By Nick Thomas

Born and raised in West Virginia, David Selby’s extensive film, television, and stage career included prominent roles in two very different TV shows in different generations: ABC’s gothic soap opera “Dark Shadows” in the 60s and the prime-time soap “Falcon Crest” on CBS in the 80s.
“My mother (Sarah) loved that I was an actor,” said Selby from Los Angeles, but she had no background in the entertainment world. Her upbringing in a coal mining town was a tough one, being responsible for raising her brothers and sisters.
“She managed to graduate from high school and met my father who was raised on a farm,” recalled Selby. “Mom continued to work hard at various jobs including the local Montgomery Wards, in a bakeshop, and her last job was as a bookkeeper in an office supply place. But she never liked to talk about herself – at all. Her focus was always on the family. She was also a meticulous housekeeper and did not like messes.”
Tidying, says Selby, is a trait he inherited and for which his family has always ribbed him for his constant dusting, washing, and sweeping. “Sarah is among us!” he says his wife, Chip, will lovingly announce.
To honor his late mother and her influence on his life, Selby wrote “They Don’t Call Me Sarah for Nothing,” a short but compelling monologue he composed for Smartphone Theatre, a live stream digital performance platform presented via Zoom and created during the early pandemic months to showcase original productions. Selby’s reading streamed live in March 2022 and can be viewed on YouTube (https://youtu.be/cm7mFA_VF6c).
“I would act like my mother unconsciously,” he said. “The kids would say ‘grandma says that’ or my wife would say ‘you sound like your mother.’ So, I wrote ‘They Don’t Call Me Sarah for Nothing’ because it was cathartic for me to talk about her and realize, my God, how much she meant to me.”
Despite their loving relationship, young David found her constant working difficult to understand. Nevertheless, he recalled, “she always somehow managed to look like a million dollars! Even taking out the trash or going to the grocery store in our little community, she was always cautious about looking her best.”
As he grew older and with no initial interest in acting, Selby planned to enroll in West Virginia University but needed tuition funds. “So, I went to Atlantic City in the summer and worked at a restaurant, then returned with a pocket full of money to pay for my first half-year’s tuition. I lived at home so I could walk to class as a freshman, but didn’t really know what I was going to do.”
That’s when an adviser for students whose names started with an ‘S’ spotted Selby standing in the enrollment line for classes. “He said, ‘you look like you could be in theater’ and it turned out he was a theater instructor,” Selby remembered. “He talked me into it and, lo and behold, I began doing plays at the university right away.”
After completing his degree, Selby moved to Illinois where he completed a Ph.D. in the arts, but not before moving to the East Coast and accepting his first TV role.
“I didn’t finish my Ph.D. until after I was in New York doing ‘Dark Shadows’ – in fact, I copied my dissertation at the office where we shot the show,” he recalled. His wife even took a job as an editor and then as a college English teacher so David could pursue his acting career (see http://www.davidselby.com).
But what did his mom really think about his acting career?
“She watched every show I did, from the plays at university and summer stock to ‘Dark Shadows,’ ‘Falcon Crest’ and everything else,” he says. “Aside from my wife, my mother was my biggest fan. I loved her dearly.”

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See https://www.getnickt.org.

The 2024 Oklahoma Senior Follies is being reimagined this year! There will be lots of glitz and glamor as well as some new faces on stage. We will be opening with OKC Chorus (Sweet Adelines). Our variety show will also include Tarpley Tappers, Barbara DeMaio (opera star), our gorgeous beauties, and Mark and Patti Mellow as our Dynamic Duo! This year the beauties will not only be announced but will also participate by singing and dancing in the background in some of the numbers.
Gina Bramlett and Michael Pone are our Co-directors this year. Dr. Matthew Jones is our talented music director. They will be working their magic to make this a show to remember for the entire family!
The show will be at UCO Mitchell Hall on Saturday, June 8th at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 9th at 3:00 p.m. Ticket prices are $30.00 each or $25.00 each for a group of ten or more. Tickets are available on our website at www.oklahomaseniorfollies.com by clicking on purchase tickets, or by calling the box office at 405-974-3375.

