Story by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

In the early hours, just after dawn on October 25, 1944, the Japanese sent the largest naval battle group ever assembled to destroy the landing of a quarter million men on Leyte. Their goal was to push the American forces off the beaches and out of the Philippines. Never had one man’s actions diverted the burden of attack from so many American service members.
The Japanese forces attempting to surprise the overmatched Taffy 3 task force in the Battle Off Samar were introduced to the unwavering courage and self-sacrifice of one of the U.S Navy’s finest. The destroyer escorts, commonly referred to as “tin cans,” were in for the fight of their lives against a superior force.
U.S. Navy Commander Ernest Edwin Evans, Commander of the USS Johnston, assured himself a place in U.S. Naval history with his courageous initiative in the face of the enemy. Before the order to attack could be issued, against a far superior force, Commander Evans fulfilled his duty to his country and his fellow man by navigating his vessel into harm’s way, deploying his torpedoes and laying a smoke screen to protect his fellow ships.
Evans’ bravery, leadership and historic sacrifice delivered the immediate first blow that let the enemy know the Americans had begun the battle. Instilling chaos within the Japanese naval ranks, his torpedoes tore the bow off the Japanese cruiser Kumano. Commander Evans relentlessly displayed the power of his crew as he continued his forward attack on the enemy.

This “preemptive retaliatory strike with extreme prejudice” was a product of Evans’s fierce fighting spirit.
The Japanese thought they would have a far easier beginning to any battle off Samar. They were bringing a far superior number of ships and were surprising their enemy. What they did not account for was the fighting spirit of the tin can Sailors sworn to protect the rest of Taffy 3. Echoing the war cries of their earliest Naval ancestors, the Sailors of Taffy 3 had not yet begun to fight.
Evans and his only 2,000-ton warship, the newly built Fletcher Class USS Johnston, promised to be the readiest-for-battle warship in the Navy.
As he took command at the USS Johnston’s commissioning in October 1943, Evans let his assembled crew know his intentions. “This is going to be a fighting ship,” he said. “I intend to go in harm’s way, and anyone who doesn’t want to go along had better get off right now. I will never retreat from an enemy force.”
Evans’s tactical blitzkrieg was everything a ship that size could accomplish in that short a time. The Johnston rejoined the additional frigate line of destroyer escorts as they made their torpedo runs at the far superior forces. This action meant the small Taffy 3 task force presented a “larger than real” profile in the water. Although his ship had already fired her torpedoes, Commander Evans wanted to protect his fellow sailors as much as possible with his five-inch guns, firing 800 rounds in the battle.

