Seniors from Oklahoma participating in the National Senior Games which was held recently in Pittsburgh, PA represented the state well, finishing with a balanced number of medals, 22 Gold, 23 Silver and 24 Bronze for a total medal count of 69, this number does not include the number of ribbons that were won for fourth through seventh place finishers. While the Oklahoma athletes finished in the lower tier of the medal count, they faired well. The state with the highest number of total medals was Florida with 586 with 19 states gathering at least 100 total medals. View the final results at https://nsga.com/results-2023/.
The next National Senior Games will be in Des Moines, Iowa in 2025. Oklahoma seniors can begin preparing for that competition this September through October. While not a qualifying year, preparing this year will get you headed to qualifying in 2024. Check out the list of events and dates the OSG Facebook page or on the website, at https://okseniorgames.com.

Story and photo by Van Mitchell. Staff Writer

teve Gentling likes being involved and engaged in the community.
He has served in that capacity as both a private citizen, and as Mayor of Guthrie since 2015.
“When we moved to Guthrie, I got pretty involved with a lot of different community activities,” he said. “I joined the Lions Club right off the bat. I became a member of the ‘89er Day Parade Committee and ultimately chaired it for four or five years. I was chairman of the Logan County United Way for three years, and as a board member of American Legion Post 58. I got involved with a lot of local community activities. making a (good) community even better.”
After Gentling retired as the director of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Oklahoma City, his desire to serve continued.
“When I retired, I still wanted to continue to be engaged and involved,” Gentling said. “Some people came and said, “You might want to think about running for mayor. I hadn’t really thought of it too much. I had been, again, engaged with a lot of community activities, but not with governmental activities. I thought about what I had to contribute, and thought about wanting to make the community even better. So, I decided to run.”
Born in Rochester, Minn., Gentling said early on in his life he decided he wanted to be a hospital administrator.
He went to graduate school at University of Missouri at Columbia, Missouri in Health Administration. “They had a VA hospital there in Columbia and I did a residency there, and liked it,” he said. “They offered me a job out of graduate school, and so I joined the VA healthcare system. And then moved around, went from Columbia, to Albuquerque, to Minneapolis, to Madison, to Omaha, to Dallas, to Oklahoma City. I spent 36 years in the VA healthcare system. The last 20 years as as the Director of the VA Medical Center in Oklahoma City.
Gentling and his wife Sue have three adult children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, all who live in Oklahoma.
“When we originally came to Oklahoma City, we lived in Edmond,” he said. “Then as I got closer to looking at retirement, again, having lived in Minnesota, we always liked to live on, be on the water. I started looking around for some property that was on water and just happened to find a lot on Lake Guthrie. We built a home and moved from Edmond to Guthrie.”
Gentling said his leadership and communication skills have helped him as mayor
“I think I have some skill sets that facilitate bringing people together, focusing on where we are and where we want to be,” he said.”
Gentling said he campaigned on the need to generate more revenue for the Guthrie community and to increase the city’s sales tax.
“In the next year, 2016, we went to the people with a three-quarters of a cent sales tax increase, and it passed,” he said. “It was for 15 years, and will generate about $19 million over those 15 years. From my perspective, I think that was really one of the things that really helped us start to move ahead, start to do some things.”
Gentling said it takes a team effort to build community success, and has high praise for Guthrie’s leadership team that includes new City Manager Eddie Faulkner, and former City Manager Leroy Alsup, the city administration staff, and members of the city council maximizing the resources that are available to the city.
“Leroy and Eddie, I think, are just quality people that have contributed significantly to our community in their administration of the city and of the resources,” he said. “The council, seven different people, sometimes seven different views. I think we’ve been able to come together to do what is best for Guthrie. I think we’ve listened to citizens. And, I think generally we have been pretty much a close-knit council.”
Gentling said Guthrie is tackling its biggest project with a new $20 million wastewater treatment plant.
“That’s the biggest financial project that this community has ever undertaken, and it should be finished in 2025,” he said. “A large project that we just got the go ahead on, which actually was one of my visions back in 2016, was a youth sports complex. We’ve got a $1 million grant, we’ve matched that with $1 million for phase one, $2 million phase one to enhance our youth sports complex. I see it as an economic engine for the community. I see it as it being one of the go-to places for youth and adult softball, baseball tournaments. I see it as a significant revenue generator for our community down the road.”
Gentling said Guthrie is growing with at least 800 new homes being built in the next few years.
“We’ve got four new community developments, housing developments that when they’re all finished will add about 800 rooftops to our community, that’s significant,” he said.
Gentling said he is a positive person, and tries to relay that in everything he does.
“I’m a cheerleader. I am a very optimistic person, so I see the very positives in everything and everybody,” Gentling said. “That’s why I don’t call them problems, I call them opportunities. And some would say, “Well, he’s got his rose colored-glasses on.” Well, if that’s the testament on my tombstone, I’ll be happy with that. Because I much prefer to see the goodness and the positivity rather than the negativity.”

