By Nick Thomas

Joe Cornet never initially considered now 92-year-old Don Murray for a role in his 2021 western film “Promise.”
“I wanted an iconic actor for one of the roles and approached two other veteran western stars, but for one reason or another neither worked out,” said Cornet, from Los Angeles, who wrote, directed, and co-produced the almost 2-hour-long western drama.
Already acquainted with Murray’s son, Cornet explained his dilemma to the younger Murray who proposed a simple solution: “Why don’t you get dad?”
“So, I sent Don the script but wasn’t really expecting to hear from him – I just didn’t think he would do it,” explained Cornet. “However, he called the following day to say he loved the story, calling it a classic, and asked when the shooting started!”
Murray’s previous big-screen appearances had been a pair of 2001 films two decades earlier, but he required little convincing to dude-up in cowboy gear for Cornet’s film which depicts a desperate search for lost gold and lost love, both linked to the Civil War.
“It has elements of the classic western but it’s also not cliché-bound,” said Murray from his home in Santa Barbara. “It was just a great concept, very imaginative with good writing.”
Murray, on set for a week to shoot his scenes at a Southern Californian ranch, “was a gem” according to Cornet. “He has three large, important scenes, two with me. He added a lot of quirks and nuances to create an interesting character.” Currently available on Amazon Prime, “Promise” was entered in Tucson’s Wild Bunch Film Festival last October, receiving 11 awards including Best Picture.
Don Murray is no stranger to award ceremonies, having been nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his first film role in 1956’s “Bus Stop,” co-starring Marilyn Monroe.
“It was a total surprise, I couldn’t believe it,” said Murray of his reaction when learning that the film’s director, Josh Logan, insisted the producers cast him as a rambunctious cowboy alongside the notoriously difficult Monroe.
“I was aware of her reputation, but didn’t let that bother me,” recalled Murray. “I didn’t pay any attention to what people thought of her. I was just involved with the work and working with her which was a great experience. She was very supportive of me and we got along well, no problems ever.”
Murray also remembers Logan going to great lengths to put Monroe at ease. “He was always very supportive and made her feel comfortable,” he said. “He was very positive and didn’t criticize what she was doing.”
After “Bus Stop,” Murray went on to work in numerous TV shows and appeared in some 40 films, often tackling challenging roles that portrayed compelling characters. He appeared in several westerns and believes the genre, though far less common today, can still attract audiences.
“There’s always the classic theme of the western but there’s also room for creative changes in the screenplay, giving a better sense of western reality,” he says. “(Joe) actually took advantage of that and created a classic piece all its own and I was very proud to be part of it.”
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See www.tinseltowntalks.com.