Care Providers Oklahoma recently sounded the alarm on an impending crisis created by the Biden Administration’s approval of a new staffing mandate. The new mandate requires nursing homes to significantly increase the number of nurse aides and registered nurses at each facility, without addressing 1) the financial impact of that new requirement or 2) the reality of an ongoing workforce shortage that has already led multiple facilities in Oklahoma to close.
“For months, the White House has been signaling their plan is to mandate that nursing homes hire staffers that do not exist with money they do not have,” said Care Providers Oklahoma President and CEO Steven Buck. “This is an impossible proposition that has gone from a bad idea to a federal rule with the force of law. We are sounding the alarm that this policy will absolutely lead to closures, displaced residents, and the loss of quality care for elderly and vulnerable populations.”
Care Providers Oklahoma estimates the new rule requires the average facility to hire two to three new registered nurses at a cost approaching $17 per Medicaid resident per day. Total costs associated with new hires for Oklahoma’s nursing homes will be as much as $76 million annually.
Currently, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority already estimates that nursing homes are funded at $44 per Medicaid resident per day under the projected cost-of-care. The Biden staffing mandate expands that funding gap to upwards of $61 per Medicaid resident per day.
“Oklahoma homes have already been closing at a rapid clip because we are not funded at the cost-of-care,” said Buck. “That is going to increase at an even faster rate, especially in rural areas, unless we can get some help.”
See the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s list of recent closures here.
Buck said that Care Providers Oklahoma was taking the following steps to protect its residents:
1. Asking the Oklahoma Legislature to increase funding to a level equal to the OHCA’s projected cost-of-care;
2. Supporting the federal “Protecting Rural Seniors’ Access to Care Act,” a bill that would block implementation of the new mandate;
3. Educating the public on the devastating impact that the Biden mandate would have on Oklahoma’s vulnerable seniors.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has already signed a letter, along with 14 other governors opposing the mandate.
Senator Lankford has also spoken out against the mandate and its impact on rural facilities.

Story by Van Mitchell, Staff Writer – Photos Shelton’s Photography & Design for SNL

Linda Traw

Crowned Ms. Oklahoma Senior America 2024 at The 16th Annual Pageant.

