Tuesday, January 13, 2026

TRAVEL / ENTERTAINMENT: Time Traveling Through the Movies

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

As the years pass on and our stamina decreases, it’s comforting to relive our past travels through memories sparked by a movie. This happens to me more and more these days, as our mobility and stamina restraints keep us from physical traveling. Since physical travel is out of the question, why not time travel: back to our personal travel memories?
This confirms Reality Bites, especially as we get older and our reach exceeds our grasps. We want to do things that just aren’t reality. This past year I scheduled travel with tours and air with hotel reservations and cruises, I had to cancel when I faced up to reality of my senior status. The mind and wishes were willing but the reality of the plans coming to pass was just not feasible. I canceled my trips on a cruise to Norway to see the Fords and explore Edinburgh Scotland, a NYC Broadway show tour and even a family gathering in North Carolina. As those proposed dates have past, I was not too disappointed in them not happening as I weighed it against my comfort level and realization of my bodily restraints. Not saying I am an invalid but I do have mobility and stamina issues. Thus movies on TV is not just a substitute but a pat on the back of all the places I once visited.
When I see a movie with a familiar destination there is a personal connection with memories. Seeing the replaying of the TV series North and South filmed a great deal in South Carolina brings back the enchanting morning spent at the Oak Tree lined avenue of the Boone Hall Plantation. I did have to sneak past the closed gate and drive half way up the road so I could try and make a photo or two of this iconic Southern Plantation locale. I did and seeing my photo brings all the sensory feelings back to life.
Other Southern Plantations have been checked off my bucket list a couple of times. New Orleans is rife with the opportunity to visit Plantations such as Houmas House (Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte) and Oak Alley (Interview with a Vampire) and the French Quarter as well. Visiting theses filmed locations might be considered top locations of my life as well. After many day visits to Oak Alley I booked a cabin on the grounds which afforded me the opportunity to linger under its avenue of oaks after the house tours were over and tourists left. Again I fulfilled a quest to make it a special photography event. At midnight I forced myself to leave my cabin and walk the couple of blocks to the alley of oaks tempting a visit of ghost or vampire. And while none came, it still was a haunting experience.
Prime on my early travel bucket list was Egypt when in 1980 I made that trip down the Nile, (Death on the Nile) along with Abu Simbel, the Pyramids and other ancient ruins. Seeing those locals in the movie brought back my visits and a reality the movie magic could not deliver. In the movie the guests were whisked to Karnak, Abu Simbel, and the Pyramids all in one day, which of course is not physically possible today no less in the 1920 period of the movie. It moved the plot along but having been there the foible of the movie time line was obvious. I wonder how many other movie viewers were as knowledgeable?
Having toured many of the French Chateaus, (Dangerous Liaisons, The Serpent Queen) the external vistas of the movies bring back my tours. So glad I usually add on a couple of free days on to exotic locales is never a regrettable. While the exterior architecture and gardens remain of various chateaus the interiors are usually nothing to see except empty rooms, remembering that the French Revolution stripped away furniture and art. Still roaming the grounds is worth the traveling effort, that is when you are young and able to wander.
The entire city of Savannah (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil -book and movie) is not to be missed in your travels. The elegant town squares surrounded by period houses, including the Mercer House, present an atmosphere like no other. On more one my travels there I was fortunate to meet a few of the real life characters from the book. The time I was there there were tours of the Mercer House where I visited with the Sister of the books protagonist. The unique moss draped Bonaventure Cemetery out side of town, offers a perfect atmosphere so right to accompany the story. You can even find the story’s antagonist Danny Hansford, resting in his grave in the adjacent cemetery.
Movie hotels are another memory jog when you can say I visited or stayed there once: The Plaza,( The Way we Were, Home Alone and others) the Waldorf Astoria, Broadway and Lincoln Center, or on the Mexican or French Riviera, or Rio, or Mt Kenya Safari club Africa, or Monument Valley (featured in so many John Ford westerns).
When you have physically been there, seeing them again in movies, is a real definition of Arm Chair Travel. While the wander lust can still tempt me, I feel comforted that I made the most of my youth travel experiences over the last forty years, and pleased I do not have to now face the challenges of travel. Keep making travel memories and be thankful and cherish the ones completed.