The final installment in a series of exhibitions featuring works by Native American artists and sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation opens this week at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. Ascendant: Expressions of Self-Determination, on display through Aug. 14, includes works by artists while enrolled at the University of Oklahoma from 1946 to 1954.
Following in the footsteps of the “Kiowa Six,” Chief Terry Saul (Chickasaw, Choctaw), Walter “Dick” West (Cheyenne) and Oscar Howe (Yanktonai Dakota), the exhibition explores the context in which this remarkable group of students came to OU, presents their development as artists, and demonstrates their legacy.
Ascendant is the result of a collaboration between the Art History program of the School of Visual Arts and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. The exhibition and accompanying catalog are funded by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in New York City. The show was organized by five student curators – Meagan Anderson, Danielle Fixico (Chickasaw, Mvscoke), Chris Tall Bear (Cheyenne), Olivia von Gries and Nathan Young (Delaware Tribe of Indians, Pawnee, Kiowa, and Cherokee Nation) — who were enrolled in the fall 2021 seminar on Native American Art and Museum Studies led by Alicia Harris (Assiniboine) Assistant Professor of Native American Art History.
“The artists in this exhibition are the first Native Americans to receive M.F.A.s in
the United States,” says Harris. “The exhibition revolves around topics of Native American spirituality (when the full expression of which was illegal in the United States at the time), political and legal paradigms, and their legacy as artists, teachers and leaders. We worked to expand the label “Modernism,” which has been applied to their abstract compositions and assert that these artists also fit securely into the art histories and ancestral paradigms of their unique, sophisticated communities.”
The exhibition features work from FJJMA’s permanent collection and special loans from the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa and the Western History Collection at the University of Oklahoma.
An exhibition catalog published in conjunction with the show is also available at the museum free of charge. Included in the catalog are essays and biographies of the artists written by the curators with an introduction by Alicia Harris. An exhibition webinar with the student curators is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, March 24. The exhibition and related programming are free and open to the public.
More information about this exhibition and related programing is available on the museum’s website at www.ou.edu/fjjma.
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is located in the OU Arts District on the corner of Elm Avenue and Boyd Street, at 555 Elm Ave., on the OU Norman campus. Admission to the museum is complimentary to all visitors. Further information regarding this exhibition and accommodations are available by calling (405) 325-4938 or visiting www.ou.edu.fjjma.
The decades following World War II were rife with change on a global scale, no less so for Native American artists at the University of Oklahoma. Ascendant: Expressions of Self-Determination considers the Native art students enrolled at OU from 1946-1954 as the “second generation” of Native artists in the legacy of the university, following in the footsteps of the Kiowa Six. Chief Terry Saul (Chickasaw, Choctaw), Walter “Dick” West (Cheyenne) and Oscar Howe (Yanktonai Dakota) came to OU at a time of political, social and personal transformation. Artists turned to ancestral philosophies of artmaking to represent their identity, celebrate heritage and assert individual artistic agency.
During this period, Native art was becoming increasingly accepted as “fine art.” This generation of artists is notable as teachers and leaders whose resounding influence on the vast field of Native American art is felt to this day. Curators for the exhibition include instructor Alicia Harris and student curators Meagan Anderson, Danielle Fixico, Chris Tallbear, Olivia von Gries and Nathan Young. This exhibition was made possible with generous support from the Mellon Foundation.
Oscar Howe (Mazuha Hokshina) U.S., Yanktonai Dakota) 1915-1983 Waci (He is Dancing), 1973 Watercolor on paper Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The University of Oklahoma, Norman; The James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection, 2010
Tommy Wayne “T.C.” Cannon (U.S., Kiowa/Caddo, 1946-1978)
On Drinkin’ Beer in Vietnam in 1967, 1971 Lithograph Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The University of Oklahoma, Norman; The James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection, 2010

