story and photos by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

A couple months ago, Raymond Duncan drove up to El Reno to accept a hand-made-quilt commemorating his military service.
Membership in three difference veterans organizations makes Duncan well known in World War II circles.
And even at 98, he remembers much of what he did like it was yesterday.
Duncan entered into the service in 1942, the year before 5.1 million American young men were drafted.
“No, I volunteered,” he said.
Living in Oklahoma City and working at an auto salvage company, Duncan heard the news that Pearl Harbor had been bombed.
“They were fighting on both sides of this country. I knew I had to be in it,” he said of his later enlistment.
He spent 18 months to the day in the aerial warfare service branch, which would later become the U.S. Air Force.
From Ft. Still to Florida then to Tulsa for aircraft mechanic school he eventually found himself in the 487th Heavy Bombardment Group.
After three months of training in New Mexico his unit was shipped to Europe and Lavenham Air Force Base.
The British vessel the Duchess of Bedford took Duncan and his unit across the pond.
“We led the largest air raid during World War II,” he smiled of the Dec. 24, 1944 air raid that included more than 1,400 B-24s.
That raid – targeting the airfields at Babenhausen, Germany – was led by Brigadier Gen. Frederick Castle.
Castle was air commander and leader of more than 2,000 heavy bombers in the strike. En route to the target, the failure of one engine forced him to relinquish his place at the head of the formation.
In order not to endanger friendly troops on the ground below, he refused to jettison his bombs to gain speed and maneuverability. His lagging, unescorted aircraft became the target of numerous enemy fighters which ripped the left wing with cannon shells, set the oxygen system afire, and wounded 2 members of the crew.
Repeated attacks started fires in 2 engines, leaving the Flying Fortress in imminent danger of exploding. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, the bail-out order was given. Without regard for his personal safety he remained alone at the controls to afford all other crewmembers an opportunity to escape.
The raid would earn Castle the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Duncan’s days were spent on the ground working on B-24s and B-17s, the latter he still wears an emblem to commemorate on his belt buckle.
He built himself a hut a few feet away from the airplane he would be working on. The accommodations – made out of plywood boxes that carried bombs or tools – were better than the barracks he figured.
The bombers would go out, deliver their payload and come back.
Sometimes they wouldn’t.
“It was more of a solemn situation,” he said. “I never knew who was going to fly my airplane. I didn’t have any idea what would happen. I never knew the 15 months I worked there that I lost a B-24.”
“They were shot down 60 miles southwest of Brussels. I just found out a few years ago on the Internet.”
When he exited the service he arrived in Florida and grabbed the last bus headed home.
“When I got on the bus it was already loaded. I stood up on that bus all night long until we got to Mississippi or Alabama until I finally got a seat,” he said.
Back in Oklahoma, he found a job at Tinker Air Force and eventually rose to the position of supervisor of maintenance and the task of unofficially leading 11,000 workers since he only had a business college degree and not a four-year college degree.
Nevertheless, he spent 27 years at Tinker as a civilian.
Along the way he married and had two girls.
Looking back, he still struggles with wrapping his head around what happened.
“Indirectly, I can say truthfully that I was responsible for killing more people in the war than anybody in Oklahoma,” he says. “Now the Bible says ‘thou shall not kill.’ I don’t know how to feel about that.”
“It’s hard, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
It was nearly a decade ago that Duncan received a package in the mail with a Presidential citation and a box full of medals his service had earned him.
“I’ve tried to write down a lot of this history I’ve got stitched here and there,” he said.
Most days you’ll find him at the Warr Acres Senior Center.
“This is my home away from home,” Duncan said of his morning domino and coffee stop.
But no matter where he’s at, he’ll never forget what brought him to this point.