Linda Traw of Tulsa was crowned April 6 as Ms. Oklahoma Senior America 2024 at the 16th annual pageant at the Mustang Performing Arts Center.
The winner will be sponsored by the Ms. Senior Oklahoma Foundation to compete in the National Ms. Senior America Pageant at the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Sept. 29-Oct. 4.
“I had no expectations going into the pageant and was really shocked when they called my name,” Traw said. “I’m completely honored to represent the state of Oklahoma for a year, and of course, to compete nationally.”
The pageant is billed as an exciting combination of talent and inner beauty along with the individual fulfillment and elegance.
By giving women 60 years and older an opportunity to display their “inner beauty”, talents, and elegance, the Pageant honors the achievements of senior women and motivates and encourages them to utilize their full potential to share a positive outlook on life with others. Participants represent a cross-section of America.
The Ms Senior America LLC Pageant is judged in two phases: the Preliminary Round and the Finals. In the Preliminary Round, each contestant receives a score, from 1 to 10, in each of the four categories – Interview – Inner Beauty (Philosophy of Life) – Evening Gown and Talent.
Finalists enter the stage of the Final Round with their scores from their Interviews and are judged a second time on their Evening Gown, Philosophy of Life and Talent Presentations.
Traw, a pre-kindergarten teacher in Jenks, said her co-workers and students were excited to see her return to school with her crown and sash.
“I brought my crown and my sash and I took pictures of everybody (students) wearing the crown,” she said. “They thought it was pretty cool to wear a crown. My co-workers are thrilled. They think it’s really amazing.”
Traw became interested in applying for the pageant after watching a friend compete in it last year.
“I went to see my friend, Debbie Hay. She was in it last year, and I was very impressed,” she said. “I thought, “I want to do that. That would be fun.” And that’s what just drew me in.”
As part of her pageant performance, Traw sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from the movie “Wizard of Oz.”
“I’m a goal setter and since I didn’t start singing until my 40s this was new territory to me,” she said. “When I find something I really want to do, I usually grab a hold onto it and go for it.”
Traw said her life prior to her 40s was like riding a roller coaster having overcome childhood trauma and losing her mother to cancer at a young age.
“I’ve been through dreams and tragedies,” she said. “In high school I did nothing. I always thought I could sing. I was too inverted and too afraid of the world to pursue it. I lived kind of trapped. I mean, I worked and got married and we had a son, but I lived in this world of denial that I had baggage.”
Traw said that baggage finally caught up with her in her 40s.
“It just caught up with me and somewhere in my 40s,” she said. “I returned to teaching after getting my certification in Oklahoma.”
Traw is a native Kansan and taught special education in the Sunflower state.
“I went back to teaching and taught special education, I realized it had changed a lot and it was too much, it became overwhelming. I realized I needed help,” she said.
Traw said she received counseling.
“I received counseling for probably about maybe close to a year, and learned that I wasn’t a victim, but I had a story that could be shared to help others,” she said.
Traw then decided to pursue her love of singing and performing.
“I took voice lessons and that gave me the start to go and pursue productions,” she said. “I’ve been in a total of four community productions around the Tulsa area, Sapulpa, Sand Springs, Broken Arrow, and I was at the PAC when I did “A Christmas Carol” in Tulsa. I used to sing with the Tulsa Praise Orchestra, which is a big band, and I’ve traveled to New York City for the Statue of Liberty’s anniversary and to Kentucky for the American Legion.”
Traw later created a singing business which included singing in retirement homes, but had to scuttle those plans due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“When COVID hit, I lost that business, and I went back to teaching, and now I’m a full-time pre-kindergarten teacher at Jenks Public Schools,” she said.
Traw said performing at the pageant pushed her out of her comfort zone.
“It’s definitely been a challenge,” she said. “It’s taught me a new skill that I didn’t have before. You can’t just get up on the pageant stage and just be there. You have to prepare. There are nerves that go into it. I think everybody was nervous, and there was excitement, of course.”
Traw said faith plays an important role in her life.
“My faith is huge in my life. I couldn’t be who I was, I can’t be who I am, I can’t do what I do without Jesus. It’s impossible. I totally give Him the praise because He’s the one who set me free,” she said.
Traw said this summer she will be more active in promoting the Ms. Oklahoma Senior America pageant.
“My goal is to make more women aware of it that are mature like me, so there’ll be more interest in the program and maybe more new people to participate in the spring,” she said. “I really want to give light to such a worthy organization. I would love to sing at retirement homes again. I thoroughly missed it, so that would be something I’ll probably be pursuing. My goal is to first serve my community, and then if I’m able to find some places where I can sing and entertain.”