For 45 years, Danny Cavett has been a compassionate and supportive presence for hospital patients and their families, helping them navigate difficult circumstances and create meaning from situations that seemed to have none. This month, Cavett officially retires as Director of Pastoral Care for OU Health, where his work as a chaplain has touched an untold number of people.
“I’m going to miss being there every day, but I will stay connected,” Cavett said. “It’s been my life and has helped me feel fulfilled. I love having relationships with families.”
Cavett is retiring from a program that he has significantly strengthened. The pastoral care department now has a staff of eight chaplains and two administrative assistants, along with several other chaplains who fill in as needed. They cover OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center, Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health, and OU Health Edmond Medical Center. Cavett also directed OU Health’s nationally certified Clinical Pastoral Education Program, which has four full-time chaplain residents in training.
Their work is often demanding. Last year, there were 6,500 trauma cases at OU Health’s Level 1 Trauma Center; someone from Cavett’s team was present for each one, keeping families updated and comforted. They also respond to all heart attacks and strokes that occur within the hospital, as well as every death. They help families find funeral homes, facilitate autopsies with pathologists, obtain signatures for death certificates, and more. In addition, they aim to visit every new patient within 24 hours of admission.
“We do that to the tune of about 95%. I’m proud of that,” Cavett said. “We know that if a person receives a visit from pastoral care, even if it’s to say, ‘We’re here if you need us,’ then studies show that patient satisfaction goes up quite a bit.”
Although patients may receive visits from their own clergy, the work of a chaplain is a bit different, Cavett said. Chaplains talk about the patient’s medical problems, ask what kind of help they may need, and work with the patient to move toward goals or find meaning in what they’re experiencing. They do so by honoring the patient’s own ideas about spirituality. “Our calling is to work with the patient’s own background instead of me placing my spirituality on them,” Cavett said. “We want to take their story and help them grow with it.”
Cavett and his fellow chaplains have faced additional challenges during the time of COVID-19. When the surge of cases has been at its highest, no family members could come into the hospital; instead, Cavett and his team would go find the patient’s family in their car to deliver news. If a patient was near death, one or two family members could go to the bedside.
“Danny’s dedication to our health system and the patients we serve has been invaluable,” said Jon Hayes, President of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health. “He has been a kind and comforting presence for our patients as well as our healthcare providers and staff. As we have faced tremendous challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, Danny’s wisdom and compassion have never been more important. It is hard to imagine OU Health without Danny, but he has made us all better at what we do because of the example he has set.”
Since he began his career, Cavett has experienced substantial change in the medical profession and the evolution of hospital facilities. He began working as a chaplain in 1977 at Oklahoma Children’s Memorial Hospital, which was then located in Bielstein Center near the intersection of 13th Street and Stonewall Avenue. Soon, the hospital expanded with the construction of Garrison Tower, which now connects to the original Bielstein building.
When he started, the hospital had room for about 50 children who were in wards instead of private rooms. Cavett saw each patient or family three times a day, and quickly became known at the hospital. Unfortunately, he also conducted many funerals for children who could not be cured by medical treatments available at the time. As medicine advanced, life expectancy lengthened, and Cavett noticed a related phenomenon among young patients.
“It was wonderful that children began living longer, but we were still treating kids like they were going to die,” he said. “Everything was centered around them, and that gave some kids a victim mentality. I decided that we needed to start a camp to teach kids how to cope with their illnesses — to be a thriver and embrace their story.”
That was the genesis of Cavett Kids, a calling that has run in parallel to Cavett’s career as a chaplain. The first camp he organized was for children with kidney disease; it’s still going strong 44 years later. In 1997, Cavett Kids Foundation became a nonprofit organization, and today it offers seven camps and numerous other programs free of charge for children with chronic and life-threatening illness.
“I remember that first year, we connected all the kids because they didn’t know each other,” he said. “I still do all the teaching at the camps about not being a victim. Our motto is that the illness does not define the child. They get to have fun with other kids who have the same medical condition, and they learn what it means to be a thriver.”
Cavett’s career also has been shaped by communal tragedies. In 1995, when a bomb exploded at the Alfred P. Murrah Building in downtown Oklahoma City, he had just walked into Children’s Hospital. He never went to the bombing site because the need was so great at the hospital.
“We set up a place for the parents who were waiting to hear about their kids (who were in a daycare in the building), and we went into the ER and tried to match kids with their parents,” Cavett said. “By noon that day, it was pretty clear that there would not be many more children who survived. The parents kept coming back to me asking if there was any news. And there wasn’t. That still really haunts me. It’s a memory I have to deal with.”
In the aftermath of the bombing, Cavett helped start a support group for families who lost children. He also helped colleagues in psychiatry conduct research on the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among survivors. Because of his experience with that tragedy, he was called upon to help after planes hit the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. He was assigned to the New York City Fire Department’s medical clinic, where he talked with each firefighter who came in, listened to their experiences, and recommended mental health services if needed. He also traveled to individual fire departments to further visit with firefighters who were working at the site.
Throughout his career, Cavett has given his expertise to two other important entities in the healthcare profession: the Medical Ethics Committee at OU Health and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the OU Health Sciences Center. Medical Ethics Committee members are on call to provide consultations anytime a healthcare provider, patient or family member has a concern about a treatment regimen. They thoroughly look at each case and make recommendations to physicians overseeing care. As an IRB member, Cavett is part of the group that reviews and monitors research involving human participants. He plans to continue serving on the oncology IRB in his retirement.
Although he is ready to step back from many of his duties, Cavett said he will stay connected to OU Health through committee work and filling in as a chaplain when needed. His decades of experience will no doubt continue influencing others as well.
“I try to teach people about how to handle the stories we see and hear because compassion fatigue, burnout and moral distress are very real,” he said. “Some stories are very dear, so I keep them in my emotional bag around my shoulders. But if I keep every story in that bag, it becomes too heavy to carry. Some stories I have learned to put on a shelf where I can retrieve them if I need to.
“During my career, I’ve seen a progression of myself becoming less stoic and more willing to show my feelings. I still remember a young girl at one of my early camps who loved to play golf. She got to play golf during the camp, and the next week she died. That’s very dear to my heart. The tears come a lot quicker now. I used to hide them, but now I don’t.”