This second suicide run met with far less success against the enemy. After almost three hours of battle, the Johnston eased over on her side for 20 minutes until finally sinking. Her destruction was for a good cause. The enemy, confusing the aggression as a genuine effort made by a more significant force, broke off the attack and headed for home.
Evans earned a Medal of Honor for his courageous actions but lost his life that day along with 185 members of his crew.
As Veterans Day approaches November 11, Oklahomans proved their servicemen and women are never forgotten in a recent solemn ceremony. The emphasis was family, in both those gathered and those mentioned during the ceremony dedicating a monument to Oklahoma’s most famous Navy hero of WWII in Muskogee, Okla., on October 25, 78 years to the day after he died in the Battle Off Samar.
Several families connected with the effort to commemorate Evans’ courageous Medal of Honor defining effort made the trip to Oklahoma to attend the event.
A retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and dentist, and Norman, Okla. resident Stephen Reagan spearheaded the effort to honor Evans. His family, including his son, an active-duty U.S. Air Force Colonel, surrounded him at the bust unveiling.
In giving credit for the final push to make the event happen after a three-year and nine-month campaign to raise funds and resources to create the monument, the mayor of Muskogee mentioned by that time he felt as if he had become a brother to Steven Reagan in the effort.
“It was a humbling experience to unveil Commander Evans’ memorial bust in the City of Muskogee,” said Muskogee Mayor Marlon J. Coleman. “Retired Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Reagan led a herculean effort recognizing Commander Evans’s role in World War II. As a graduate of Muskogee High School, Evans’ place in history is one that Muskogee should be proud of. Evans’ leadership, tenacity, and love for his country showed the Japanese naval fleet what it means to challenge American democracy—that our principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are worth dying for. Stephen Reagan is a modern-day hero, a champion of causes for Sailors such as Ernest Evans, whose legacy would otherwise go unknown or told incorrectly. I am proud to call Stephen a brother.”
University of Oklahoma Naval ROTC Commanding Officer and 30-year veteran Capt. Paul Young spoke about a typical day as a captain of a surface ship on patrol and his respect for Evans.
During historian Larry Floyd’s detailing of Evans’ life and courageous actions, he spoke of the families. He said Evans had two children with his wife during his 17-year career in the Navy leading up to that critical moment in the history of the United States Navy.
On Sept. 28, 1945, not long after World War II ended, Commander Evans was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Presented to his wife, Margaret, in San Pedro, California, the ceremony included his mother, sister and sons Jerry and Ernest Jr.
The first Navy Native American to earn the Medal of Honor, Evans is one of only two World War II destroyer captains to attain it.
Evans’ exploits have now been interwoven into the Navy legacy as his name has gone on to grace a warship and a U.S. Navy Academy building.
“I consider my work to help Muskogee honor Commander Ernest Evans one of the most significant things I have ever done,” Reagan said. “It’s a good feeling to help others. I am very proud of my three sons, their families and my wife Alice and to have Alice and all three sons present helped make it a great day for me.”
His son Col. Eric Reagan, active-duty US Air Force, summed up what he saw as his father’s motives. “Over the last three years, I’ve asked myself, ‘what interest does a retired Air Force dentist have in relentlessly pursuing recognition of a Navy ship captain?’ The answer is service,” Eric said. “My dad still serves veterans, his community, Oklahoma, and our great nation. This project was a reflection of his service. My brothers and I are proud of him, and we were so honored to be in Muskogee today to honor Ernest Evans…and our father.”
Reagan volunteers to help all service veterans to ensure they receive their full benefits from their military service with the Dale K. Graham Veterans Foundation in Norman. This event in Muskogee is just another example of the wrap-around concept of our nation’s gratitude and attention to the families left behind while their loved ones are serving and those families deprived of their service members through death. Gold Star families of the U.S. Armed Forces have lost loved ones since 1776. Nationally noted Paul Moore of Norman sculpted the bronze bust of Evans wearing his Medal of Honor. It sits atop a square black granite pedestal. Below his image at the front of the bust is a miniature model of the USS Johnston firing her five-inch guns and creating a smoke screen. The front of the pedestal features Evans’ significant dates and his Medal of Honor Citation on the back.

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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.

Home

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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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
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Story by Joyce Clark, Executive Director – Saint Ann Retirement Center

When asked what is the most significant thing that makes an elder feel loved and included in the Thanksgiving & Christmas season, most people say they desire to spend time with family. Residents of Saint Ann Independent Living were asked for ideas to help make holidays for seniors more joyful and festive. Most replies indicated seniors simply want to spend time with loved ones doing just about anything. Ideas for activities families and seniors can do together are outlined below.

THINGS TO DO TOGETHER TO BRIGHTEN HOLIDAY SEASON FOR YOUR ELDER LOVED ONES

• Attend a Christmas ballet or theatre show
• Hold a virtual get-together using Facetime, Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet
• For those who have difficulty getting around or need personal assistance, hire an aide to transport & assist her at a family event.
• Play Dirty Santa or other games
• Take a drive to view Christmas lights
• Enjoy a spa day
• Write Christmas cards
• Include the elder in meal & event planning
• Cook favorite items in a festive setting
• Assist with gift wrapping
• Help decorate the senior’s home. Also, help take down & store decorations.
• Go gift shopping with a stop for brunch
• Play holiday music & sit by a fire while visiting
• Assemble a holiday or family photo album or scrapbook
• Bake cookies
• Make holiday cards or crafts
• Watch Christmas or home movies
• Create a cookbook with recipes from all family members
• Organize old photographs & share memories about them
• If it is difficult for the senior to get out of the home, take a small festive family party to her residence.
• Attend church or Mass on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
• Go caroling or have a sing-along
• Help the senior primp for a special event or get ready together. Manicure nails, style hair, do makeup, trim long hair in nose, ear, or eyebrows, and get dressed in fancy clothes. The senior may need to rest before going to an event or some primping could be done in advance.