by Bobby Anderson, RN – staff writer

A new hospital is emerging on the Oklahoma City skyline.
The six-story Integris Health Heart Hospital is moving towards its June completion date and hiring is continuing.
The 209,000-square-foot building will include 64 ICU beds, multiple cardiac catheterization labs, cardiovascular operating rooms, hybrid operating rooms, electrophysiology heart labs, and convenient cardiac diagnostic testing areas. It sits on the campus of Integris Baptist.
An onsite coffee shop that features a full menu of breakfast, lunch and, craft coffee in partnership with locally owned Ends of the Earth (EOTE) Coffee Company will also be included.
“We have long been known as the only hospital in Oklahoma to offer a full spectrum of advanced cardiac care from diagnosis to heart transplantation, and the new heart hospital will allow us to continue to offer the best heart care available anywhere in the world,” says Jeffrey Sparling, M.D., an interventional cardiologist and president of Integris Health Cardiovascular Physicians. “This tower is proof of our commitment to improve the heart health of Oklahomans now and for many generations to come.”
Integris Health is actively recruiting for a variety of positions.
Kelsey Behm, BSN, RN, CCRN, MBA is the director of nursing for the Integris Heart Hospital.
She came to Integris in 2012 and worked as a nurse tech before starting her nursing career in the transplant ICU. ECMO and cardiothoracic ICU roles followed.
“This has been a long time coming. We are so excited,” she said. “We are very quickly approaching the opening date but this heart hospital and critical care tower will be part of Baptist Medical Center. What we are able to do is expand cardiac care and services that we offer.
“What’s really awesome is we will be moving all of our cardiac diagnostics, procedural and, surgery areas into this new state-of-the-art building as well as our cardiothoracic intensive care unit and have additional critical care beds and an abdominal transplant ICU.”
If it sounds like a lot of moving parts, there are.
Behm said more than a year of planning has gone into the move.
“So many different teams of people, departments, different disciplines,” Behm said. “It really is bringing a lot together. We have a team of people that on a weekly basis track progress and make sure the project is running on plan.”
Even though construction is ongoing, frontline caregivers were able to tour the facility in early February.
“They’ve been excited but to actually see it, feel it and walk through it they were all really proud and excited for the new building,” Behm said. “What we have now, the infrastructure has its challenges. Walking into this new (building) with big rooms and windows … they were just really excited. They have a lot of pride in it. It was really a great day.”
A larger facility means more staff positions. Behm said positions are available up and down the service line.
“We are actively recruiting to grow our team. Anything from pre-op, surgical admitting, PACU that’s all going to be dedicated to cardiac, we are building those teams from the ground up.”
Cath lab, CVOR, cardiothoracic ICU, abdominal transplant and, critical care teams are also being built.

Iru Daugherty

(Right) 100 years old. Tulsa – Moved to Tulsa in 1987 to work at Victory Church, her son Pastor Billy Joe asked her to “love on people.” She has had an interesting life with wonderful people & is so grateful for good friends. Her words of wisdom to younger people: “Follow the Lord. Trust in the Lord. Listen to Him. Believe in Him!”

Mildred Cox

(Left) 100 years old. Broken Arrow – Mildred was born in Kentucky but is now a Golden Okie. Mildred was the cashier at Ted & Debbie’s Flower & Garden before retiring in 2017. She loves God and her Family.

Dewey Muirhead

(Right) 100 years old. Wewoka – Served in the Army Air Corps as Military Police (MP) and loved his motorcycle. He cooks himself a big breakfast everyday, enjoys old Western swing music and likes antique car shows. His life advice to others: “Work hard; have fun; love your family and make memories!”

Velma Oliver

(Right) 100 years old. Claremore – Her husband was military so they traveled all over the country & lived in Jurupa Valley, CA for several years. She was a farmer, homemaker, mother & housekeeper, so she never really retired. She enjoys Mexican food & gardening & volunteered at the Salvation Army.

Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy are proud to announce rewarding an Oklahoma woman $2,000 for definitive information that led to the identification of the individual seen in a video published by media repeatedly stomping and killing a puppy in late March outside a business in southeast Oklahoma City.
Sarah Looney of Oklahoma City is receiving the reward for turning in her ex-boyfriend, Larry Don McMillan, 57, who was arrested last week for cruelty to animals and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Looney talked to Animal Wellness Action by phone from Oklahoma City.
“I love animals and I didn’t know [Larry] was like that. He was never mean to my big dog. But then he started getting that way (abusive) to me and then my puppy,” said Looney, who is a domestic abuse survivor. “People like that need to get help or not be let out of prison. I am glad he is locked up for what he did to animals, and for what he had done to me.”
Animal Wellness Action and Center for a Humane Economy will often offer rewards for critical tips to prosecute perpetrators of animal abuse that may be sent directly to [email protected].
“We are grateful to Sarah for stepping up because as you can see, anyone who would do this is a danger to animals and people alike,” said Kevin Chambers, Oklahoma State Director for Animal Wellness Action. “Animal Wellness Action wants to help the Oklahoma City Police identify perpetrators of this type of heinous animal cruelty and bring them to justice.”
“Cruelty to animals is despicable in its own right, but we also know that people who do awful things to animals often turn their violent instincts against spouses, girlfriends, children, or other members of the community,” said Wayne Pacelle, President of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “Sarah Looney exhibited great courage in providing a service to the community.”
In this case, animal welfare officials and local officers said the man now identified had carried the puppy down the street by its back legs, dragging its nose on the pavement.
Following the beating, the video showed the man picking the puppy up and throwing it on the ground before he leaves. The city’s animal welfare superintendent broke down the video for local news stations after it was shared Tuesday by OKCPD.
Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy also provide rewards, up to $2,500, for animal cruelty tips, including for dogfighting and cockfighting. Tips go to [email protected]