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
3110 N.W. 15 Street – Oklahoma City, OK 73107
https://realtraveladventures.com/?s=terry+zinn
https://realtraveladventures.com/?s=zinn
http://new.okveterannews.com/?s=TERRY+ZINN
www.martinitravels.com

Nursing Professor Celebrates 48 Years of Teaching UCO Students

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Nelda Fister, M.S., R.N. serves as Assistant Professor for the Department of Nursing at the University of Central Oklahoma. She started a “worry envelope” for students to privately share their school/personal worries.

Story and photo by Van Mitchell. Staff Writer

Nelda Fister, M.S., R.N. was born into nursing, and she continues that path today at age 80, as Assistant Professor for the Department of Nursing at the University of Central Oklahoma.
She is serving in her 48th year of teaching at UCO, where she works with 150-170 students each semester.
“I always wanted to be in nursing,” she said. “I grew up on a farm and there were a lot of good doctors/farm families/role models that helped me look at that road.”
Fister was the only member of her family to go to college. She graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1965.
“College was never not going to be an option,” she said. “Neither of my parents completed high school. My mother quit school when her mother died so she could stay home and care for her younger siblings. My father served in World War I, and was preparing to prepare for duty for World War II, when he was notified, the war had ended. Following my parents’ marriage, they settled in the Oklahoma Panhandle and began a hard life of farming during the Depression. It was important to them that their daughter receive a good education, as they believed it would bring opportunities they did not have. They (parents) were going to make it work and they did.”
Fister said her parents’ faith helped shape her desire to help others.
“My parents’ belief in God guided their life, and I learned at an early age that the development of a strong value system, and caring for others was important,” she said. “I was very lucky to have a stable home that provided positive guidance as I navigated the developmental tasks of childhood.”
Prior to beginning her teaching career, she was pediatric supervisor at Wesley Hospital in Oklahoma City. She joined UCO after several years on the faculty at Oklahoma Baptist University.
“I have seen a lot of changes,” she said. “I have worked under six presidents at UCO, and have (taught) thousands of students.”
Fister serves on multiple committees as well as the UCO Faculty Senate.
Her focus on the importance of community involvement was pronounced through helping establish pediatric triage following the April 19, 1995 Alfred P. Murrah bombing.
She has served as Mace Bearer for UCO Commencement Ceremonies, and has multiple honors including the first Excellence in Education Award for Sigma Theta Tau Beta-Delta-Chapter-At-Large. She received the Neely Annual Excellence in Teaching Award in 2019.
The first nursing class from the nursing department at the University of Central Oklahoma graduated in 1972. Since that time, more than 3,500 graduate nurses have entered the workforce.
Students interested in earning a nursing degree from the University of Central Oklahoma now have multiple options for their education. Students may obtain their BS through the Traditional Track Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the Fast Track B.S. in Nursing and the Online R.N. to B.S. track. UCO also offers a two-year Master of Science in Nursing degree.
Fister said success in and out of the classroom requires hard work and dedication.
“Success in the nursing program and later in the profession requires a high degree of responsibility,” she said. “Success in the professional domain is the final outcome of this education. “My goal has been to provide students with an intentional direction to develop study methods that will ensure success as they expand their knowledge base, think critically about concepts, and apply knowledge in a variety of settings. I want them (nursing students) to grow academically, but I also want them to grow professionally.”
Fister’s care for her students reached a new peak this year with the implantation of a “worry envelope” that is posted on a bulletin board outside of her office.
She said it allows students to write down their worries in private.
“They write down their concerns, and if they want me to, I will pray for them,” she said.
Fister said she isn’t sure if this will be her last year teaching at UCO, but adds she has plenty of outside interests including cooking and sewing that would keep her busy.
“I think I am making a difference,” she said. “I keep saying this is going to be my last year, and then I have students send me a note that says you made such a difference. That is what keeps me here. This place has been so much a part of my life. I don’t know what I am going to do, but I have a lot of interests, so I will be okay.”

Senior helps Salvation Army create animal shelter

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Chuck Musgrave helped fund the Salvation Army’s new dog shelter to help further the Army’s outreach.