Saint Ann Independent Living residents agreed it is wonderful to have people stop by for a visit all year and not just during the holidays. Folks who are hard of hearing prefer personal visits over telephone calls or video chat. The residents also suggested some gift ideas for seniors:

GIFT IDEAS FOR YOUR FAVORITE SENIOR

• Help out by shopping, running errands, picking up gifts, mailing package or cards
• Arrange for a beautician or masseuse to go to the senior’s home
• Postage stamps
• Cup holder for walker or wheelchair
• Gift card for a local grocery store, restaurant, favorite brand, Walmart, coffee, manicure, etc…
• Crossword, Sudoku or jigsaw puzzles
• Basket of fruit, snacks, or groceries
• Latest book from a favorite author
• Night lights or motion sensor lights for hallway, bedroom, bathroom
• Coupon redeemable for running errands a few times a year
• Note offering to do chores around the house
• Monthly subscription for a gift box, flowers, or magazine
• Warm & snuggly throw
• Bidet
• Easy-to-use mobile phone or tablet that can be used to video chat
• Smart picture frame that allows people to upload pics, video call, or send notes
• Amazon Echo with voice calling
• Custom photo puzzle or calendar
• Medical alert system
• Memory foam or gel seat cushion
• Adaptive devises like a long handled shoe horn
• Large print playing cards
• Succulents
• Shari’s Berries
• Bird feeder & seed
• Wall mounted magnifying mirror
• Fall-resistant slippers
• Wine
• Assortment of birthday & greeting cards with stamps

Another suggestion is to simplify traditions and routines to reduce stress and accommodate the elder’s physical or mental needs. Sometimes it is more about the people and simple things than celebrating exactly as done in previous years.

Holidays can be particularly sad for some folks. Pictures or memories may bring up tears or grief. This can be a healthy way to release normal feelings and should not be shamed. Share a safe space to remember and celebrate lost loved ones.

Joyce Clark is the Campus Director of Saint Ann Retirement Center, which offers independent and assisted living. She says watching people regain their strength, balance, and health is one of her team’s greatest rewards.

Clark encourages people to be extra careful at home getting in and out of the bathtub, where many people tend to fall. Call Lisa at Saint Ann Retirement Center, (405) 721-0747 Ext #322, if you would like more tips and helpful information. https://www.saintannretirementcenter.com/

By Steven Sibley, E7 RET/DAV, MBA Healthcare Admin Licensed and Appointed Health Insurance Agent

As a Military Retiree we enjoy many great benefits, affordable healthcare is one of them. As a civilian now working in the senior health insurance industry, I appreciate that value even more. I’ve discovered that Tricare for Life (TFL), is not just a healthcare benefit, it’s also a financial benefit. Unfortunately, many veterans don’t fully understand what Tricare for Life is or how it works. What they do know is when they need healthcare their copays are low or non-existent. As a professional in the industry, and someone on TFL, I’d like to shed some light on TFL.
TFL is a benefit that works with Original Medicare Parts A & B. Part A is for Hospital/Inpatient Care and Part B is for Primary/Outpatient Care. For retirees, TFL starts when they become eligible for Original Medicare at age 65. The big surprise comes when they discover that they are going on Medicare and that it has a much higher cost than the low premiums they had for Tricare Prime or Select. The new premium for 2023, which is for Medicare Part B, will be about $165.00 per month for most people with an average income.
Original Medicare generally only pays for 80% of the cost of care, so the remaining 20% is the responsibility of the patient. Plus, it does not cover prescription drugs, dental, or vision. The solution for many civilian retirees is to add a supplement and a drug plan. Together those premiums can cost about $200 per month and adding Vision and Dental plans will increase their monthly cost. Then they find out their plan’s premiums can increase every year.
During your 20 plus years of retirement, they’ll pay as much as $80,000 or more for each person on Medicare. Here’s why TFL is a financial benefit, there is no premium. Technically, TFL is called a “Medicare Wrap Around benefit”, practically it acts like a premium free supplement and drug plan. So, a retired military member and their spouse are not going to be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of their retirement income on insurance premiums. It gets even better.
What most veterans on TFL don’t know is, they can access even more benefits from the Medicare part of their TFL by choosing to have it administered by a commercial healthcare company. These are called Part C plans, aka Medicare Advantage, and they must cover everything that Original Medicare does. These plans can bundle additional healthcare and wellness benefits, which may even include a Prescription Drug Plan. However, Military retirees can use special Part C plans that do not offer a drug plan, since their prescriptions are covered by TFL through Express Scripts. I am on such a plan, I pay ZERO dollars for it, and significantly reduces my Part B premium payment. It also covers Vision and Dental, so there’s no need to pay FEDVIP extra for those benefits. It also offers a host of other benefits worth hundreds of dollars a month. Using a Medicare Part C plan with TFL is like turbo- charging your benefits. These plans will also work for most Medicare eligible Veterans who use the VA for their prescription drugs. Less cost, more benefits, and money back is what we’ve earned and deserve as Veterans. Find out more and get your questions answered by giving me a call. Steven Sibley, E7 RET/DAV, 405-850-1569.

https://www.sibleyinsures.com/

Required disclaimer: We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.

