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.

On March 22, 2022, at 10 a.m. the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) opened the Oklahoma State Capitol Museum, a state-of-the-art gallery space in the Oklahoma State Capitol. Created as part of the Oklahoma Capitol Restoration Project and located on the ground floor near the new primary public entrance on the south side of the Capitol, the Oklahoma State Capitol Museum contains 4,400 square feet of exhibit space and 13 exhibit cases, featuring more than 125 artifacts relating to the history of the Oklahoma State Capitol and the work of Oklahoma’s state government.
“The Oklahoma State Capitol Museum is a necessary addition to our Capitol Building,” said Lt. Gov. Pinnell. “No state can match our heritage and history, and these exhibits will provide Oklahomans and out-of-state visitors with a hands-on way to experience that history. I appreciate the hard work Trait Thompson and the rest of the Oklahoma Historical Society have put in to make this dream a reality.”
“The new Oklahoma State Capitol Museum provides a key educational component to our beautiful Capitol for visitors from around the world,” said Thompson. “The Oklahoma Historical Society has worked very hard to install exhibits that showcase the unique story of our Capitol and help people of all ages understand the important work that takes place within its walls. This museum is an integral part in making the Capitol a must-see destination when people come to Oklahoma City.”
Admission to the Oklahoma State Capitol Museum is free to all visitors. The museum will be open from Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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.

Story and photos by Darl Devault, Feature Writer

Sports photographer Richard T. Clifton, 65, has become a generational legend for his prolific body of work in Oklahoma City since first chronicling future Olympic gold medalist Shannon Miller’s gymnastic performance at the 1989 Olympic Festival. His latest website, created in 2010, features 1.9 million photos from his efforts.
These photos emphasize high school sports and other events around the state, and the nearly two million photos is not a misprint. You can find the photo count and these images at his online site: https://rtcdigitalimages.zenfolio.com
If it has been of public interest in the Oklahoma City area from 1980 onward, chances are Clifton photographed it. In 1980 he started shooting for the Chickasha Daily Express newspaper covering high school sports and the University of Oklahoma. He was the only photographer covering women’s basketball, volleyball, and men’s and women’s gymnastics for OU for many years.
In thousands of pictures, he captured the moment of almost anything that was an annual event in Oklahoma City, including a surprising array of one-time events in the evenings and weekends. He compiled his prodigious record all the while teaching physical education for 29 years at Lincoln Elementary School in Chickasha. He retired from teaching in 2008.
To become a legend like Clifton, photographers must start at a higher level than most and persistently expand their market and expertise. He has excelled as a photographer with varying images: sports events, retirements, dating, portraiture, commercial applications, media use, weddings, graduations, family events, fashion, parties, engagements, religious ceremonies, teams, and office settings.
A devout Christian, he now takes photos of the children of some of his photography subjects of three decades ago. Looking back through decades of experience, he fondly remembers his early years gaining acceptance as a photographer.
“As a volunteer photographer for the 1989 Olympic Festival here in Oklahoma City, we were assigned certain events to cover and told not to deviate from that schedule,” Clifton said in a recent interview. “After turning in my first rolls of film, the organizers could determine the quality of my work. Suddenly they gave me many rolls of film, upgraded my credential to all-access, and told me I could photograph any event I wanted to shoot.”
Encouraged by his early successes, he took on photographic challenges at a higher level. He was soon the chief photographer for the two Olympic coaches, Steve Nunno and Peggy Liddick, who trained Shannon Miller at Dynamo Gymnastics.
Because area news outlets have published his work as a photojournalist over the years, his images have been interwoven into the fabric of the state. He has shot the professional sports of baseball, bowling, basketball, football, tennis and golf in Oklahoma. He has donated a sizable part of his time to help local nonprofits document special events at several points in his career, often creating their most prized images.
His striving to get the best photograph has had immediate and long-lasting benefits for several nonprofits over the decades. These groups include the Oklahoma Sports Museum, Sooner State Games (now State Games of Oklahoma), and the now-defunct Oklahoma City All Sports Association from 2003 to 2018.
He has worked for national sports governing bodies such as the Big 12 conference while covering Division I softball, baseball and basketball, including the Women’s College World Series and NAIA Women’s National Golf Tournament. He has shot for the Oklahoma Soccer Coaches Association and served as the OSSAA podium photographer for state wrestling tournaments.
Clifton is one of the most easily recognized photographers in the metro area, where he and his sports action shots are well known. He has achieved an unparalleled level of consistency, adept at taking action shots during high school and college games over three decades.
Clifton’s photos in high-pressure situations during the Women’s College World Series have been featured in their programs and website and in the only definitive book written about the event. “Clifton’s photos are highlights in my narrative of this great event,” said Larry Floyd, co-author of “A Series of Their Own.” “His capturing some of the great moments in women’s collegiate softball has been duplicated for other sports over decades. Only his love for and dedication to his craft could produce such a body of quality work.”
His photos can be found on the pages of many other books. He says he is proudest of his image of former world No. 1 tennis star Monica Seles for her book.
Clifton has developed a following of other photographers who look to his expertise in finding where the most compelling action shots can be taken at sports venues. Local photographers also learn of the essential tools of their trade by observing Clifton’s expensive cameras and special lenses.
His early black and white prints, color slides, and negatives since 1989 showcase late 20th century Oklahoma City life. His eight years shooting Dynamo Gymnastics’ 1992 and 1996 Olympians and Olympic coaches Steve Nunno and Peggy Liddick provide an invaluable record of that historical period. He documented the Warren Spahn Award for decades while donating his time to the Oklahoma Sports Museum in Guthrie.
Outside the sports world, Clifton created iconic photos of many local, national and international celebrities, such as Dr. Nazih Zuhdi’s retirement in 1989. His pictures tell an easily understood story in various settings, making him one of the best portrait photographers available.
Clifton has shot weddings in almost every area venue. He ensures the wedding party, decor, dress, flowers, and cake are treated in skillful shooting, with professional studio lighting and thoughtful composition.
Learning his trade with film in the 1980s, Clifton’s photography equipment evolved into digital as he learned image-enhancing software such as Adobe’s Photoshop to enhance his work. This may explain why his website is approaching two million photos while he works independently as one of the market’s most respected freelancers.
Clifton has built his reputation with a blend of artistry, computer enhancement skills, and business professionalism. “My interest in photography was sparked during the photography portion of journalism class my senior year at Lawton Eisenhower high school in 1974,” Clifton said. “Just two years ago, I reconnected with my high school journalism teacher, Betty Tumlinson, and was able to tell her of the impact she had on my life.”