Story and photos by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

This winter is about to be a little warmer for a few homeless four-legged friends thanks to Chuck Musgrave and the Salvation Army of Central Oklahoma.
Musgrave helped cut the ribbon on the Army’s new dog shelter recently just as the temperatures began to fall.
Musgrave first learned of the project at his Edmond Rotary Club meeting a while back.
The Salvation Army was making a presentation on the variety of services the group offered to Oklahomans.
It wasn’t until after the meeting when he approached a Salvation Army member and asked a question that he got involved.
“I asked them ‘what do you really need? What is it that’s not in your budget that you really need,’” Musgrave recalled. “They explained to me that this was really a pretty vital project of the services that needed to be provided and the people that needed to be served.
“It interested me.”
Salvation Army Advisory Board Chairman Ryan Frace grew up with a father who was a veterinarian. He understands the bond that exists between people and animals and this project was a reminder of that.
“This is an extension of the Salvation Army’s reach here in Central Oklahoma to help individuals and to help their families as well,” Frace said. “I’m honored today to welcome you to the opening of this new kennel for guests that are staying at the shelter that also need support for their family member which happens to be a four-legged family member.”
Every Thursday night a group of Salvation Army volunteers drives into sections of OKC reaching out to the homeless population through Night Watch to serve with compassion, and provide food, blankets, clothing, or toiletries.
Frace has been on those missions and noticed something each time out.
“I know how important pets are in everybody’s lives,” Frace said. “We would go out and it was so prevalent how often people would have an animal with them as a companion as protection and they would make the choice to stay on the streets – sometimes in extremely harsh, inclement weather and dangerous environments to stay with their pets rather than have nowhere for the pet to go and them to come into a shelter.”
Frace said the Salvation Army is breaking new ground in terms of solving the issue that so many face when it comes to deciding between their safety and the safety of their pets.
The shelter itself is fully plumbed with heating and cooling allowing dogs to safely avoid inclement weather less than 100 yards from where their humans will be staying for the night.
Musgrave already was familiar with the Salvation Army and the good it does. He’s routinely worked with the Buck$ 4 Bikes program where the Women’s Auxiliary and its community partners work to raise funds to provide a bike to every child who asks for one during The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program.
Oklahoma Bicycle Society generously donates a new bike helmet for each bike. Last Christmas, Buck$ 4 Bikes was able to provide 594 Christmas wishes to Angel Tree children who requested bikes.
Musgrave is now retired but formerly served as president of Sunbelt Industries, a recycler of aluminum oxide abrasives.
“The thing that called to me was the real need was there but nobody had the capacity to meet the need and the Salvation Army was trying to step up,” said Musgrave, a lifelong dog owner. “The thing about doing business with the Salvation Army is you know the money is not going to be wasted and is going to be meeting the critical needs of people. That makes it a real safe place to participate.”
Musgrave also works with the local Pet Food Pantry so the pet connection was natural for him.
“What I learned at the Pantry was there are people that will feed their pets rather than feed themselves,” he said. “When you think about when you’re alone and don’t have a community support system then your pet is your support system. They think of them like their brother, their sister, or their baby and they’re not going to leave them out.”
Approximately 30 million Americans receive assistance from the Salvation Army each year through a range of social services including outreach to the elderly and ill.
The Salvation Army uses 82 cents of every dollar donated to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide.

Findusonfacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChateausinMoore/

Nancy Olson Livingston had a front-row seat to entertainment history

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Nancy Olson, as she was credited, and William Holden publicity still - Paramount Pictures
Cover of Olson Livingston’s book.

