by Bobby Anderson
Staff Writer

Pam Hart has spent the better part of the last three decades ensuring when children come to school a hot meal will be there waiting for them.
For many children, it’s the only meals they can count on.
And when the school doors close for the summertime that doesn’t mean the need goes away.
That’s why the director of child nutrition for Moore Public Schools and directors like her across the metro participate in the Summer Food Service program.
Hart says the Moore Public Schools program is going strong after nearly a decade.
“We felt like it was a win-win on both sides,” Hart explained. “We had some employees who needed money in the summertime and we were able to take advantage of the government program where all kids could eat for free.”
The program is simple: those 18 and under can come to designated locations and eat breakfast and lunch for free. No questions asked.
That means parents and grandparents with limited incomes can ensure their child will have at least two nutritious meals Monday through Friday.
Adults can eat as well for $3.75 per meal.
In Moore, breakfast is served from 8-9 a.m. with lunch following from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Lunch includes the options of a peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese sandwich, a fresh fruit, fresh vegetable chips and a treat.
Juice or milk are also included.
Hart has spent the last 30 years working at Moore Public Schools. The bulk of that has been as the director of child nutrition.
She’s seen the program change and evolve.
The summer nutrition program will travel around the district, usually coinciding with a summer school program at the site.
A couple summers ago the program went out into the local parks.
The outreach was a big success, so much so that the district decided to use bond funds to invest in a food truck.
Hart said the kitchen on wheels could triple or quadruple the number of sites meals may be offered in the future.
“They’re usually pretty good at being lined up and ready to go by the time we get there,” Hart said of the park sites. “It’s convenient when they’re waiting on us.”
Last June, Moore Public Schools served 16,307 lunches and 4,422 breakfasts.
June school nutrition sites in Moore include Plaza Towers, Sky Ranch, Central Elementary and Southmoore. Park sites will include Fairmoore, Veteran’s Memorial Park, Buck Thomas Park and Central Park.
Sites will rotate in July. You can contact the district directly at 405-7030.
Around the metro
The larger districts around the metro participate in the Summer Food Service Program, a federally-funded program administered in Oklahoma by Child Nutrition Programs, Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Federal regulations require that SFSP sponsors notify local health departments of their intention to provide a food service during a specific period at specific sites and arrange for prompt and regular trash removal.
All SFSP sites must meet proper sanitation and health standards which conform to all applicable state and local laws and regulations in the storage, preparation and service of food. You can contact Oklahoma City Public Schools child nutrition at 587-0000.
Edmond Public Schools can be reached at 340-2800.
Regional Food Bank
Through the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s Summer Feeding Program, any child 18 and under can receive free, nutritious meals at 132 sites across central and western Oklahoma.
“One in four Oklahoma children are food insecure. As schools close for the summer, many children are left without their primary source of healthy food,” said Katie Fitzgerald, chief executive officer of the Regional Food Bank. “No one, especially children, should ever have to worry about where their next meal will come from. Our partner agencies across the state are ready to fill the summer break gap.”
Through the program, community-based partner agencies distribute freshly packed meals and snacks prepared by the Regional Food Bank to students. The program is offered at sites in 31 counties across the Regional Food Bank’s service area.
In Oklahoma County alone, meals and snacks are offered at 73 different sites. A full list of sites participating in the Summer Feeding Program and when they offer meals and snacks can be found by visiting Meals4KidsOK.org.
Volunteers are needed to help pack fresh meals in the Regional Food Bank’s production kitchen, Hope’s Kitchen, throughout the summer. Multiple shifts per day are offered Tuesday through Saturday. Volunteer by visiting rfbo.org/volunteer or calling 405-600-3160.
For Hart, the summer program has just been common sense.
“A lot of these kiddos from low-income families the meals they get from school are the only hot meal they get in some cases,” Hart said. “In a lot of cases it may be so bad that they may not have those meals available in the summertime. We’re glad to be able to support this so those kids don’t have to go without during summer.”