National Newspaper Carrier Day on September 4th recognizes the dedicated newspaper carriers (yes, they are still delivering) who deliver the news in the wee hours of the morning.
A lot has changed since the first newspaper carrier. Not only have the routines changed, but their methods and the age of the people delivering has changed, too. However, the newspaper carrier still exists in some form. Each and every newspaper carrier owe their start to an enterprising young immigrant in New York City over 180 years ago. As the tradition gradually fades, their history becomes no less fascinating.
According to a captioned photo released by the Museum of the City of New York, The Sun‘s publisher Benjamin Day hired the first paperboy on Septemeber 4, 1833. A 10-year-old Barney Flaherty answered the advertisement that September day. And although the ad specified for “steady men” to apply, Flaherty so impressed the editor that Day was so impressed by the boy’s sincerity; he gave him the job.
Down on the corner, passersby soon heard Flaherty hawking his sales pitch. Eventually, the universal chorus of boys (and sometimes girls) calling, “Paper! Get your paper, here!” could be heard on the streets selling papers.
“A number of steady men can find employment by vending this paper. A liberal discount is allowed to those who buy to sell again.” ~ Benjamin Day’s 1833 advertisement in The Sun.
In 1960, The Newspaper Carrier Hall of Fame was created. It acknowledges some famous newspaper carriers in our nation’s history, too. Included in the Newspaper Carrier Hall of Fame are Martin Luther King Jr., Warren Buffet, and John Wayne.
Note from the publisher:

Nearly every time I attend an event, I meet someone that delivered papers at some point in their lives.
My brother and I started selling GRIT newspapers. Kids could buy these “Enquirer” type publications – 50 at a time – out of the ad section in comic books. I think we paid eight cents per copy and stood outside Gibson’s Department store in McAlester and hawked those papers to customers for a quarter. It wasn’t much, but it paid for our next batch of papers and a bunch of junk food and soda pop.
Later we delivered the Mcalester News Capital and really started making money, LOL. I’ve been in the business for 53 years, all because of GRIT. Oh, and my Grandpa, for sitting at Gibson’s Department store watching us sell those GRIT copies – sometimes all day!
Times have changed (and I’m still not in the Hall of Fame with John Wayne) but the 55-plus crowd still loves picking up our newspaper every month. Advertisers know that when they contact us – and we are sure glad they do.
Take care of those newspaper carriers this month. Give a pat on the back to our SNL delivery folks that work so hard to make sure you have your latest copy of Oklahoma’s Senior News and Living.
By the way, I love hearing your stories. So if you delivered newspapers or just know a funny story, send me an email at news@okveterannews.com. Who knows, maybe I’ll publish your nugget so more than 60,000 seniors can enjoy.

Ensign William Michael Finnegan, was appointed Ensign on Nov. 18, 1941, after rising to Chief Radio Electrician.
Ensign is the junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy. As division officers, Ensigns were in charge of overseeing the work of a crew of seamen and petty officers in a specific division. As a Chief Radio Electrician, Finnegan was required to qualify for the ratings of Radioman, Aviation Radioman, Radio Technician, Radarman, and Soundman.
In addition to the USS Oklahoma, Finnigan’s Duty Stations included USS Nevada (BB 36), USS Tennessee (BB 43), Naval Air Station San Diego, CA, USS Ranger (CV 4), Headquarters, 15th Naval District, USS Farquhar (DD 304), New York Navy Yard, NY, Radio School, Cambridge, MA and Recruit Training, Great Lakes, IL
Awards and Decorations include: Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal (2), American Defense Service Medal (Fleet Clasp), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (Bronze Star), World War II Victory Medal and the American Campaign Medal.
Ensign William Finnegan was born in Bessemer, Michigan and died during the Dec. 7 attack on Pearl Harbor. Finnegan will be buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, on September. 7th.