By Nick Thomas

Aside from the songwriters, imagine being the first person on the planet to enjoy the words and music of some of the greatest classic songs to ever appear in Broadway and Hollywood productions.
Nancy Olson Livingston did not have to imagine. As she writes in her new November autobiography, “A Front Row Seat,” her lyricist husband Alan J. Lerner and composer partner Frederick “Fritz” Loewe would regularly serenade her with their latest compositions throughout the 1950s.
“We were living in New York and I remember one time being awoken at three in the morning by Alan and Fritz who were shaking the bed saying, ‘Nancy, Nancy, you have to get up!’” recalled Olson Livingston from her home in Beverly Hills.
A bitterly cold night in the midst of a New England blizzard, the wildly excited songwriters forced her into a heavy coat, galoshes, and scarf as Lerner led his sleepy wife across the snow-covered road to their studio.
“You have to listen to something,” they insisted, depositing her in an armchair near the piano.
 The pair began acting out scenes from their new play and then performed “The Rain in Spain” to their wide-eyed solo audience. The song was one of over a dozen Lerner/Lowe classics that would be used to score the 1956 Broadway debut of “My Fair Lady” with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews, then 8 years later on the big screen soundtrack featuring Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.
Whereas the original Broadway production continued into the early 1960s, the marriage to Lerner did not. The pair remained together from 1950 to 1957 when Lerner co-wrote songs for “Brigadoon” and “Paint Your Wagon.” But by the time audiences were enjoying his hits in “Gigi” and “Camelot,” the couple had divorced.
Fortunately for Nancy, she married Alan Livingston several years later, a union that lasted 47 years until his death in 2009. Livingston was another giant in the music world, an entertainment executive who eventually became president of Capitol Records in the early 60s. He signed an aging Frank Sinatra to a record deal, produced Don McLean’s “American Pie,” and was instrumental in bringing the Beatles to the U.S. He even co-wrote the novelty song “I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat” and created the character of Bozo the Clown.
Unlike her first Alan, Alan number two was a faithful and devoted husband and the love of Nancy’s life. At 94, she still lives in the same house the couple built in 1965.
While certainly a dutiful hostess who supported the careers and social demands of both spouses, she also enjoyed success as an actress. Credited as Nancy Olson in film and television roles, she is often best remembered for her appearance in 1950’s “Sunset Blvd” playing the ingénue role with William Holden and Gloria Swanson. She went on to work with Holden in several more films.
“We formed a lasting friendship,” she said. “One time Alan (Livingston) and I were flying to London and were at Kennedy airport when I heard a voice calling from the other end of the hallway – it was Bill (Holden). We ran to each other and hugged which was very emotional. All of a sudden, a stranger walked up and taps us both on the shoulder and said, ‘excuse me, but this is better than watching an old movie!’”
Many more stories outlining her movie career, extensive charity work, and life married to two extraordinarily talented men are described in Olson Livingston’s book, which she divided into over 100 easy-to-read chapters.
“I could have written many more,” she says, “but each one in the book represents important moments in my life.”
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers.  See www.getnickt.org.

A reminder that it’s time to get some tattoos

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Nationally syndicated comedy columnist Greg Schwem.
September 11, 2022, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, USA: Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate Lt. Governor John Fetterman greets supporters before the start of the Women for Fetterman Rally. (Credit Image: © Sue Dorfman/ZUMA Press Wire)

