The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the long-term care community forever. Tamara Meadows, RN, the Divisional Director of Clinical Operations for Oklahoma with Stonegate Senior Living, stated that it brought infection control in long-term care to the 21st century.
“It highlighted the importance of our infection control program, while also highlighting the need for additional staff to assist with all the different infection control activities,” commented Meadows.
Towards the middle of last year Stonegate’s Chief Clinical Officer, Dianne Sullivan-Slazyk, RN determined along with the owners of Stonegate, that a new permanent role of an infection control preventionist in each facility was needed.
Already on staff at Stonegate, was the Director of Quality, Rhonda Abercrombie, RN who had extensive epidemiology experience with the CDC. So, it was a natural fit for Rhonda to lead the infection control department, which includes two Regional ICP nurses in the state of Oklahoma, along with 4 in Texas and Colorado. The Regional ICPs have oversight of each ICP nurse in each of Stonegate’s 11 skilled facilities throughout the state of Oklahoma. Their job duties vary from routine Covid testing, sometimes as often as twice a week on all residents and employees, to the routine infection control surveillance with tracking and trending of infections.
The ICPs will play a big part of staying in compliance with the newest guidance from CMS on educating residents and staff on vaccinations.
Although they have had a very good turn out with vaccination rates of residents, Director Abercrombie states, they would love to see an increase in the amount of staff vaccinations.
“We have partnered with our consulting pharmacy, PharMerica, to do our own vaccine clinics, which are open to staff, residents, and families,” said Abercrombie.
Asked, if these ICP nurses are temporary, Abercrombie states, “The owners of Stonegate have committed to these being permanent positions, which we are very proud!”
For more information about Stonegate Senior Living communities visit: www.stonegatesl.com or call 972-899-4401.

by Greg Schwem

I recently contracted a social media manager, which is a business-y phrase for “paying somebody to make me more popular.”
Jeremy’s duties were clear: Figure out how to increase exposure for my streaming television show, “A Comedian Crashes Your Pad,” by getting me more YouTube views, more Instagram followers and “likes.”
As he repeatedly explained, the way to achieve higher numbers is by posting content as often as possible and engaging with viewers regardless of their opinions. In other words, if they comment, “This show sucks and should be removed from YouTube,” I should reply, “Thank you for stopping by. Have you checked out my Instagram page?”
The plan worked, as my numbers quickly increased. But maybe I should have used the “Audrey Nicole Francisquini” strategy instead.
Francisquini, 28, of Miami, was recently arrested for allegedly entering American Senior High School in Hialeah, Florida, and posing as a student solely to hand out pamphlets promoting her Instagram page. A Miami-Dade police report said Francisquini carried a skateboard and a painting as she roamed the halls, arousing suspicion after she continued doing so while classes were in session.
Francisquini was charged with multiple offenses after being identified, ironically, through her Instagram account. She is smiling in her mug shot and, yes, at first glance, she does resemble a high school student.
At 58 years old, I’d turn to my friend Kevin Haney for help in pulling off the high school look. Haney, who won an Oscar for his makeup expertise in “Driving Miss Daisy,” once transformed me into Bill Gates for a series of comedy shows. Yes, the process took four hours and required me to wear multiple layers of latex that made me scratch and sneeze, but the results were uncanny.
I’d choose my alma mater, Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, Illinois, for my ruse. Might as well pick a school where I’m familiar with the terrain, right? As long as the principal’s office is in the same location, I’ll know which area to avoid.
I don’t own a skateboard, nor do I paint, but I’m sure one of my high school tennis rackets is somewhere in my basement. I’ll carry that in one hand while holding my iPhone in the other. I’ll stick AirPods in my ears. Oh, and I’ll dress in baggy shorts, the preferred attire of high school males, even if the temperature is minus 20. Don’t believe me? You haven’t picked up a kid from school in January.
Now I just have to convince the Prospect student body to follow me on Instagram before I start sweating through my latex. Jeremy said one popular strategy is to conduct a giveaway; provide a prize to one lucky follower. But what do high school students want? A Chipotle gift card? A new pair of shorts? Bitcoin? I’ll worry about that later.
First, I need to find students. Should I crash soccer practice? Nah, can’t keep up. What about the marching band? Lots of potential followers there. I could slap my pamphlets on tuba cases and music stands while band members went through their paces.
From there I’ll mosey over to the drama club and tell all the members that, in exchange for a “like,” I’ll consider them for roles in an upcoming episode. Note that I’ll say, “consider.” Might as well teach these kids at an early age that, in show business, nothing is guaranteed.
If I continue to avoid school security, I’ll find the computer club. Perhaps one of those kids can write an algorithm guaranteed to get me even MORE followers. I’m not sure what I’d offer in return. My guess is that every member of a high school computer club is already a Bitcoin billionaire.
As I write this column, Francisquini’s Instagram account, although now private, has 3,526 followers, considerably more than mine. No word on how many she had when she began her alleged ruse, but a message on her profile says, “Video Explanation coming. Stay tuned.” I followed her just for that.
I’m sure her explanation will include an announcement of a Kickstarter campaign. For legal fees.
(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)