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Thursday, May 9 was a typical morning for Lt. Joshua Manion with the Oklahoma City Fire Department. He was asleep in his bed at Fire Station 22 when he briefly woke up at around 3 o’clock in the morning. He says he looked at the clock and decided it was too early to get up, so he went back to sleep. When he woke up again at 6 a.m. – something had changed.
“I was dizzy,” remembers Manion. “I thought I must have gotten out of bed too fast, so I sat back down. But each time I tried to get back up again, I would lose my balance.”
Manion only had an hour left on duty. He thought whatever he was experiencing would wear off if he just kept moving. He managed to make his bed but felt uncharacteristically uncoordinated on his left side. “I was walking like someone who was intoxicated – and then I became violently ill.”
Manion has been on numerous medical calls as a fire-fighter and has encountered many people exhibiting stroke symptoms, but he says his symptoms were different. “I didn’t have the typical facial droop, slurred speech or weak arms, so even with all my training, I never suspected I was having a stroke.”
Thankfully Lt. Clay Evans, a firefighter paramedic at Fire Station 22, did suspect it was a stroke. He and Major Milton Blackburn rushed Manion to INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center. The quick-thinking actions of these firefighters quite possibly saved the life of one of their own.
“Joshua suffered a posterior circulation stroke in the cerebellum of his brain. This area is responsible for balance and the coordination of muscle activity,” says Ashish Masih, M.D., a vascular neurologist at INTEGRIS. “There are varying outcomes for this type of stroke from slight uncoordinated movements, to coma, to even death. Joshua is remarkably lucky that his fellow firefighters were able to recognize the atypical signs of this type of stroke and to act as quickly as they did.”
Manuel Fortes, M.D., an interventional neuroradiologist with INTEGRIS, performed an endovascular thrombectomy on Manion to remove the clot that was blocking blood flow to his brain. “NIHSS stands for National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale,” explains Fortes. “It is a way to objectively score stroke symptoms, ranging from a score of 0 to 42. We’re happy to say Joshua has a score of zero, meaning he has little to no deficits as a result of his stroke.” The official cause of his stroke is unknown at this time. He will undergo more testing and will be closely monitored. He hopes his story will serve as a reminder that strokes can happen to anyone at any time. “I’m only 42 years old. I don’t smoke, I’m active and seemingly healthy,” says Manion. “In my sixteen years with the Oklahoma City Fire Department I’ve never taken one sick day. If a stroke can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.”
Manion encourages everyone to learn the signs and symptoms of stroke. He says even though his symptoms were a little different, it’s still good information to know – and may even save a life.
Manion is anxious to return to work and admits he doesn’t like being on the receiving end of a rescue. “I’m not used to people doing things for me. I’d much rather be on the other end for sure. But I think seeing things from the ‘patient perspective’ may actually help me become an even better firefighter.”

www.arborhouseliving.com

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

he beauty of John Ferguson is that at 91 years of age he’s still finding ways to entertain others.
And after delighting generations growing up in Oklahoma City, Ferguson – best known as Count Gregore – will take a shot at the big screen
Ferguson is shooting a movie this month.
That’s right. At 91, Ferguson is starring in Lady Usher, based on Edgar Allan Poe’s short story Fall of the House of Usher.
He makes sure to point out he’s still a little young for the role of Mr. Usher, who is 100.
“I’m only nine short in actuality,” Ferguson chuckles, noting his onscreen wife will be 40 years his junior.
Strange, mysterious characters and murder should combine for an entertaining film written, produced and directed by George Adams.
Ferguson, who spun a television career around introducing classic Universal Horror films, should be right at home.
Count Gregore, the Duke of Mukeden and a host of other characters portrayed by Ferguson were staples in Oklahoma City’s Shock Theater.
He was a household name. Pretty good for a kid born and raised in Clinton, Indiana.
“I was always the smallest runt in the school. I went to high school a year early, and I was a freshman at 14. I was barely five feet tall and weighed 90 pounds. I was a target no matter what,” Ferguson said.
He managed to get through high school
He was small, he was short, but with his mother’s permission, he enlisted in the Navy prior to his 18th birthday.
He was quickly rejected due to vision issues.
He tried again and was rejected again – or so he thought.
He was sent back to the recruiting station for another quick eye exam, which he passed.
So in May 1945 he became a Navy man for 15 months.
“I joined the Navy to see the world but spent my entire career 70 miles from home,” Ferguson said.
He was shipped 70 miles away to Great Lakes, Illinois where he spent his entire career doing clerical duty before the war ended.
Ferguson would later try the college and acting routes.
He still remembers meeting with Joe Fox of the William Morris Agency. He’ll never forget while sitting outside of Fox’s office the two men walking by and asking him how he was.
The men were Charlton Heston and Milburn Stone.
He had just met Moses and Doc from Gunsmoke.
Inside, Fox told him what he already knew.
“Well, you’ll never be a leading man,” Fox said, sizing Ferguson up.
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know,” Ferguson shot back. “But I just want to be an actor.”
The big screen may not have been calling at the time but it wasn’t for a lot of Hollywood A-listers either as this new thing known as live television was coming into its own.
AN OKC BEGINNING
September of 1953 was when Ferguson found his way to Tulsa.
Local TV and radio legend Danny Williams needed a villain to play opposite his hero character, Dan D. Dynamo on WKY-TV in Oklahoma City.
Ferguson came up with the character Duke of Mukeden and eventually many others including Redbear, Bazark the Robot, Dr. Person and Ubick.
But it’s Count Gregore he’s remembered for the most.
The station’s operations manager asked Ferguson to come up with a character to host the late-night horror movie series.
Shock Theater needed a host and Count Gregore was it.
At 11:30 every Saturday night Count Gregore would haunt the airwaves.
Think Dracula meets a sinister Mr. Rogers and you have your man.
But the station didn’t realize it at first. They actually let Ferguson go.
At the time, he moved over to Frontier City to work in the gunfights, until one day when the station went over to get him back.
Calls and letters had flooded in. People had actually come to the station to inquire why Count Gregore was no longer on the air.
They needed Ferguson back and he would spend the next few decades delighting viewers.
Ferguson’s persona would go on to host Nightmare Theater, Sleepwalkers Matinee, Creature Features and Horror Theater.
He changed with the times and even joined Williams for more than a few sock hops and personal appearances.
STILL THE COUNT
Ferguson still makes personal appearances as Count Gregore. It never ceases to amaze him how people light up when they see him.
Halloween is his busy season. He laughs when a visitor compares his call to Christmas for Santa Claus.
“Yeah, but I get a lot more mileage out of it,” he laughs.
Living in Moore, there’s always an opportunity for people to recognize him.
He’ll make an appearance at SoonerCon later this month and at HorrorCon July 20.