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Every year, 800,000 new strokes are reported in the U.S.
Strokes happen all the time, and yes, it can happen to you. Approximately 20 percent of stroke victims are between the ages of 20 and 55. Knowing the signs of stroke and acting quickly can make the difference between saving a life and a tragic outcome.
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. Unfortunately, few people know what a stroke is and how to recognize when a stroke is happening, according to the National Stroke Association.
But what medical professionals call the “Golden Hour” when someone is having a stroke can make all the difference in the world. The reason the first hour is golden is because stroke patients have a much greater chance of surviving and avoiding long-term brain damage if they arrive at the hospital and receive treatment with a clot-busting drug called TPA within that first hour.
“Time saved is brain saved,” says Mary Pinzon, who is a stroke education nurse at INTEGRIS. “Time lost is brain lost. That’s why recognizing the signs of stroke is so important. Immediately knowing what to do when someone is having a stroke can save someone’s life and help them avoid brain damage. If you suspect someone is having a stroke, the absolute first thing to do is call 9-1-1,” she says.
According to a study from the American Heart Association, every minute in which a stroke is untreated, the average patient loses 1.9 million neurons, 13.8 billion synapses, and seven miles of axonal fibers. With each hour in which treatment fails to occur, the brain loses as many neurons as it does in almost 3.6 years of normal aging.
“Time is of the essence. I can’t stress that enough,” says Pinzon.
Pinzon’s favorite saying is “Each One, Teach One.” In that spirit, after you read this, learn the signs of stroke and what to do in those precious first minutes, pass it on. You just might save someone’s life.
What is considered a stroke?
A stroke occurs when blood flow to an area of the brain is cut off, causing brain cells to be deprived of oxygen and die. A stroke can cause life-altering, devastating changes like loss of speech, movement and memory.
“Stroke is a SUDDEN onset of symptoms when just a minute ago a person was fine,” Pinzon says. There are two major types of strokes, but each one is treated differently.
The most common type of stroke is an Ischemic Stroke, which causes a loss of oxygen to the brain due to a blockage of a vessel in the brain. Roughly 85 to 88 percent of strokes fall under this category.
“It’s so important to get treatment immediately for Ischemic Stroke because we now have a clot-buster called TPA (Tissue Plasminogen Activator). It’s an enzyme drug that can dissolve clots, and any stroke-ready hospital can administer it,” says Pinzon.
A hemorrhagic stroke is rarer but is caused when a blood vessel ruptures in the brain. High blood pressure is the number one cause of hemorrhagic strokes.
“When you arrive at the hospital, the ER will immediately order a CAT scan to see what type of stroke you are having,” Pinzon says. “That’s why you shouldn’t give someone having a stroke an aspirin. If they are having a brain bleed, it could make it worse.”
BE FAST with signs of stroke
Each year, about 185,000 people die from a stroke, but if you know the warning signs, you can help save a life. “Any one of these symptoms could indicate a stroke, which is still more reason to know the signs and why time is so important,” Pinzon says.
Pinzon says the best way to identify stroke symptoms is the acronym BE FAST.
B – Balance. A loss of balance or the sudden inability to stand or walk.
E – Eyes. A sudden loss of vision, changes in vision and blurred vision are symptoms of a stroke.
F – Face. Ask the patient to “show your teeth” and smile. A crooked smile is an indicator of stroke.
A – Arms. Ask the victim to hold up both arms with palms facing skyward. Look to see if one arm drifts down or cannot be lifted.
S – Speech. Slurred or garbled speech indicates a stroke, as does a strange giggle while talking.
T – Terrible headache. An explosive headache is the hallmark of a bleeding stroke.
Remember, time is the key to surviving a stroke. Again, call 9-1-1 first.
One other very important tip: never give a suspected stroke victim anything by mouth. Says Pinzon, “Not a sip of water. Not an aspirin. Nothing. Many stroke victims have trouble swallowing and may choke to death.”
Though stroke remains a killer, recent and ever-changing medical advances are improving survival rates every year. The right care, if done right away, can save lives and quality of life. For more information about stroke and how to recognize the signs, visit the INTEGRIS James R. Daniel Stroke Center.
To have a free stroke education training at your workplace, call Mary Pinzon, RN, CPE, M.Ed., at 405-644-6867.