By Marilyn Olson, Executive Director, VillagesOKC

During the 3,691 days that my mother lived with us, there were hundreds of really good days, a few bummers, two or three frightening days and a lot of just ordinary days. Sandwiched in between were some that stood out because they made us laugh until we cried. Today, we laugh all the more when the story is retold. It was one of those that made us say, “You can’t make this stuff up; you gotta laugh.”
It was near the year-end holidays. My friend had given me an “Alexa” for Christmas. (You know, that’s the electronic voice-activated gadget everyone was buying in 2009.) After opening, she was eager to tell me all of its amazing features. She wanted me to know all about how it helps her keep a grocery list, tells the weather for the day, and even orders on Amazon. She was so eager to set it up and show me that she asked my Amazon password and placed a “pretend” order, before submitting – or so I thought.
That next week a small Amazon Prime package arrived; it was a slender bottle of lotion. Although I do not use Avon, I decided to put it away because Mother always is looking for hand cream and it would make a good gift for Mother’s Day. And besides, I hate returning things.
Five months after my friend had made the erroneous Avon order, I presented Mother with the gift of hand cream. Since she already had bottles of lotion open, she put it aside waiting until fall to begin to use it in preparation for a doctor’s visit. It had a delightful fragrance. “I can always use another bottle of lotion,” she said.
The monthly appointment with the doctor was uneventful, and afterwards, we went to Braum’s as usual to celebrate having a good checkup. The doctor applauded that she was walking regularly outdoors even though the days were getting cooler. “Great for Vitamin D,” the doctor said.
We were very busy preparing for Thanksgiving when all the family would be there. Mother said, “I’m really concerned about what is happening to my hands, neck and face. I wonder if you’d call Dr. Craven and see if the nurse can work me in for an appointment.”
When I investigated, Mother was worried about her skin’s yellowish tinge on both hands. Looking more closely, the faint yellowish pallor was even more apparent in the daylight. Mother was a worrier and thought she was jaundiced. And even though I didn’t let her know, I had concerns too. (She stayed very aware of her healthcare lab reports and watched her kidney numbers meticulously.) But it didn’t make sense because there were NO other symptoms.
After two more days of “apparent jaundice” but no other symptoms, I began to seriously investigate yet trying not to worry her.
“Mother, what bottle of lotion have you been using?”
“That one,” she said as she pointed to the bottle on the nightstand.
I picked it up to read the fragrance. It was the Avon bottle I had presented on Mother’s Day. For the first time I read the label aloud, and we both burst out laughing.
“Oh, my goodness! Mother, this is tanning lotion, Avon’s Golden Tanning Lotion. You aren’t jaundiced, you just have a golden tan. Guess I’ll cancel that doctor’s appointment and buy a swimsuit fit for a 98-year-old instead.”
We couldn’t wait to tell the family. And we all laughed until the tears came.

The Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) recently issued a Cease-and-Desist Order against First Premier Home Warranty Corp. for unauthorized sale of home warranty contracts in Oklahoma. Effective immediately, the company is required to halt all sales activities in the state. The OID emphasizes that any entity offering home warranty contracts to Oklahoma consumers must hold proper authorization from the Oklahoma Insurance Department.
Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready highlighted the importance of consumer protections stating, “Oklahoma consumers rely on home warranty companies to provide essential coverage. Our licensing protocols are designed to safeguard consumers and uphold ethical standards. When companies fail to adhere to these standards, we take swift action to protect consumers.”
The OID initiated an investigation following complaints from consumers regarding the sale of unlicensed home warranty plans in Oklahoma. Consumers are urged to verify the licensing status of any company before purchasing a policy. Suspected instances of fraud should be reported to the OID at 800-522-0071.