Dear Savvy Senior, Do you know where I can find cheaper high-speed internet services for my home? I’m 70-years old and live strictly on my Social Security and would like to find something faster and less expensive than I currently have. Surfing Susan

Dear Susan,
There are actually two new resources available today that can help you save money on your home internet services, but what’s available to you will depend on your income level and where you live. Here’s where to begin. Internet Discounts
Depending on your financial situation, a good first step to reducing your home internet costs is through the new Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program. This is a temporary federal benefit that provides a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on tribal lands.
Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute $10 to $50 toward the purchase price.
To qualify, you’ll need to show that your annual household income is at or below 135 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, which is $17,388 for one person or $23,517 for two. Or, if you’re receiving certain types of government benefits such as Medicaid, food stamps (SNAP), SSI, public housing assistance, veterans’ pension or survivors pension benefit, or live on federally recognized tribal lands.
Households that experienced a substantial loss of income since February 29, 2020 due to job loss or furlough can also qualify for the EBB program, as long as their household income for 2020 was at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers.
To apply, go to GetEmergencyBroadband.org where you can apply online or print out an application and mail it in.
If you’re already receiving assistance through the federal Lifeline benefit (see LifelineSupport.org), which is a $9.25 monthly subsidy for phone or internet costs, you automatically qualify for the EBB program, and you can receive both benefits at the same time. You can apply your EBB and your Lifeline benefit to the same or separate services.
Or, if your broadband provider already has its own low-income or COVID-19 relief program, you may be able to qualify through this program as well. Talk to your broadband provider for more information.
Low-Cost Internet
If you’re not eligible for the EBB program, another resource for locating cheaper high-speed internet is Aging Connected, which has a higher income qualification.
Created by Older Adults Technology Services from AARP (OATS) and the Humana Foundation, Aging Connected is a nationwide campaign created to help lower-income seniors find low-cost, in-home broadband options in their area.
Partnering with telecommunications companies, nonprofits and public entities, Aging Connected will help you search for services in your area that provide high-speed internet at a very low cost. Most participating companies charge around $10 to $15 per month, with no contract and no equipment fee.
Aging Connected also provides referrals to affordable desktop and laptop computers for under $160.
To qualify, you’ll need to show that your annual household income is at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, which is $23,800 for one person or $32,200 for two. Or, if you’re receiving certain types of government benefits similar to the EBB program.
To search, go to AgingConnected.org and type in your ZIP code, name and email address, or you can call 877-745-1930.
Other Search Options
If you find that you’re not eligible for either of the previously listed resources, you may still be able to save on your internet by shopping and comparing. The best way to do this is at websites like InMyArea.com and BroadbandNow.com, both of which provide a list of internet providers in your area, along with pricing and download speeds.
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.

* Focus, Rehabilitation and Tribal Facilities numbers are not assigned to a specific region as their patient populations reside across the state. Information provided through survey of Oklahoma hospitals as reported to HHS as of the time of this report. Response rate affects data. Facilities may update previously reported information as necessary. Data Source: Acute Disease Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health. *As of 2021-05-28 at 7:00 a.m

With the lifesaving potential of a bone marrow transplant comes an anxious few weeks of waiting to see if the patient begins producing new cells. A hematology oncologist at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center is the co-leader of a national clinical trial that could revolutionize the field with an imaging technique that provides an early look at a transplant’s likely success or failure.