www.fountainbrookliving.com

The YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City has partnered with Caleb’s Cause Foundation for the month of June to host a Diaper Drive at all 16 Greater Oklahoma City YMCA branch locations to collect diapers for Oklahoma children in need. Locations include all metro area branches, including Oklahoma City and Edmond and extend as far north as Guthrie and Stillwater and as far southwest as Chickasha. For a complete list of drop off locations, please visit www.ymcaokc.org/locations.
Everyone is welcome to drop off unopened packages of diapers to the box located in the lobby of each YMCA branch location during regular business hours. The box will display Caleb’s Cause Foundation’s information on it and unopened packages of diapers of all sizes and brands will be accepted, however, sizes 4, 5 and 6 are suggested due to the greater need in Oklahoma. Diaper Drive boxes will be available from June 1 – 30th. Caleb’s Cause Foundation will distribute all donated diapers to various pantries and resource centers around the state to serve Oklahoma children and families in need.
“YMCA has a long history of strengthening communities through various causes,” said YMCA VP of Communications Rachel Klein. “Caleb’s Cause Foundation struck us as a vital resource for young families and we want to help support by giving our members and community the opportunity to get involved and show kids how to help other kids within our own neighborhoods.”
Caleb’s Cause Foundation is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization created to allow children of all ages to be able to serve local children in need by providing diapers to thousands of Oklahoma children each year in an effort to stop child abuse. Founded in 2012 by Marcie Hines and her young son Caleb as a way to get involved in the community, they discovered there were limited opportunities for children to serve other children. Through their research, they discovered that a lack of diapers is one of the leading causes of child abuse. There are currently no state programs that cover the cost of diapers, a necessity for all children. Through prayer and guidance, Caleb’s Cause Foundation was created; to allow children to serve and be served.
Since July of 2012, Caleb and other children in the community have been able to help thousands of local children in need by participating in Caleb’s Cause Foundation’s annual fundraisers, as well as diaper drives they have held themselves. All in an effort to one day supply diapers to every child in need across the state of Oklahoma.
“Our families are having to make decisions of buying food for that week, or gas or buying that pack of diapers because they’re expensive,” said Founder of Caleb’s Cause Foundation Marcie Hines.
Did You Know?
There are no government programs that provide diapers or cover the cost.
An infant needs an average of 12 diapers a day, while a toddler needs 8.
Some low-income families are forced to keep their children in one diaper a day!
Statistics reveal not having enough diapers for daily changes causes: * Increased health problems * Child abuse is more likely to occur due to non-stop crying from continually wearing soiled diapers * Parent’s often miss work and keep their children out of daycare due to the lack of diapers * Some children with disabilities never outgrow the need for diapers, placing additional financial and emotional strain on struggling parents
For more information on how you can help or to host a diaper drive at your business, please visit www.CalebsCauseFoundation.org.

To schedule an interview with Caleb’s Cause Foundation and YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City, please contact Nicole Thomas at (405) 706-7484 or Info@CalebsCauseFoundation.org.

Storm victims with insurance will be protected after a bulletin was issued today by the Oklahoma Insurance Department. The bulletin directs all insurance companies to keep coverage in effect for storm victims for the next 30 days.
“The effects of the severe weather and flooding have made it difficult for Oklahomans to carry out every day activities, much less tend to their insurance premiums,” Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready said. “This is the time that storm victims need their insurance company to be on their side and why the Insurance Department is calling for a moratorium on policy cancellations.” The bulletin applies to all insurance entities, including health maintenance organizations, accident and health insurers, third party administrators, discount medical plan organizations, property and casualty insurers, surplus and excess lines insurers and county mutual insurers. It includes property and casualty insurance, life insurance, accident and health insurance, disability insurance and all lines of coverage regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department.
Some key points of the bulletin are:
* All coverage for storm victims shall continue under all insurance policies for the next 30 days.
* Storms victims can get a copy of their insurance policy free of charge.
* Any rate increases for policies in the affected areas filed on or after the effective date of the bulletin will be deferred.