by Greg Schwem

At last check, the time spenI recently turned 60, a milestone accompanied by physicians telling me my various aches and pains are most likely the result of…existing.
Pain in the top of my left foot recently sent me to a doctor who diagnosed a partial stress fracture.
“What caused that?” I asked, struggling to put my shoes on. “What did I do?”
“You don’t have to do anything” he replied, as if his last 20 patients had asked the same question. “These things can just happen to someone your age.”
Ouch. Literally and figuratively, ouch!
Sensing my confusion, he offered a partial explanation.
“Stress fractures are often the result of active lifestyles.”
Fellow sexagenerians, take note. Pain and suffering are your rewards for trying to stay healthy. Now go lay on the couch immediately and crack that fourth beer. Doctor’s orders.
I also am struggling with memory, an affliction that comes with age but one I will remedy with the help of Pennsylvania senate candidate John Fetterman.
One of the most hotly contested, and entertaining, races this November pits Fetterman, the Keystone State’s lieutenant governor, against (loudly clear throat) DOCTOR Mehmet Oz. The latter was hilariously mocked on social media recently after airing an ad blaming President Biden for the rising price of crudites (aka little carrots). Fetterman, meanwhile, suffered a stroke mid-campaign, raising questions about his health and fitness for the job.
Fetterman’s forearms also have become a source of scrutiny, specifically, his multiple tattoos. Fox windbag Tucker Carlson called them “silly” and “a costume” while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, (R – Yeah, he’s still alive), seized on Fetterman’s no longer visible “I Will Make You Hurt” tattoo. Gingrich somehow equated the phrase to heroin and the notorious Crips street gang in another comical tweet.
Seeking to put his ink to rest, Fetterman explained the meaning behind his tattoos in various media outlets. Most, he said, are calendar dates marking the day someone died violently while Fetterman was mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Fetterman said the dates are reminders of the crime-ridden country he hopes to change if elected senator.
Thankfully, I don’t personally know of anyone who met a violent death. But I could use a permanent cheat sheet on my body. So, in the event I summon the nerve to visit a tattoo parlor, I am compiling a list of “reminders” I can refer to in moments of confusion:
My computer login password. True, I don’t have the body space to list ALL of my passwords. But this one at least gets me initial entry into the system that holds the rest of them.
11-27-93. I won’t divulge the exact meaning behind the date, but I was wearing a rented tux that day and a minister was involved. Also, my wife could become angry if I ever forget it.
24-12-36. It’s my first junior high locker combination and a reminder that, while I struggle to remember the date I was married, I still proudly recall inane information like this.
The name of my first pet. No longer will I get locked out of my online bank account after five failed attempts.
My bank’s phone number. You never know.
The warranty expiration dates on every major household appliance I own. When somebody points to it and says, “What does that one mean?” I can say, “It means it’s time to buy a new refrigerator!” Then I can easily log into my bank account and determine if I have the funds to afford one.
Finally, “Elton John, 1976,” a reminder of the first concert I ever attended. Considering the 75-year-old Rocket Man just performed at the White House and will continue packing stadiums until calling it quits later this year, it’s a testament to doing what you love for as long as you feel like it. I plan to do the same with my current career.
After that, maybe I’ll retire and continue to live an active, healthy lifestyle.
I had better leave some space on my arm for a crudite tattoo.
(Greg Schwem is a corporate stand-up comedian and author of two books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and the recently released “The Road To Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate Comedian,” available at Amazon.com. Visit Greg on the web at www.gregschwem.com.
You’ve enjoyed reading, and laughing at, Greg Schwem’s monthly humor columns in Senior Living News. But did you know Greg is also a nationally touring stand-up comedian? And he loves to make audiences laugh about the joys, and frustrations, of growing older. Watch the clip and, if you’d like Greg to perform at your senior center or senior event, contact him through his website at www.gregschwem.com)

SAVVY SENIOR: Daily Money Managers Can Help Seniors with Financial Chores

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Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend any services that can help my elderly mother with her financial chores? My dad always used to handle the bill paying and paperwork, but he passed away last year, and mom struggles to keep on top of things. And I don’t live close enough to help her on a regular basis. — Concerned Daughter

Dear Concerned,
It sounds like your mom could use a good daily money manager (or DMM). These are financial savvy professionals that can help older adults who have difficulty managing their own day to day personal financial affairs.
The types of services they provide typically includes paying bills, maintaining financial records, balancing checkbooks and negotiating with creditors. DMMs can also prepare checks for clients to sign, help older people organize bank and financial records, prepare and deliver bank deposits, gather and organize documents for tax returns, help decipher medical bills, and review bank statements in order to detect potential financial abuse or fraud.
Where to Find DMMs
Depending on where your mom lives, DMM services may be available through private non-profit elder assistance organizations or government agencies. These agencies often use volunteers to provide basic DMM tasks, such as bill paying at no cost. To find out if this is available in your mom’s area contact her Area Aging Agency. Visit ElderCare.acl.gov or call 800-677-1116 for contact information.
In addition to the non-profit DMMs, an increasing number of individuals and private for-profit companies have started offering DMM services for a fee. Cost for these services varies by region but it often ranges between $25 and $100 per hour. Most clients need approximately four hours of services per month, but this too varies according to the complexity of the person’s financial situation.
The best place to look for a professional DMM in your mom’s area is through the American Association of Daily Money Managers (AADMM.com), which offers an online directory that lets you search by ZIP code. All the pros listed there have signed the group’s code of ethics. Some have passed a certification exam to earn the designation of Certified Daily Money Manager.
Before hiring a daily money manager, however, get references from two or more of their clients and check them. Also, find out what they charge and what type of insurance coverage they have. Keep in mind that neither federal nor state governments regulate the DMM industry, so there is little oversight of these services. So before turning over your mom’s bills, make certain it’s someone you can trust.
One other highly rated bill-paying service you should know about that’s specifically designed for older adults and caregivers is SilverBills (SilverBills.com). Available nationwide, this is a secure concierge bill management service that will manage your mom’s bills and pay them on her behalf, on-time and correctly, for a flat fee of $50 per month.
If you opt for this service, your mom will be paired with an account manager who will communicate and work with her over the phone, or through email, text or mail (her preference) – no computer is required. SilverBills also reviews all bills for errors and fraud and provides monthly statements showing the date, amount and manner of each payment.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