The clinical trial represents more than 15 years of work by Jennifer Holter-Chakrabarty, M.D., a bone marrow transplant physician at Stephenson Cancer Center. Her research was launched in response to the tragic outcome of a patient with leukemia who received a bone marrow transplant. She cared for the patient until the point when laboratory and clinical diagnostic techniques available at the time were able to determine if the bone marrow had repopulated. The transplant failed and the patient eventually succumbed to an infection and died.
Holter-Chakrabarty was determined to find a way to see, soon after a transplant, whether the bone marrow is growing. “That was the state of the science at the time – we didn’t have the diagnostic capability of predicting if a transplant would be successful,” she said. “It was very upsetting to lose my patient because I couldn’t tell whether her cells where growing. I am hopeful that this clinical trial will let us know early on whether a transplant is working, so that we can take different steps to intervene if needed. Waiting four to six weeks is too long.”
Holter-Chakrabarty’s research trajectory began after reading a publication by scientists in the Netherlands who had used a new imaging agent called fluorothymidine (FLT) in positron emission tomography (PET) for solid tumors like breast and lung cancer. In that case, FLT imaging provided an excellent view of the bones but a poor look at the breasts and lungs. Holter-Chakrabarty realized that those researchers’ problem was her solution – an imaging agent that could light up the bones to reveal whether marrow was growing.
FLT’s potential is in how it differs from the current standard imaging agent, FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose). Because FDG is tied to glucose, when used for imaging, it recognizes any cell that is active, whether dividing or because of inflammation. However, the thymidine in FLT only distinguishes cells that that are dividing – the exact behavior of a bone marrow transplant that is working as intended.
Holter-Chakrabarty first tested FLT imaging in the laboratory, where it allowed her to see bone marrow repopulating in mice whose marrow had been irradiated. She then tested it in a small clinical trial in bone marrow transplant patients who were at low risk of failure because of the similarity of the donor’s marrow. Again, that trial demonstrated that FLT imaging could accurately predict early marrow growth, as well as the safety of FLT.
In the current trial, Holter-Chakrabarty is testing FLT imaging in patients whose type of bone marrow transplant puts them at a 10-12% chance of failure. In particular, the patients have undergone cord blood transplants, which use donated cells from a mother’s placenta, and haplo-identical transplants, which are matched by half, usually siblings or parents of the recipient. Patients will undergo imaging one day prior to transplant, at five to nine days after transplant, and again 28 days after. In another cohort, patients who are not producing new cells by day 24 will undergo a single FLT image to determine whether the transplant is delayed or has failed.
The trial also will allow Holter-Chakrabarty to study different biomarkers to learn more about why some transplant recipients are more at risk for failure than others.
“The more we know about the biology of the process, like understanding which proteins are in particular places and what types of modifications occur in the cells, the more we can be very direct and prescriptive about how we make changes to help the patient early on,” she said.
The clinical trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health, will enroll 50 patients at three centers: OU Health, Emory University and the University of Michigan. Holter-Chakrabarty’s colleagues at the two other sites lead the project with her. If successful, the trial will mark a major leap forward for bone marrow transplant physicians and the blood cancer patients they treat. Patients whose bone marrow transplants fail only have a 30% survival rate over three years. Moving closer to improving those odds is gratifying, Holter-Chakrabarty said.
“It has been very exciting to reach this point,” she said. “To be able to see bone marrow growing in a human while you’re doing the transplant is a first for our field. This trial is addressing the very problem I faced when I lost my patient all those years ago, and it will provide hope for our patients in the future.”