by Vickie Jenkins
Staff Writer

Touchmark is the premier retirement community in north Edmond where they offer elegant independent and assisted living plus memory care. Their mission is to enrich people’s lives.
This is where you will meet Debi K. Sims, RN, BSN, BF-CMT, and Touchmark’s Memory Care Manager where she has been working for the last four years. Debi has been a nurse for a total of 23 years and loves every minute of it. “I can’t imagine doing anything else,” she said.
Growing up in the bay area of California, she moved here with her parents in the mid 60’s and has lived here ever since. Attending nursing school, she received her BSN at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. “My first job as a nurse was at Rolling Hills Psychiatric center in Ada, OK. I worked with adolescent boys. I still have a lot of friends from those days and it remains one of my favorite jobs. I never would have seen myself as a nurse manager if Brian McCoun hadn’t pushed me in that direction. Now, I can’t image doing anything else,” she commented. Unless, I had followed my childhood dream of being an artist,” she said with a laugh. “Doesn’t everyone want to grow up and be an artist?” she asked.
There are several special people from Debi’s life that influenced her to be a nurse. “That would be my mother, Patsy Marie Penrod, and her patient-my sister, Kellie Marie and my friend, Tom Hunt, RN at Bellevue.”
Debi explains how she became a nurse a little later in life. “My decision to be a nurse came because of a divorce. I had three children to raise and nursing was a way of life for me. I watched my mother take care of my dying sister for years. My mother is my nursing inspiration. My gifts have always been encouragement and teaching and both of those worked out well in the field of nursing,” Debi commented.
Asking Debi what qualities make a good nurse, she replied, “Compassion is good, but a nurse has to be tough, gritty and stand in the gap for the patients or residents that they serve. Many times, you will be the one voice.”
What is your biggest reward as a nurse? “Being a nurse is a daily blessing. I have peace knowing that my hands have worthy work to do and that my life is invested in something that makes a difference in people’s lives; in the patients, families, coworkers and my immediate family,” Debi replied.
What is your biggest challenge? “Protecting my time. I have to balance a demanding schedule and obligations with my chief priorities in life; God, family and career,” she said.
Asking Debi if she had any mentors while she was in school, she said, “Dr. G. Black was my greatest mentor. The first day of class at 34 years old, I sat on the front row of his Zoology class and tears silently streamed down my face as I listened to him discuss the building blocks of all living things. I slowly gathered my books and walked out of the science hall and sat under a tree in absolute shock. I couldn’t do this, I was in over my head, I heard a voice above and looked up and it was Dr. Black.”
“Here, read this chapter that I copied from an old text book, know the material and you will be fine, he said. Then he slowly walked away. I read it and after a few weeks with a big grin on his face he let me know that I had been setting the curve in his class. Sometimes, your whole life can be traced back to one person who encouraged you.”
Debi’s hobbies include her first love of traveling. I also enjoy writing, poetry and scrapbooking. “I love spending time with my greatest blessings of all; my three children: Jillian, April and Hunter, and my two grandsons, Luke and John. Not to forget my faithful dog, Lexi, my long haired mini dachshund.”
As far as encouraging words go, Debi has a poster in her office that has traveled with her from her DON days at Epworth Villa, “The poster is Rosie the Riveter. ‘We can do it!’ Cause we can! As a nurse manager, we are just a part of the team. We never lose sight of the team. No one is more important from the other.”
Summing up her life in one word: “That word is: CHALLENGING.
TOUCHMARK AT COFFEE CREEK is located at 2801 Shortgrass Rd in Edmond. Call (405) 259-4102 or visit www.touchmark.com for more information.

www.CarePluisatHome.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

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.”

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