Legends at Rivendell invites professionals

by James Coburn, Staff Writer

Healthcare professionals are invited to celebrate the arrival of spring at Legend Senior Living at Rivendell.
Gather among friends at the event hosted by Sarah MacAllister and Kristen Thomas at Legend Senior Living at Rivendell in Oklahoma City from 4:30-6-30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, located at 13170 S. May Ave., Oklahoma City.
Legend at Rivendell is a center for assisted living and memory care.
Festive activities for the spring fling professional mixer will include appetizers and prize raffles.
“I feel like we are so caught up sometimes in the day-to-day. So, we just wanted the opportunity for professionals to just kind of relax. You can talk about work; you can talk about raffles. We’re just going to have raffles, nothing too scripted just so they can relax and put their feet up,” MacAllister said.
Legend at Rivendell has done similar events in the past prior to the pandemic. Healthcare is one of the most challenging industries to be part of with experiencing COVID-19, MacAllister continued. Their job of caring for millions of seniors across the US continues every day.
“We still need those connections and people outside our building to do their job. And we’re relying on everyone else, and they are relying on us to do our job,” MacAllister said.
While spring is a time of new beginnings, healthcare professionals continue their noble calling of carrying on their shifts with compassionate care and best practices in protecting lives and quality of life itself. Each day is a time of learning something new and to celebrate the human spirit.
The professional mixer is a time to gather with long-time colleagues and to make new personal connections. It is a time to leave your office space and social media to meet in person. Professionals will be able to enjoy the comfortable and relaxed environment.
“We’ll be offering tours if people want to see our community,” she said.
The campus offers assisted living and began offering memory care a few years ago as the need presented itself.
“I can hold 66 in assisted living and then in the memory care they can hold 75 residents,” she said.
The memory care offers three separate neighborhoods, depending on the level of cognitive function of the residents, depending on what the family likes and what the nurses would prefer. They are safe in a home where they can best thrive and be with other residents of a similar mindset and physical level.
Legend Senior Living at Rivendell love community involvement. They are members of both the Newcastle and Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce.
“We believe in paying it forward and having everyone help out. The residents all have cardiologists and primary care doctors and all those things that are in the professional healthcare world,” she said.
Please RSVP by calling or emailing.
For more information, contact Sarah MacAllister, at 405-703-2300 or sarah.macallister@legendseniorliving.com.
Visit www.legendseniorliving.com.

By Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready

In Oklahoma, natural disasters are a tragic reality. Every year, disasters disrupt different parts of our state, leaving behind lasting effects on Oklahomans and property. After a disaster, many in our community need help and first responders may not be able to assist right away. That is why it’s important to Get Ready now. You and your family can take simple steps to Get Ready for emergencies and mitigate your risks. Here are some very easy but essential things you can do to Get Ready.
Document Your Property
One of the most important things you can do before a storm hits is to make a home inventory. Keep a detailed record of your valuable belongings to help you recover and file a claim more quickly. Take photos or videos to record your belongings and write down descriptions. Take photos or videos of the inside and outside of your home, including spaces like closets and cabinet interiors. Keep your inventory somewhere away from your home (i.e. safe deposit box, virtual cloud), where it can be accessed after a disaster.
Review Your Insurance
Disasters are a matter of when not if. Understand the risks you may face and talk to your agent to ensure that you have the insurance coverage you need for your property. For example, a standard homeowners policy does not cover floods, and you may need a separate wind and hail policy if you live in tornado-prone areas. It’s also important to prepare your property before the storm hits. Sometimes it is not the storm that directly causes the damage to your home but your possessions that are not secured in your yard. Cut down or trim trees that may be in danger of falling on your home. Secure outdoor objects that could blow away or cause damage.
Make a Plan
Lastly, having a plan in place and knowing how you will respond to the storm can make a significant impact. Be sure to have flashlights, food, water and a weather radio ready at all times. Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated. Establish a family meeting place that’s familiar and easy to find and practice that plan regularly. Sign up for your community’s alert and warning systems and make sure you understand what these alerts and warnings mean.
To help Oklahomans prepare for this storm season, we’re releasing the three-part column series—Mulready Says Get Ready: Before, During and After the Storm. This comprehensive series will provide you with detailed information on how best to prepare for disasters. In this series, I’ll explain general disaster preparedness tips for before, during and after disasters. Please follow #GetReadyOK and visit www.oid.ok.gov/getready for more information on how to Get Ready.
If you have questions about other insurance issues, please contact the Oklahoma Insurance Department at 1-800-522-0071 or visit our website at www.oid.ok.gov.

Connect with wildlife and friends during these one-of-a-kind events occurring every third Thursday, April through September. Sip and Stroll tickets on sale now.

Plan your Thursday nights around spectacular sunsets, cool cocktails and wondrous wildlife with the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s third annual, adult-only evening event series, Sip and Stroll. Presented by COOP Ale Works, Sip and Stroll occurs every third Thursday beginning April 21 and continuing through September 15, from 6-10 p.m. Revelers 21 and older are invited to explore the majority of the Zoo to discover amazing animals and exclusive experiences while savoring delicious drinks inspired by exotic wildlife and wild places throughout the night.
Sip and Stoll features six watering holes with three brand-new locations that highlight the OKC Zoo’s conservation projects both locally and globally. Guests will discover custom cocktails such as The Long Neck and Spotted In Namibia at these wildly themed drink locations that focus on destinations including Madagascar, Tanzania and Namibia. While visiting each watering hole, guests will have an opportunity to learn more about what the Zoo is doing to protect and preserve the natural world through global conservation partnerships with the Wildlife Trafficking Alliance, Cheetah Conservation Fund and others.
“Sip and Stroll continues to grow in popularity and is becoming an event favorite among our adult patrons,” said Jenna Dodson, OKC Zoo’s events manager.
There are more things to see and do while sipping and strolling through the Zoo! Sip and Stroll admission provides attendees with access to a variety of exclusive Zoo attractions including a sea lion presentation, Stingray Bay, the Endangered Species Carousel, an elephant presentation, karaoke, lawn games and more. With each Sip and Stroll event, guests can also get up-close to the Zoo’s gentle giants and partake in the giraffe feeding experience for an additional $5/person. Capacity is limited for these attractions so guests are encouraged to plan accordingly.
The Zoo also has specially scheduled entertainment for select Sip and Stroll evenings with dueling pianos on April 21 and August 18; a drag show for PRIDE Night on June 16; a DJ on May 19 and July 21, and a special live entertainment set on September 15.
2022 Sip and Stroll dates: Thursday, April 21, Thursday, May 19, Thursday, June 16 (PRIDE night with special drag show), Thursday, July 21, Thursday, August 18 and Thursday, September 15.
Event admission to Sip and Stroll is $32/person for non-members or $27/person for ZOOfriends members and online reservations are required. Tickets are available now at www.okczoo.org/sipandstroll. Sip and Stroll Drink Passports will be available for purchase for an additional $27 per person, allowing pass holders to enjoy a 5 oz. sample of all 6 specialty drinks. Drinks will also be available a la carte. Additional beverages and food will be available for purchase during Sip and Stroll from Zoo restaurants and local food trucks. Sip and Stroll tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. This event will occur rain or shine. To purchase tickets or learn more visit www.okczoo.org/sipandstroll.