https://www.facebook.com/belinda.gray.986

Mercy Celebrates Milestone in Love Family Women’s Center

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Crowds cheered as construction crews lifted the final steel beam into the frame of the new Love Family Women’s Center Monday. The facility is under construction on the campus of Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City and will increase the hospital’s capacity to deliver babies by 40%.
The women’s center is being built at the northwest corner of Mercy’s campus at West Memorial Road and North Meridian Avenue. Construction kicked off in July 2021 and is on schedule to be complete in fall 2023.
Labor and delivery and postpartum services at Mercy have been at capacity for years, limiting the hospital’s ability to serve more patients. Over the last decade, Mercy has seen a 34% increase in births. The hospital, built in the 1970s, was designed to accommodate up to 3,000 births annually, but the hospital made room for a record 4,035 births last year.
“Like Mary and Joseph experienced the night Jesus was born, many days there’s just not enough room in the inn here at Mercy,” said Dr. Chad Smith, chief medical officer and obstetrician/gynecologist at Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City. “Our Mercy Birthplace team is awe-inspiring, and they do everything in their power to create as much room and serve as many families as possible. But we’re excited this building will give us much more space to serve many more families when they need us.”
The hospital currently has 43 patient rooms dedicated to labor and delivery and postpartum services. When the Love Family Women’s Center opens, that number will increase to a total of 73 patient rooms.
The four-story, 175,000-square-foot building will feature an obstetrics emergency department and the state’s first hospital-based low intervention birthing unit staffed by certified midwives. It will also serve as a hub for services designed for women of all ages, including women’s surgical recovery and physical therapy.
Three large caesarean section suites in the women’s center will connect to the hospital on the first floor via the existing hospital surgical suite. This strategic design allows for quick, safe access to additional services if medical emergencies occur during delivery.
Postpartum rooms will be on the third floor of the women’s center and connect to the hospital via a skybridge. This allows moms of babies needing a higher level of care to have direct elevator access to the existing neonatal intensive care unit on the fifth floor of the hospital.
A large conference center will host support groups and classes on everything from childbirth and infant care to CPR and more.
“What makes this building so special is the love and support from our community that made it all possible,” said Lori Cummins, vice president of development at Mercy Health Foundation Oklahoma. “They say it takes a village to raise a child. With more than 40% of this project funded through donations, it’s taken a village of generous people across Oklahoma and the country to make this longtime dream a reality.”
The Tom and Judy Love family, for whom the center is named, gave a $10 million lead donation to kick off the project, inspiring another $33 million total in donations toward the Love Family Women’s Center.

https://scissortaildermatology.com/

IN RECOGNITION: USS Oklahoma 1916-1946 – Battleship # 37, later BB-37 – attacked on 7 December 1941

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USS Oklahoma (BB-37) Passing Alcatraz prison, San Francisco Bay, California, during the 1930s. Hand-colored photograph. Courtesy of the USS Oklahoma Association, 1975. Collection of Irvin Barrett. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.
Rescue teams at work on the capsized hull of USS Oklahoma (BB-37), seeking crew members trapped inside, 7 December 1941. The starboard bilge keel is visible at the top of the upturned hull. Officers’ Motor Boats from Oklahoma and USS Argonne (AG-31) are in the foreground. USS Maryland (BB-46) is in the background. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Courtesy Naval History and Heritage Command