Story by Darl Devault, Feature Writer

When Kara Sanders, 72, heard about a local program from her daughter Michele offering to weatherize their home for free in South Oklahoma City she wondered how much they would do to her home since 1968.
When the Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma/Canadian Counties’ Weatherization Program was through she was impressed. She now offers the best testimonial by saying she is strongly recommending to her sister, Janelle Jones, 82, to apply for the free service for her home only a few blocks away.
Sanders is delighted with the completeness of the weatherization every time she turns on her hot water. “Before the workers put an insulating blanket around my hot water tank, I needed to run the hot water a while before it became hot,” Sanders said. “Now my daughter and I are making the adjustment in the last few days to that wonderful feeling of instant hot water.”
After the recent frigid cold snap in Oklahoma City where residents saw 17 and 14 degree below zero mornings, seniors have many reasons to consider applying for free help to weatherize their homes.
“Every program our organization offers strives to create permanent solutions for those in our community,” said Jessie Thompson, executive director of Community Action Agency. “Weatherization is no different. These changes create lasting effects for our clients, including lower utility bills, eliminating health, safety and sanitary hazards to offer peace of mind to homeowners and renters alike.”
Thompson was named executive director of the nonprofit, Community Action Agency (CAA) of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma/Canadian Counties, Inc., in January 2020, after a 14-year tenure with the organization.
Mark Hall headed up the five-worker crew spending three days making sure the Sanders’ home complies with national standards as the agency’s weatherization coordinator. The work is evident, even on the outside, where the workers replaced a big part of the rotting south exterior wall cladding to help close air leaks.
Hall emphasized they use computerized blower doors to detect all air leakage in the home. Then they decided which were the most cost-effective repairs.
For the Sanders home they added extra insulation in the attic. The licensed workers drilled and filled the walls with insulation. To seal a major air leak they also rebuilt the water heater closet to national standards and provided more insulation.
The workers installed new features in the home. They put in a bathroom ceiling vent and a kitchen ducted range hood that vents outside the home. Workers added tubing and a vent to allow the dryer to vent to the outside. To address health and safety concerns they also installed carbon monoxide sensors and smoke detectors.
The agency uses the national standard National Energy Audit Tool (NEAT) energy audit to guide how much work to perform on each home. This audit and compliance with standards are supported by two agency assessors visiting the home before the work and two inspectors visiting the home upon the work’s completion. They coordinate to make sure the home is repaired to comply with national standards.
“I feel blessed, now my daughter and I don’t have to worry about our home not being healthy and safe because we know it is sealed from any gas leaks.” Sanders said. “The workmen were professional in showing respect for my daughters’ privacy while they worked, since she is on oxygen with COPD while almost homebound here.”
Now, multi-family homes, quads and duplexes are eligible to receive services, something CAA was not able to do in the past. CAA offers this program for homes and residents with disabilities and households with children under the age of 12. There is an income requirement to apply. This program has proven to be extremely beneficial for senior residents in need in Oklahoma, Canadian, or Cleveland counties.
In the big picture weatherization can lead to fewer hospitalizations and trips to the emergency room, especially for those with asthma. By sealing, caulking, and adding door and window installation insulation, Hall says the home is often twice as energy efficient. These efforts offer residents permanent solutions to help save money by increasing energy efficiency. On average, residents save $40 per month on utility bills after CAA’s Weatherization program.
For information about the program see Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City & OK/CN Counties, Inc. (caaofokc.org)
If you are interested in receiving Weatherization Assistance, please complete this brief application. For more information or if you have questions, please call (405) 232.0199 to ask for Home Weatherization, or email wxsec@caaofokc.org.

The City of Del City and the Del City Chamber of Commerce are proud to announce the annual Armed Forces Day and Shriners Parade is returning on May 15. This long-standing tradition of nearly three decades is one of the largest of its kind in Oklahoma.
Dozens of parade entries have already signed up for what organizers are preparing as a record-breaking turnout. The parade will feature military vehicles, India Shriners, veteran groups, community organizations and more.
The parade will start at 10 a.m. at SE 15th and Sunnylane. It will travel south on Sunnylane to SE 29th, where it will turn east and proceed to Vickie Drive.
Oklahomans of all ages are invited to line the streets in honor and celebration of the men and women serving in our armed forces.
Anyone who would like to take part in the parade is encouraged to fill out the application online at cityofdelcity.com/armed-forces-day-parade.
If you would like to participate in this year’s parade or additional information, please contact Monica Cardin via 405-671-2815 or email mcardin@cityofdelcity.org.