In the process of aging, many older adults bear the heavy burden of dementia and vascular cognitive impairment, conditions that can rob them of quality of life and put them at risk for falls and injuries. To explore a promising premise in aging research — that changes to the brain’s tiniest blood vessels may play an outsized role in cognitive decline — an OU College of Medicine researcher recently received a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Shannon Conley, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the college’s Department of Cell Biology and a research member of the Oklahoma Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, earned the five-year grant, which will allow her to further explore how damaged micro-vessels in the brain may contribute to cognitive decline.
“It has become increasingly evident over the past 10 to 15 years that the smallest blood vessels are important in terms of contributing to disease pathology,” Conley said. “In the brain, this is especially important with aging. Because the brain can’t store any extra oxygen, the loss or damage of even a few tiny blood vessels means there’s not enough oxygen being supplied. In this project, we want to understand what is causing the damage or loss of blood vessels in the brain of an older adult.”
Specifically, Conley is focusing on the relationship between IGF-1, a common growth hormone that promotes blood vessel health, and smooth muscle cells, which surround the outside of blood vessels and help regulate blood flow by contracting and dilating. Researchers know that a person’s IGF-1 levels decline with age and that a deficit of the hormone can lead to defects in blood vessels. However, much less is known about the role of smooth muscle cells in that process.
“The research community has not really looked at the role of IGF-1 deficiency on the smooth muscle cells, specifically in the brain and in the context of aging and age-related cognitive impairment,” Conley said.
For this project, Conley has created an animal model that does not have a receptor for IGF-1 in the smooth muscle cells, resulting in a research model that mimics accelerated aging. Her first aim is to chronicle what happens when the smooth muscle cells can’t respond to IGF-1. Potential effects include damage or loss of blood vessels and impairment of the blood-brain barrier. She will also monitor to see whether the smooth muscle cells become impaired in their ability to contract as they normally do.
“One of the things that is important about smooth muscle cells in the brain is that they contract to protect the small blood vessels from the effects of systemic hypertension,” she said. “If you have systemic high blood pressure, you don’t want the tiny blood vessels in the brain to experience that. They’re very fragile and could have small bleeds or hemorrhages. So we’ll be watching to see if the smooth muscle cells lose their ability to protect the small blood vessels.”
Conley’s study will also seek to determine what is happening on a molecular level when smooth muscle cells cannot respond to IGF-1. “For example, do we see changes in the genes that are associated with cell contraction? Do we see early death of smooth muscle cells?” she said.
Ultimately, one of her goals it to identify targets that might be suitable for a therapeutic intervention. Treating an IGF-1 deficiency isn’t as simple of giving someone a supplement of IGF-1; because it is a growth factor, it could promote abnormal growth in other tissues and cells. However, some of the changes that occur because of IGF-1 deficiency could be a target for future treatments, she said.
Conley’s research is a component of the growing discipline of geroscience research, the study of the biology of aging. Aging itself is one of the biggest risk factors for disease, and many of the cellular mechanisms of aging are common across a wide range of pathologies.
“The things that go wrong in the blood vessel cells in the brain that can lead to dementia are some of the same things that can go wrong in the retina and lead to age-related macular degeneration. And some of those same cellular mechanisms can contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease pathologies or Parkinson’s disease pathologies. Among geroscience researchers, there is a lot of interest in what we call the basic cellular mechanisms of aging. We’re not looking specifically at the disease, but how the cells change as we age, and how that increases our risk for a variety of pathologies.”
As people live longer, research like Conley’s is especially important. Medical advancements may be able to keep people alive longer, but many will be diagnosed with conditions that significantly decrease their quality of life.
“As we have longer life spans, it’s really important to identify ways to simultaneously promote increased health spans,” she said. “It’s very challenging when you have loved ones who have severe illness or cognitive impairment, yet they are not dying; they are physically able to keep living. We want to help people stay healthier longer.”
Research reported in this news release is supported by the National Institute on Aging, a component of the National Institutes of Health, under the award number 1R01AG070915-01A1. Federal funds were secured with the help of seed grants from the Presbyterian Health Foundation, the OU College of Medicine Alumni Association, and the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology.