Rising gas prices, the ongoing fear of contracting the latest illness, and just parking and traffic in general.
Tealridge Retirement Community residents don’t have to worry about any of it when it comes to receiving therapy services – all from the comfort of their own retirement community.
Tealridge Executive Director Melissa Mahaffey’s, MHA, goal was to bring convenience and accessibility to the residents of Tealridge – something that currently is being done in other metro communities. However, her aim was to find something that was very unique and different. She found what she was looking for when she found Orthopaedic and Neurological Rehabilitation (ONR).
“I think overall everyone’s aim is quality of life so people be independent as long as possible,” Mahaffey said. “We’re working together. The residents are top of mind of anything we do here and we want to make sure we have resources in place to make it easy and possible for each and every resident to access the care that they need.”
The ONR TOUCH program works with continuing care retirement, assisted living, and senior living communities to establish and maintain innovative, onsite therapy and wellness programs.
Support is matched to each resident’s ability to age gracefully by offering proactive, comprehensive therapy services across the continuum of care.
What that means for Tealridge residents is they are able to receive physician-ordered rehabilitative, physical, occupational, and even speech therapies without leaving their residence.
In addition to therapies, ONR also provides fitness, wellness, and educational programming from a full-time, onsite licensed physical therapist in Kate Glasgow, PT.
Glasgow previously worked in a home health setting. She likes the partnership with Tealridge, which gets her back into the residents’ daily lives and into the halls at Tealridge.
“It’s very beneficial,” Glasgow said of being onsite. “Building rapport and relationships with residents here and getting to know them on different levels helps them improve in their environment as opposed to offsite where the skills we work on might not transfer as well to their environment.
“It really is a convenience factor being on-site full-time. We’re here Monday through Friday.”
Kaitlin Petrie, OTR/L, is ONR’s director of business development.
She said Tealridge is the first ONR community partnership in the OKC metro area and one that’s sure to be a hit with residents and their families.
She expects the model to be quickly adopted by others.
“It lends itself especially to independent living residents because they are out and about and they want to be out and about,” Petrie said. “Our fitness classes allow us to connect with residents and build rapport and have more of an impact with fall reduction.”
“We’re so thankful and so blessed,” she said. “We’ve experienced exponential growth and I think it’s because our model is so unique. We’ve got the resource of a full-time director on campus Monday through Friday.”
The partnership allows ONR to fulfill outpatient speech, physical and occupational therapy orders from providers in the comfort of a patient’s own apartment or in the dedicated ONR therapy gym inside Tealridge.
Services are billed under Medicare part B outpatient services and covered under most insurance plans.
The ONR TOUCH program offers staff stability with the same dedicated director and therapists in the community daily.
Residents seeking enhanced mobility, greater independence and increased success with activities of daily living will enjoy the luxury of these onsite therapy services. With more than 30 years of experience providing personalized and specialized therapeutic care, ONR’s core tenet is that life should be lived to the fullest at every stage.
Pain, weakness, or limited mobility should not prevent you from doing the things you love.
Petrie said ONR’s program utilizes several evidence-based, research-based clinical programs that dictate plans of care and treatment programs.
“There are really very few ailments that exist that we don’t have a matching clinical program,” Petrie said. “It’s always evolving with the research and that’s where ONR dedicates its resources.”
For Mahaffey, the partnership just made sense for Tealridge and its residents.
“It’s convenience and accessibility,” Mahaffey said. “They’re going to be able to easily access these services. It keeps them independent for as long as possible and with a good quality of life and that’s all we want to aim for. In addition to ONR, Tealridge has several partnerships with home health agencies, physician mobile services as well as ComForCare Home Care.
“We want to have everything, hopefully, under one roof. For the most part, residents don’t have to leave the community to get medical issues taken care of unless it’s a specialist provider appointment.”
Tealridge Retirement Community is a full-service retirement community located at 2100 NE 140th Edmond, OK 73013. Should you have any further questions, please call 405-546-2385.
For more information on Tealridge Retirement Community visit: https://www.tealridge.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.