www.belmontmgt.com

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com

In the Oklahoma region many of us over the years have visited Wichita Kansas, whether for a theatrical event at Century Two or to see the Chisholm Trail, or to just get a bit of Western atmosphere. I too have, over the years, visited Wichita and on a recent visit was surprised at the additions to this vibrant city.
My home base was the new Ambassador Hotel, an Autograph Collection Hotel, (https://ambassadorwichitaks.com) where the modern black and gray and chrome atmosphere welcomes the well-worn traveler seeking a step up from the ordinary. Located downtown with convenient self-parking and an expansive room with courteous attendants and city views, the Ambassador promises a surprise upscale experience. While I requested long in advance for one of their ADA rooms, there was no bench or chair in the walk-in shower. I re-requested such from the front desk, and by the next day, with some bumps in the road, was happily accommodated.
The hotel staff was very good in following through with requests. I only wish the food and beverage side of the hotel had not disappointed. The steak and unique charred Caesar salad were exceptional at the Siena Tuscan Steakhouse, however they did not honor a coupon, they gave me for a drink at the downstairs pseudo speak easy. Even after talking to the Food and Beverage manager and crew it was not accepted, even though my server agreed the coupon was misleading – almost a bait and switch situation. I did not mind paying for my drink, but the experience left a bad farewell feeling for the hotel, as I was leaving the next day. Just a heads up, as I tell it like I experience in all my travel articles. So when I say “I’m impressed,” you know it.
About a block from the hotel is the Roxy Theater, (www.roxysdowntown.com) with a disguised rear entrance for the uninitiated, to a funky building housing a dinner theater. The food was acceptable for Dinner Theater fare and their production of Avenue Q, was one of the best I have seen. The wait staff had more tables than they could easily accommodate. I’d recommend the Roxy, now you know what to expect.
A pleasant unexpected surprise is the Tanganyika Wildlife Park (www.twpark.com) where wild animals including a plethora of giraffes, a Rhino, a variety of primates are among the surprises. Roaming the expansive grounds, even during a rain shower is a recommended experience where you can slow down and enjoy nature and its creations.
Who’d think that there was a goat farm in Kansas that also served adult beverages and farm to table gourmet lunches which is Elderslie Farm.
(https://eldersliefarm.com) Being a family owned operation from chef to owner tour guide, the home-grown sincerity rang throughout the farm, from goat milking and cheese making to the wood working of heritage wood into tables, shelves and doors. Admiration goes out to Elderslie Farm for their preservation of tender loving care and investment in preservation. They even have a large blackberry patch that is a community pick and share in June. The season for blackberries is brief – influenced heavily by the unpredictable spring weather. Reserve a tour and luncheon here – you will be surprised.
Talk about surprises, two dining establishments blew my critical socks off. Georges, a true French bistro, (http://georgesfrenchbistro.com/) located in an unprepossessing strip mall, will delight your taste buds. My luncheon Martini and Prosciutto Eggs Benedict with truffle frites, was accented by the continental waiter and the chatter of the accompanying “ladies who lunch,” who find this their congenial gathering place.
6Steakhouse, (www.6ssteakhouse.com) located out near the Zoo and offering lake front views, is an upscale dining experience not to be passed by. An aged steak prepared to my specification, even with a second “more heat” request, was memorable. What they call creamed corn is a unique roasted corn medley, from which you could make an entire meal. A relatively new establishment promises many years of good times with their sleek upscale interior dining and even an added education into the ageing of fine beef, I found enlightening. (if you say “6S” fast enough it can sound like, success.)
Of course, Wichita is known for its Keeper or the Plains symbolic statue with its reflections in the river, is still an attraction to be viewed anytime.