by Dot Liles, Contributor

John Ferguson turned 94 in February and is still counting. Yes, Oklahoma has counted on him many times. He has lent his talent, not only professionally, but to a host of charitable and fundraising events. This year the Oklahoma Senior Follies are counting on him to be our “King” and “Count.” He will be helping us raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association.
John will be surrounded by a bevy of beauties with elaborate show costumes and hats. Also, joining him on stage will be Jackie Short as “Elvira.” He has just one thing to laughingly say about this to all Oklahoma’s senior men, “Eat your heart out!” You will see him on stage as “John Ferguson,” the King, and as his most-remembered character, “Count Gregore.”
Also featured at this year’s show will be Vince Gill via video performance and Emmy and Grammy-nominated David Hooten on trumpet. There will be many new performers as well as a host of your favorites from past years! The OKLAHOMA SENIOR FOLLIES will be at Hudson Performance Hall, 2820 N. May, Oklahoma City, this year. The show dates are May 20 at 7:30 p.m., and May 21 and May 22 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the website at www.oklahomaseniorfollies.com or www.TicketStorm.com or by calling Ticket Storm at 866-966-1777. This year we have added a seating chart with $25 seats, $30 seats, and $40 seats. You can also purchase blocks of ten and get a $5.00 discount.
We promise you-it will not be a draining experience! This year will be an overflowing, fun, and exciting show to remember. Count Gregore and the cast of the Senior Follies cannot wait to see you there!

Christina Sibley, EMT/RMA
Bachelor of Science Health Studies-Gerontology emphasis

We’ve all heard it, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. The assumption being that learning or improving our brains is somehow behind us, past a certain age. The truth is, that’s a bunch of malarky. Our brains continue to grow new connections, reorganize connections, and prune unused ones, through our entire lives. This is called brain plasticity.
In short, the nerve cells in our brains look a little like trees. There’s nerve endings where roots would be, these receive signals. There’s a sort of trunk, that contains an axon and a cell body, signals travel through/over this, and finally there’s an area that looks like spread out branches, these are dendrites and they send the signal to the next cell.
These amazing cells are lined up end to end (axons to dendrites). There are tiny gaps (synapses) in between and chemicals (called neurotransmitters) move between the two ends, to send and receive signals. These individual cells line up, bunch together, and make up our brain, spinal cord and all our nerves.
The cells and connections between cells can be damaged by many things, but our brains are designed to attempt self-repair, to make new branches/connections or to make a new connection with a different neuron, and clean out damaging proteins/debris. This repair and reorganization, according to Dr. Sanjay Gupta in his new book Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age, happens best, it turns out, when we sleep.
We form new connections and memories all the time, especially in the areas of the brain we use often. The more we visit the information or skill, the more the area builds and becomes permanent. It has to go from short term memory, which we lose quickly, to long term memory.
This new cell growth is helped by good overall nutrition and moderate exercise. Get the blood flowing with plenty of nutrients and oxygen, and good things happen to our bodies. We’ve been told this for years. Easier said than done, but it’s worth a revisit and it holds true for all our cells.
Many of us have kids and/or grandkids that we have watched grow. As children they have to build massive amounts of brain cells/neurons that go all over their bodies. They are also building muscle cells and dexterity. How do they do it? They play of course.
They’re active physically. They are unafraid and learn new things and skills all the time, from us or in school. They’re mentally active. They laugh, dance, dream, and create for their own benefit, simply because it feels good.
So the next time you think “I can’t learn that” know that you absolutely CAN. If you feel intimidated or awkward, take a lesson from your kids/grandkids and play to learn. Within reason, of course, no rollerblading, and consult your physician. Be unafraid to learn. Don’t worry about how long it takes or that it’s a work in progress. The act of learning new things and skills is what helps keep our brains, and bodies, healthy and functioning properly. Your awesome brain will thank you!
Christina Sibley, with Sibley Insures, is a licensed health insurance agent who specializes in Medicare plans, all types, and Medicare education. Call (405) 655-6098 or visit sibleyinsures.com. See our ad in the Resource Directory on page 17.