USS Oklahoma, a 27,500-ton Nevada class battleship, was built at Camden, New Jersey. She was commissioned in May 1916 and generally operated in the Atlantic over the next five years. In mid-1918, Oklahoma went to European waters to help protect convoys. Late in that year and in June 1919 she escorted President Wilson during his voyages to and from France. In 1921, the battleship moved to the Pacific, visiting the west coast of South America prior to joining the Pacific Fleet. During most of the rest of the decade, Oklahoma served with the Battle Fleet during its many exercises, drills and Fleet Problems. She participated in the Fleet’s trans-Pacific cruise to Australia and New Zealand in mid-1925. In the summer of 1927, she transported Naval Academy Midshipmen from the east to the west coast during their annual training cruise.
Oklahoma was modernized at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1927-29, emerging with a greatly altered appearance and notably improved battleworthiness. After brief service with the Scouting Fleet, she returned to the Pacific in mid-1930, and renewed her participation in the Battle Fleet’s activities. In July 1936, Oklahoma was sent to Europe to help evacuate U.S. citizens and others during the Spanish Civil War. She rejoined the Battle Fleet in the Pacific later in the year.
In 1940, Oklahoma’s base was shifted from the U.S. west coast to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on 7 December 1941. Moored outboard of USS Maryland (BB-46), she was hit by a great number of Japanese Type 91 aerial torpedoes. With her port side torn open over much of its length, Oklahoma rapidly rolled over and sank to the harbor bottom, with the loss of over 400 of her crew. Many of the men trapped in her upturned hull were cut free through the intense efforts of Sailors and civilian Navy Yard employees.
During 1943, Oklahoma was the subject of a massive salvage undertaking, involving turning her upright, patching her damages and refloating her. She was drydocked late in the year to be stripped of guns and other equipment and repaired sufficiently to make her relatively watertight. Too old and badly damaged to be worth returning to service, Oklahoma was formally decommissioned in September 1944. She was sold for scrapping in December 1946, but sank while under tow from Hawaii to California in May 1947.

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The Santa Market Craft Show moves to December

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Santa is available, so bring children to get their free photos taken during the two days of the show.

Story and photos by Darl DeVault, Contributing Editor

The Santa Market Craft Show December 2-3 in the Pavilion Building at State Fair Park is Oklahoma City’s premiere free two-day showcase for one-of-a-kind Christmas-themed creations, benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association of Oklahoma.
As one of Oklahoma’s most extensive free-admission nonprofit arts and craft shows, more than 180 carefully chosen creative vendors will sell their products during the 13th annual festive shopping experience. The show offers free parking, a silent auction, and more. The hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Handcrafted items are available for all of your seasonal gift needs. (story continues below)
Visitors are always encouraged to bring their children to get their free photos taken all day with Santa at Oklahoma City’s most prestigious Christmas market each year.
Shoppers are treated to home decor, homemade arts and crafts, boutique and holiday items, jewelry, children’s clothes, and food goodies. The first 1,000 visitors receive free shopping bags sponsored by local businesses.
Joan Clarke, Molly Nye and Megan Nye began the event in 2010 after Joan’s husband died of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in 2007. It has been their labor of love to enlist many volunteers to help showcase the wares of the many high-quality vendors. They see it as an opportunity to support a local charity addressing one of America’s most challenging diseases.
“Molly and I had been selling items at craft shows for years, and we decided to start our event. We booked a small room in a hotel and started with 17 vendors,” Clarke said. “By the time our third year began, we realized how much work putting on a quality show involves, so we decided to make it a fundraiser. Molly immediately suggested Alzheimer’s since I lost my husband and Megan lost her father to the terrible disease.”
All funds raised through The Santa Market further the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
“Our excellent vendors make this show what it is each year. We are one big family; everyone helps promote the show, advertise, and find new vendors. They donate to our cause, monetarily and with their products, even though it’s voluntary,” Clarke said. “They help with set up, clean up and everything in between. We have three vendors that have been with us all 13 years. Countless more have been with us for 5, 8, or even 10 years. One vendor named it ‘The Greatest Show on Earth,’ and it truly is.”
The organizers limit the number of crafters assigned spaces. Clarke says It is not about turning away new vendors; it is about only allowing a limited number of each type of vendor. They wish they could take everyone, but having a variety makes for a better shopping experience, and the vendors have a much better chance of success.
Clarke says some of the vendors see the event as an opportunity to make sure their favorite charity receives as much as possible from their craft world and them personally. By writing personal checks to the Alzheimer’s Association when The Santa Market rolls around, these vendors do their part to help. They also donate products and gift certificates to the Alzheimer’s auction and the Alzheimer’s booth.
The Santa Market promoted its event at the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s that occurred on October 22 in downtown OKC. This year the event saw 1,612 people walk in 338 teams at Scissortail Park to help raise awareness and funds for care, support and research. Clarke and her family have walked every year since 2003.
National presenting sponsors Edward Jones and CVS Health help to make the walks the world’s largest event to fight Alzheimer’s. The Santa Market was one of three Impact Sponsors this year and fielded a team for the walk.
Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Aducanumab, a monoclonal antibody, to treat particular cases of mild AD. This is the only approved drug in the US for treating amyloid plaques in the brain. Once the plaques are removed, the brain cells stop dying, and the patient’s memory, thinking, function, and behavior stop worsening.
However, there is still debate about whether the drug works. While several small trials have shown that the drug prevents amyloid aggregation and decreases the symptoms, other clinical trials have shown no benefit. There is no long-term data on this agent and whether it can prevent dementia.  However, there is hope for an Alzheimer’s cure breakthrough soon.
Aducanumab is only approved for use in select patients with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease. Before the treatment can be administered, all individuals with AD must undergo a PET scan to determine if they have amyloid plaques.
The organizers say the successful 12 years of The Santa Market Craft Show could only be done with the help of quality vendors, loyal customers, volunteers, sponsors, and donors.  They call it The Santa Market Family and hope everyone will attend to make it a success again this year. This year, Steve Eldridge, Senior News & Living and Oklahoma Nursing Times, is a Diamond Sponsor. For more info, see: www.thesantamarket.org.