The veteran The Museum of World Treasures, warehouse style building https://worldtreasures.org   is a long-time Wichita resident. It offers mainly replicas of world history documents and artifacts, (including Custer’s button up fly underwear). Seeing many letters of world figures and artifacts can be quite educational for the youth, along with the ever-popular T-Rex skeleton. Also you can enjoy the gardens of Botanica (https://botanica.org) and the restored WWII B29 bomber at B-29 Doc Hangar and Educational Center (www.b29doc.com) .
The best surprise of all was the Wichita Art Museum’s (www.wichitaartmuseum.org) limited showing of what could be called the most comprehensive overview of the Works and Life of Georgia O’Keeffe. Having seen many exhibitions of her work, I was delighted to see her paintings and timeline juxtaposed with her actual artifacts and many of her dresses. Hurry to see this unique collection as it closes June 23rd!
To help with your Wichita surprises contact them at: www.visitwichita.com.

By Darlene Franklin

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 31

The year I was born (1954), President Eisenhower added the words “under God” to the pledge. The words hold a special place in my heart, for personal and patriotic reasons. Let’s raise the standard high to the music of Key, Sousa, Springsteen, and Cohen. 44
Although no other flag can replace the importance or meaning of the red, white, and blue in my life, I’ve lived under at least six different flags during my faith like the amusement parks of the same name. To the national flag, I would add three state flags, my family crest, and the
Christian flag. 55
At sixty-four, my life divides neatly into three twenty-year segments. I spent the first score of years in New England, mostly Maine; ten years in Oklahoma; twenty in Colorado; and now another ten years in Oklahoma. In between sprinkle brief stints in New Jersey, Texas, and Arkansas for job and school. 51
The flags for Maine, Colorado and Oklahoma differ widely. They each, in style and content, fairly scream the essence of the state they represent. 24
Maine’s flag depicts a moose laying on grass between ocean and a white pine tree, flanked on by a sailor and a farmer. If the state animal and tree left me in doubt, I couldn’t miss the bold letters proclaiming “Maine.” The state motto, “Dirigo,” means “I lead.” I chuckle to myself as I picture Mainers saying, “That’s right. We’re going to do things our way, and who cares about the rest of the world?” It makes me nostalgic to look at the flag. 84
Colorado’s flag is in your face in a very different way. The bold red C emblazoned upon a blue-white-blue striped background shares its colors with the United States flag. But such a simple design would never rep resent California, and I doubt Connecticut would add a gold nugget in the middle of the C. Clear blue skies, white snow, golden sunshine – that’s my Colorado. 64
The Indian war shield with a peace pipe and olive branch could only belong to Oklahoma. I agree with the words of its pledge, “its symbols of peace unite all people.” Not that Oklahoma has a perfect record—nowhere does—but I love living in a state where contemporary Indian life marches seamlessly and colorfully alongside our state life. 59
If Maine represents my past, and Colorado the stuff of my dreams, Oklahoma represents who I am today—at peace after a trauma-filled past. 24
Research into the crest for my maiden name Sparks revealed several surprises. For one things, “Sparks” is derived from Sparrowhawk, the favorite falcon of Richard the Lion-Hearted. One of his falconers took it as his surname, representing his occupation. When the Sparrowhawk and the Lion-Hearted fought side by side during the Crusades, the falconer saved the king’s life on two occasions. 62
I don’t know with one hundred percent legacy that Sparrowhawk is my ancestor, but it’s possible. I love the family crest. The family motto, “swift and true,” also comes from King Richard—the words he used to describe his favorite falcon. 41
Atop the crest stands a leopard with fire spewing from its mouth. Hmm, a big cat. I’m a Leo by birth, and I wonder if my affinity to all things cats is a family trait. The lively, fiery disposition attributed to Sparks has also been true of me. The green and gold checkered background both suggest the country—Scotland—but also qualities of generosity, elevation of mind, hope. 68
I bet everyone’s family flag holds similar interesting revelations. 9
What about the Christian flag? When I pledge allegiance to the flag and to the Bible, I declare my loyalty to “one Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe,” as well as “God’s Holy Word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.” 72
Combined, they speak to me not of patriotism, but of my core values. I am daughter of the king, my birthright through my Savior, and that brings liberty to me, and to those around me. 35
Let’s take a few moments this month to think about the flags that represent our past, our present, and our future heritage. 22 193

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