https://tealridge.com/

Story and phots by Darl DeVault, contributing editor

Volunteer residents and staff will host a free Sip & Shop Craft and Health Fair Extravaganza at 10 a.m. Saturday, October 14, at Saint Ann Assisted and Independent Living. Last year, 90 vendors and 1,500 shoppers enjoyed the holiday market.
Campus Director Joyce Clark says Sip & Shop is an excellent example of how the senior living community designs daily life around an emphasis on fun and resident-centered services. She says this year’s market will likely be the most well-attended event ever staged in the 21-year history of the northwest Oklahoma City independent and assisted living community.
“Sip & Shop will be an affordable and entertaining way for people to purchase their Christmas gifts and other items,” Clark said in an interview. “Resident volunteers are actively involved in the planning and management of the market.” “After the market, we have a second celebration by raffling door prizes donated by generous exhibitors to our residents.”
The retail and health exhibitor lineup features many diverse vendors.
Showcases of crafts, food, art, senior services, healthcare, vintage items, and an extensive array of items are offered. “With so much variety, there should be something for everyone,” said Clark. “I personally am attracted to the handmade linens, food, barn quilts, clothes, jewelry, wood crafts, and engravings,” Clark said. “One of the rewarding outcomes of Sip & Shop is how we support and promote local small businesses and entrepreneurs.”
Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City Eusebius J. Beltran’s vision of a senior living ministry motivated the Archdiocese to develop the campus 21 years ago. The assisted and independent living center is a not-for-profit Catholic organization serving people of all faiths, featuring a chapel, Chaplain, and daily Mass. It includes 120 independent living apartments, 50 assisted living apartments and a convent.
The “Sip” part of the event will be free apple cider and wine tastings. Put A Cork In It, a local company, will host the wine tastings. The wine venue has been a Bricktown mainstay since 2008, offering award-winning wines.
Archwell Health, Oklahoma Senior Journal, and Put A Cork In It are major sponsors of Sip & Shop. Oklahoma Senior Journal’s radio show on The Eagle 96.9 station will broadcast live from Saint Ann the hour before the event starts. An estimated audience of 22,000 people will hear the program. Organizers say the radio show adds a spark to attract visitors to the fun-filled day.
“Our hard-working dining services staff will make close to 400 lunches for exhibitors, residents, and employees,” Clark said. The neighbor next door to the west, Zion Lutheran Church, will provide overflow parking. Shuttles will circle to make sure people quickly get back and forth.
Saint Ann Assisted and Independent Living is located at 7501 W. Britton Road in Oklahoma City. Residents of all walks of life enjoy the home’s active lifestyle and caring atmosphere.
Organizers say remodeling is in the works for the cozy campus and is set to begin soon after the Sip & Shop event in October.
For more info, call Lisa at (405) 721-0747 Ext 322 or visit https://www.saintannretirementcenter.com/ Independent Living | Assisted Living OKC | Saint Ann Retirement Center

By Nick Thomas

First screened in movie theaters during the early 1920s, the “Our Gang” film series was produced for another two decades and featured an ever-changing cast of children, showcasing their comedic neighborhood antics.
Throughout the series of some 220 short films created by producer Hal Roach, about 40 child actors appeared regularly beginning in 1922’s silent era and continuing through 1944. Sidney Kibrick is one of the last surviving “Our Gang” cast regulars.
Kibrick, 95, appeared in more than 2-dozen ‘Gang’ shorts, initially as an unnamed character but eventually anointed with the nickname ‘Woim,’ the exaggerated Brooklyn pronunciation of ‘worm.’ Other well-known members of the gang included Spanky (George McFarland), Butch (Tommy Bond), Buckwheat (Billie Thomas), and Alfalfa (Carl Switzer).
“We’d have 2 hours of schooling in the morning and then work anywhere from 6 to 16 hours until we finished,” recalled Kibrick from his home in Los Angeles. “There was a lot of work, no question about it, but our director Gordon Douglas was a terrific guy and he was really able to get a lot out of each kid.”
Despite the long hours, there was occasionally time to relax and be a kid off-camera.
“There was a big pond at the studio, so Spanky and I would go fishing a lot,” said Kibrick. “We developed a lifelong friendship and although he moved to Dallas while I lived in Beverly Hills, we used to visit and stay at each other’s homes time and time again over the years.”
Despite dozens of kids running around on set, Kibrick remembers things never getting out of control.
“We had scripts and had to rehearse before shooting so it was very structured,” he recalled. “Parents had to be on the set at all times.”
And while most of the young actors got along, Kibrick remembers one troublemaker.
“Alfalfa (Switzer) was a very difficult kid and created a lot of problems on the set. He was not nice – not only to the gang, but to the boys and girls who were extras in the movies. It was just his nature. Years later, he was killed in a fight, so he was basically a tough kid.”
So too was Kibrick’s character, Woim.
“I was Butch’s sidekick and we were the bad guys always taking on Spanky, Alfalfa, and Darla (Hood),” he explained.
Born in Minneapolis, young Sid was just an infant when the family moved to Los Angeles so his dad could find better work and was later ‘discovered’ after turning five.
“My mother took us to Grauman’s Chinese theater and after the movie, a man came over to us, pointed at me, and said he could ‘use that little kid in the movies,’” Kibrick recalled. His parents really pushed him and his brother, Leonard, into acting.
“I was earning $750 a week in ‘Our Gang’ which was a lot in those days, especially during the Depression,” he said. “But by the time I was 15, I’d had enough. My parents wanted me to continue but finally my mother went along with my wishes. I later attended college and became a real estate developer. So I had a very successful post-Hollywood career.”
Last year, Kibrick attended the opening of an exhibit at the Hollywood Museum honoring the 100th anniversary of the “Our Gang” series. “It’s nice to be remembered!” he said.
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/.