TACKLING THE STRUGGLES OF AGING BY REVOLUTIONIZING

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Imagine having to choose between paying your electric bill or paying for your life-sustaining medications or food. For many seniors living on a fixed income, that is a difficult reality.
The price of medications continues soaring — over the last decade, research shows many of the top-selling, brand name medications have increased more than 50-percent, with more than half of them doubling in price, that’s according to the National Library of Medicine.
The cost of medications alone can leave them facing difficult choices every month.
“We never want a patient to have to make that decision of am I going to eat this week, am I going to have air conditioning this week, or am I going to pay for that blood pressure medication,” said Justin Henson, a nurse practitioner at Valir PACE in Oklahoma City.
September is National PACE Awareness Month. PACE stands for Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly. It is an approach that aims to bundle. It is a relatively new model of care that is gaining momentum across the United States. Valir is one of the first to implement the model in Oklahoma
The goal is to help more seniors, who otherwise would require nursing home care, continue to live independently in their own homes. It does that by bundling their medications, meals, transportation, physician visits, and therapy needs under one umbrella care plan, that also provides opportunities to socialize and be a part of the community.
The results are impressive – reducing hospitalizations and improving quality of life.
PACE participants, like Nick Felix, say the program has helped them to enjoy the life, despite the issues that come with aging. For Felix, heart issues top that list.
“My heart fibrillates whenever it wants to. It’s like dancing a Cha-Cha to a Waltz. You know you’re not in sync at all,” said Felix, a 90-year-old former dance teacher and movie choreographer, who still enjoys dancing at his favorite studio.
Henson has worked closely with Felix, helping him manage his health and medications to stay healthy and active.
“He’s had a very complicated cardiac history,” Henson said. “But he is a guy who will wake up every single morning doing his push-ups. He loves to go out and walk, he loves to go dancing every week.”
Managing the challenges of a complicated regimen of medications without the worry of cost is one aspect of PACE Felix likes best.
“Well, it’s lifesaving. I mean you’re talking about my heart medicine, my joint medicine, I’ve got all kinds of arthritic conditions — and they tell me when to take it, what to take and how much to take,” he remarked.
Medications are packaged and labeled for each day, and time of day for each participant and
Valir PACE provides those medications — helping eliminate the financial pressure off of rising drug costs for seniors.
“We do get a lot of patients who want to join our services and we note as they’re coming onto services that they have been without their medications for three months, four months,” Henson said. “Diving into why they have been without these medications, often it is they’re trying to pay for electricity or they’re trying to pay for food.”
Henson added ensuring seniors have their medications and take them as correctly can lead to better health outcomes and a better quality of life.
“If you have a medical condition, even if it’s a small medical condition, but it’s not treated, it can grow into a large medical condition,” he said. “Taking medications as prescribed, when prescribed is going to be the best way to keep you as healthy as possible, and as young as possible as long as possible.”
Valir PACE is located at 721 NW 6th Street in the heart of downtown and has just opened an Alternative Care setting at 2411 Main Street in Choctaw, expanding services to seniors living in that more rural part of the metro. To learn more, visit ValirPACE.org or the National PACE Association at NPAonline.org.

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