Story and photos by Darl DeVault

May 31st is Memorial Day and Oklahoma’s Commander Ernest E. Evans is in the news again 76 years after his heroism and death at the hands of one of the largest Japanese naval armadas put afloat during World War II. His valiant actions in the Battle off Samar against a vastly superior force earned the Shawnee-born native American the only Medal of Honor awarded for this rare surface-ship battle in the war.
Evans’ ship, the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Johnston, was sunk in late October 1944 after he repeatedly hurled it against devastating firepower in the Philippine Sea. It was first found in 2019 after the deepest dive to a shipwreck in history. Only in the last month was it positively identified in a second dive by a different group of researchers.
Showing personal initiative, the brave commander was the first of a submarine screen of three destroyers defending six thin-hulled, lightly armed escort carriers loaded with planes. The Taffy 3 task force was attacked by an overwhelming 23-ship Japanese force coming to destroy the Leyte landing.
Upon first spotting the huge Japanese fleet and without orders, the Johnston threw out a smoke screen while sailing at flank speed against an enemy whose largest gun turret outweighed the U.S. destroyer. In a valiant action, Evans and his sailors were able to torpedo a Japanese cruiser while inspiring the other two destroyers to follow him against the enemy.
Evans received shrapnel wounds and lost two fingers when the bridge of his Fletcher-class destroyer was blown apart. The severely wounded U.S. Naval Academy graduate, who grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from Muskogee High School, continued to captain his damaged vessel in battle while shouting orders from the stern. The overwhelming Japanese force soon reduced the ship to dead in the water, and Evans and his sailors abandoned the sinking warship. The Johnston skipper was never found.
The Johnston crew’s bravery in this action, part of the wider-ranging Battle of Leyte Gulf, is credited with convincing the Japanese fleet that it was attacking a much larger force of aircraft carriers. The Japanese commander ordered an unnecessary withdrawal, saving the vital jeep carriers of the Taffy 3 force from certain annihilation.
The Japanese’s four battleships, including the super-battleship Yamato, eight cruisers and a dozen or more destroyers were in route to attack the 200,000 American soldiers of MacArthur’s 6th Army landing on the beaches of Leyte Island. The massive American armada assigned to defend this landing, the U. S. Third Fleet commanded by Admiral William “Bull” Halsey, had been lured away by empty Japanese carriers used as decoys.
In 2019, a few days past the 75th anniversary of the Battle off Samar, researchers from Vulcan Inc.’s research vessel R/V Petrel believed they had found wreckage from the engagement’s famed Fletcher-class destroyer, USS Johnston (DD-557).
Images of twisted metal, a destroyed deck gun, a propeller shaft, and other less recognizable debris were posted to Petrel’s Facebook page, with a video narrated by Rob Kraft, Vulcan’s director of subsea operations, and Paul Mayer a submersible pilot with the team started by the late billionaire philanthropist Paul Allen.
In late March of this year, a crewed submersible filmed, photographed and surveyed the wreckage of the Johnston off Samar Island on two eight-hour dives. A Texas-based undersea technology company Caladan Oceanic made the identifying dive. Company founder Victor Vescovo, who piloted the submersible, released dramatic video of the shipwreck.
“Just completed the deepest wreck dive in history, to find the main wreckage of the destroyer USS Johnston,” tweeted Vescovo, a former Naval officer.
“We located the front two-thirds of the ship, upright and intact, at a depth of 6,456 meters (21,180 feet),” Vescovo reported. “Three of us across two dives surveyed the vessel and gave respects to her brave crew.”
The expedition found the bow, bridge and mid-section of the Johnston intact, along with two full gun turrets, twin torpedo racks, and multiple gun mounts. The ship’s hull number “557” is still visible, according to a statement by Caladan Oceanic.
The shipwreck is a well-preserved tomb. From Johnston’s complement of 327 officers and men, only 141 were saved. Of the 186 men lost, about 50 were killed by enemy action and 45 later died from wounds floating in the ocean. Ninety-two men—like Cmdr. Evans—got off before the boat sank in shark-infested waters and were never seen again.
Evans’ Medal of Honor citation reads in part: The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Commander Ernest Edwin “Chief” Evans (NSN: 0-70042), United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. JOHNSTON (DD-557) in action against major units of the enemy Japanese fleet during the battle off Samar on 25 October 1944. The first to lay a smokescreen and to open fire as an enemy task force, vastly superior in number, firepower and armor, rapidly approached. Commander Evans gallantly diverted the powerful blasts of hostile guns from the lightly armed and armored carriers under his protection, launching the first torpedo attack when the JOHNSTON came under straddling Japanese shellfire. Seriously wounded early in the engagement, Commander Evans, by his indomitable courage and brilliant professional skill, aided materially in turning back the enemy during a critical phase of the action. His valiant fighting spirit throughout this historic battle will venture as an inspiration to all who served with him.
There were many other brave sailors and airmen from the escort carriers during those three hours of standing toe to toe with the biggest warships ever built. Besides the Johnston, the destroyer USS Hoel was also lost in the engagement. The captain of the USS Heermann, the only U.S. destroyer that remained afloat, became the first destroyer captain to survive engaging multiple battleships in a daylight battle. Only losing four sailors, Commander Amos Hathaway was awarded the Navy Cross for his skillful seamanship.
These actions by the destroyers and those of many other sailors and pilots of Taffy 3 saved the Navy from a near disaster. In addition to all earning Presidential Unit Citations, the sailors and pilots earned 22 Navy Crosses, two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars for valor in the battle.
Evans was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame in 2009. The following year the Oklahoma Historical Society published a long-overdue account of his life and heroics in a 2010 issue of the society’s historical journal, The Chronicles of Oklahoma.
Lt. Col. (ret.) Steve Reagan of Norman, Okla., has been raising funds for a memorial bust of Ernest Evans to commemorate this Native American naval hero from Oklahoma. The bust is planned to be located in Muskogee War Memorial Park. Anyone interested in information on these efforts or who would like to donate for this memorial should contact Steve Reagan at (405) 312-2270.

