fee-only certified financial planner (CFP) that charges on an hourly basis and has experience in Social Security analysis.
To find someone, use the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors online directory at NAPFA.org, or try the Garrett Planning Network (GarrettPlanningNetwork.com), which is a network of fee-only advisers that charge between $150 and $300 per hour.
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.