Ruby Miller

(Right) Ruby Miller was 100 on April 10, 2023. She lived in Hominy all her life and was a meat cutter and caregiver until retiring in her 90s. Ruby loves Christmas, having the family together, seeing grandkids happy and cooking big meals.

Georgia Friedman

(Left) Georgia Friedman celebrated her 100th birthday today in Bartlesville. She loves music from the Big Band Era, a big pot of spaghetti for the family & meatloaf.
Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday because of the food & watching her family play the annual touch football game called “The Turkey Bowl!” She loved to wear hats so her words of wisdom for younger people: “Take care of your skin; wear hats; use sunscreen; work hard & enjoy your family!”

Loretta Marshall

(Right) Loretta (Keller) Marshall of Hydro celebrated her 100th birthday earlier this year. She was a farmer, homemaker, mother & housekeeper. She keeps her yard & its many flowers & cactus in beautiful condition & mows a half acre lawn. She was the only church organist for her Parrish (Hinton Sacred Heart Catholic Church) for 52 years.

Bill Eugene Muncy

(Right) WWII Army Veteran Bill Eugene Muncy celebrated his 100th birthday today in McAlester.
He enjoys family gatherings, traveling, fishing & being outdoors. Candy bars were the only gifts he requested for his birthday. Thank You for Your Service and Welcome to the Centenarians Hall of Fame.

KNOW A CENTENARIAN?
If you know of a Centenarian you would like to honor, please visit
http://centenariansok.com/ and download and submit our form.

https://www.harborchase.com/harborchase-south-oklahoma-city/?utm_campaign=gmb

There are a lot of people in the 50+ demographic.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census there are more than 370,000 from Guthrie to Norman and Choctaw to El Reno. By 2030, that number will exceed 400,000. That’s a lot of people who have this season of life in common.
We are living longer.
The face of aging is changing, for good. Due to great medicine, people are living longer – some well past a century. Estimates are on any given day 400 Oklahomans are over 100 years old. Many are cognitively sharp. VillagesOKC has members in that esteemed category.
We need to know whom to trust.
Oklahoma City has experienced hundreds of new companies in home health, hospice, healthy living, and specialty services to “help” with all the decisions. Every company’s brochure says “really care.” Which one to choose? VillagesOKC is here to connect seniors and families with trusted healthcare professionals and businesses whom we know personally.
Families want resources too.
Many seniors have loving families with willing support but are not close by -– available within 20 minutes. VillagesOKC is available to fill the gaps.
Retirement Centers, Independent and Assisted Living are an option.
There is a wide variety of senior living options in Oklahoma City. Seeing communities personally and the benefits, considering the benefits and costs is the only way to determine the best choice. VillagesOKC can suggest professionals who help with where to start and what to ask.
Many people want to age in their own homes.
Having trusted connections for home maintenance, insurance, roof repair, the yard, changes in Medicare insurance is helpful. VillagesOKC is also the connection for new friends and positive education.
Why Villages? Why now?
Isolation is deadly. VillagesOKC is the one connection for people across Oklahoma City.
Wherever we reside, getting up each day with a purpose and having daily social connections are as essential as food.

(Note: For a free copy of the US Surgeon General’s recent report on Loneliness and Isolation, call (405)990-6637 or email info@VillagesOKC.org)

The Pioneer Woman Museum is excited to host its annual Prairie to Palate fundraising dinner on Thursday, September 21, from 6-9 p.m. The event will be held on the beautiful lawn of the Pioneer Woman Museum in Ponca City.
Prairie to Palate is an outdoor, farm-to-table dining experience. Enjoy a night of delicious food, wine, live music, and a silent auction. Dinner will be provided by Stagecoach BBQ & Catering, dessert by Banana Crate, drinks by Vortex Alley Brewing and El Patio, and live music by Ryan Burkett. All proceeds support the Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue’s operating costs throughout the year.
Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased online at the PWM website. Bottomless drinks with a souvenir-etched Pioneer Woman Museum pint or wine glass can be purchased for an additional $12.50. Please RSVP by Friday, September 15.
Corporate sponsorships are available for $1,000 each. This covers eight dinners with bottomless drinks and souvenir glasses.
The Pioneer Woman Museum is located at 701 Monument Rd. in Ponca City. For more information, please call 580-765-6108 or visit their website, https://www.pioneerwomanmuseum.com/.
The Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit https://www.okhistory.org/.