Our Life enrichment coordinator, Laura Leehan is an avid collector of thrift shop art and her office has literally been transformed into a small art gallery. Two years ago she purchased an original painting of wild pink roses at the Salvation Army for $17. Several weeks ago Laura took notice of a painting in a residents apartment that bore a striking resemblance to her pink roses.
Upon closer inspection she realized that the signature in the lower right corner of the painting, “Julie 79” was identical to the signature on her painting. She rushed to her office, grabbed the painting off the wall and could not wait to show Julie! Julie was thrilled to see her long lost art work and told us that in 1979 she began painting flowers. It was a brief but prolific season for her as an artist and most of her work was sold or given away. I would not be surprised if there are more pieces out there that may just catch your eye at the neighborhood second hand store or garage sale! It was such a joy to see Julie reunited with her beautiful painting and when Laura offered to return it to her, she declined and insisted that Laura keep it.

The names of eleven law enforcement officers and one canine partner who died in the line of duty in Oklahoma were recently engraved on the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial in Oklahoma City. Their names will be dedicated during the 53rd Annual Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial Service, which is scheduled for the morning of Friday, May 7, 2021 at 10 a.m.
The Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial is the oldest state memorial honoring its fallen officers in the United States and was dedicated May 15, 1969. The non-profit memorial organization is totally funded by donations. Over forty percent of all the Deputy U.S. Marshals who have died in the line of duty in the United States died in what is now the state of Oklahoma and are honored on the state’s law enforcement memorial.
Five of the officers, who died in past years, had not been added previously as the memorial was still researching their circumstances to confirm their death as line of duty.
The memorial is located on the west grounds of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety Headquarters, 3600 M. L. King Avenue in Oklahoma City.
The eleven fallen officers and one canine partner being added are:
Jesse Whitfield Morris, Deputy Sheriff, Washita County, died February 3, 1910;
John Sanders, Deputy Sheriff, Adair County, died September 14, 1915;
W. H. Corder, Deputy Sheriff, Ottawa County, died October 23, 1917;
Raymond Thomas “Buck” Boston, Sheriff, Montgomery County, Illinois, died July 23, 1947;
Dale Maloy Harbolt, Special Agent, ATF, U.S. Treasury Department, died June 7, 1976;
John Chukwydiut Okafor, Corporal, Detention Officer, Tulsa County, died April 15, 2020;
Craig Vincent Johnson, Sergeant, Tulsa Police Department, died June 30, 2020;
Jeffery Wade Sewell, Captain, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, died September 26, 2020;
Jerad Matthew Lindsey, Officer, Tulsa Police Department, died October 28, 2020;
Billy Dewayne Allen, Sr., US Dept of Defense – Ft Sill Police Department, died December 6, 2020;
Lindal “Dewayne” Hall, Chief Deputy, McIntosh County, died December 14, 2020;
Canine Oli, Muskogee Police Department, died July 1, 2020.
For more information on these officers or the other over eight hundred officers who have died in the line of duty in Oklahoma go to the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial web site:
www.oklemem.com