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.”

by Greg Schwem

“Hello! Thank you for downloading our app, which is guaranteed to take up valuable memory on your phone and ensure that, if you ever have a problem with our company, you now have the tools to solve it yourself. Which is why, on our website, you will not find any kind of contact information; only the sentence, ‘Most issues can be solved by downloading our app.’”
“First, we need a user name. Sorry, that name is not available. Nor is that one. Or that one. ‘Bootyliciousgranddad’? As weird as it sounds, even that one has been taken. ‘Greg79450854’ is available. Congratulations.”
“Now, please enter a password. It must contain one capital letter, one number, one special character you never knew existed on your keyboard, and another special character you create simply by pressing, simultaneously, ‘control/option/shift/return/command/function/tab/CAPS LOCK/>/<.’”
“That password is weak. Please try something stronger. May we suggest, ‘Pwb8*)@?!sV’?”
“Now, please re-enter the password. Sorry, the passwords didn’t match. Please check the spelling and be reminded that certain characters do look alike, particularly the ones we suggested for you.”
“Success! If you have not yet thrown your phone against a wall in anger, you are ready to use our app. Almost. First, we need to verify that you are you and not some robot that is capable of completing the user name and password steps. Please retype the following characters: 0oO1liImnmmnmnnOo0.”
“Please click here to request another series of characters that look like they came from an eye chart at your optometrist’s office. You have four more attempts.”
“Whew. You did it on your last try. Way to go! Now you just need to click on every square containing the color white.”
“Try this one. Click on every square where you see a road.”
“Close enough. You have successfully installed our app. Now, please download the latest version, 15.0.7.3.2, which we released while you were trying to find the roads. Please close all other apps on your phone while the installation takes place. The new version will be installed in approximately 13 minutes. Or three hours. Or two days if your internet connection sucks.”
“Your app is now up to date. You may sign in.”
“First, we need your credit card information and a scanned government issued ID. This could be a passport, driver’s license, Social Security card or anything else that could make your life a living hell if hackers stumble across it. But that isn’t going to happen. Rest assured; we NEVER share your personal information with outside sources. And we’re serious. That’s why we capitalized ‘NEVER.’”
“Now it’s time to link your credit card information to your digital wallet. Click here to establish a digital wallet. You might want to walk away from your phone for a few minutes, because establishing a digital wallet means creating another user name, password and avatar. Spend this time away from your phone by going to another device and Googling, ‘What is an avatar?’ Or just beat your head against a wall.”
“Make sure you store your digital wallet login information separately from where you keep your other password information. If you cannot access your digital wallet, you will NEVER be able to retrieve the funds you placed there during a night of drinking with your friends because Steve told you it was time to start investing in cryptocurrency. By the way, Steve did not offer to pick up the check. What does that tell you about crypto?”
“Please check your inbox for a verification email. Simply click the link and you will be able to use our app. If the email does not appear between 30 seconds and 24 hours, please check your spam folder. If you do find the email in your spam folder, please add our address to your ‘contacts’ folder so we can send you periodic updates about changes to the app. If you have questions, our chat bot is here to help.”
“Please be advised that our chat bot only knows how to say, ‘Refer to your app.’”
(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)

After a national search, INTEGRIS Health is excited to share the selection of Brent Hubbard as the health care system’s new chief operating officer.
Hubbard comes to INTEGRIS Health most recently from Mercy Health System, Mercy Hospital Springfield Communities, where he serves as president and COO. Since 2016, his responsibilities were to lead the strategic direction of seven hospitals with administrative and operational oversight of 7,500 coworkers.
Prior to Hubbard’s current position, he served as the chief operating officer at Mercy Health System, Mercy Hospital Fort Smith Communities, and the chief operating officer at HCA, Medical Center of McKinney. Other roles he has held include associate administrator at HCA – Centennial Medical Center and executive director and director of marketing at Woodward Regional Hospital.
Hubbard received his Bachelor of Science in business administration from Oklahoma State University and his Master of Business Administration from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He is an accomplished health care executive and brings to INTEGRIS Health a strong focus on performance metrics. He is a believer in continuous process improvement. Hubbard has extensive experience in improving physician and coworker engagement, quality measures and patient outcomes, and achieving operational excellence to include service line growth and expanding patient access to health care.
He and his wife, Hilary, were both raised in Oklahoma, Mooreland and Woodward respectively. They are excited to be moving, along with their three children, back to the great state of Oklahoma and joining the INTEGRIS Health team. Hubbard’s first day at INTEGRIS Health will be May 2.