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.”

For a full list of events/details visit: www.okhistory.org/calendar/ohs

Will Rogers Days and Motion Picture Festival November 4, Will Rogers Memorial Museum, 1720 West Will Rogers Boulevard Claremore, OK 74017. The Will Rogers Memorial Museum (WRMM) and Birthplace Ranch will celebrate the 143rd birthday of Oklahoma’s Favorite Son with the Will Rogers Motion Picture Festival. From November 2 through 5, four days of activities will be held to honor the memory of the Cherokee cowboy, philosopher, and movie actor who had starred in 50 silent movies and 21 talkies by the time of his death on August 15, 1935, in an Alaska airplane crash.

Story by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Five or six Saturdays each fall, some 86,000 fans invade Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to watch the University of Oklahoma play football.
For a few hours, the surge of humanity encapsulated inside the Palace on the Prairie becomes Oklahoma’s seventh largest population.
And from dehydration to cardiac arrest, Norman Regional Health System nurses, techs, paramedics, and other employees team up to provide care inside the Gomer Jones Coronary Care Unit.
For the record, Gaylord Family Stadium can seat up to 86,112, making it the 23rd largest stadium in the world, the 13th largest college stadium in the United States, and the second largest in the Big 12 Conference, behind Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium.
Norman physician Dr. Harold Belknap established the Gomer Jones Coronary Care Unit within the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in 1971 and continued as acting chief until 2003.
All fans who come through the door can get help for free.
“I feel like on game day, the stadium is the safest place to be in town,” Norman Regional Health System physician Dr. Patrick Cody once said.
Stephanie Gehrke, RN, emergency nurse manager, has directed the clinic for five years now.
“I thought it was a great concept because I know the clinic has been around for quite a while,” she said of coming into her role. “It’s a great service for the fans. Some of them get to head back out to the game after we get them fixed up.”
Beginning three-and-a-half hours prior to each home contest, the clinic is typically staffed by emergency department nurses, techs along with an attending ED doc, two residents, and two medical students.
Six to seven teams are gathered to operate cooling zones, which come in handy early in the season when temperatures inside the stadium can easily reach more than 100 degrees.
Runners rotate between the zones to check stock and see if anything is needed.
EMSSTAT bike medics stationed throughout the stadium can get to your seat in about two minutes, and each of those medics can handle a cardiac arrest by themselves with the equipment on their bike.
Employees within the health system are invited to sign up each year.
“It can be anyone from a unit secretary to EVS (environmental services) – anyone that is interested in going,” she said.
Gehrke said the clinic sees a bulk of heat and alcohol-related complaints from fans including falls and lacerations.
The clinic has seen heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrests “basically anything and everything.”
“It’s so dependent on the time of the day and the temperature,” Gehrke said. “Night games are usually better in terms of heat-related things but we could end up with … more intoxication-related complaints.”
Gehrke said if you want to stay in the stands and out of the clinic on game days follow a few simple rules.
“The biggest thing is hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, and come prepared to continue drinking water,” she said. “A lot of people do drink water before they come in and kind of forget to keep drinking it during the game and sit out there and bake in that sun.”
Comfortable shoes are a must
“Heels and flip-flops probably aren’t the most appropriate thing for a crowded stadium because they trip over the stairs and lose your balance,” she said.
Inside the clinic, personnel initiate “a lot of IVs” for fluids and give nausea medicine.
“For the clinic, we want to try to get them seen but also get them back to the game if appropriate,” she said. “We kind of push those fluids in them, make sure they can stand up and walk and drink fluids without getting sick. The majority of our job in the clinic really all revolves around hydrating people for the most part.
“The majority of the people we never see again.”
The hospital also has volunteer stretcher teams composed of young adults from local schools who might be interested in the medical field.
“They are stationed throughout the stadium so if someone were to pass out or fall they are able to put them on their stretcher and get them into the clinic,” Gehrke said. “Like Dr. Cody said it probably is one of the safest places. If you’re injured you’re going to get pretty quick care.”
Gehrke said the first game of the season saw 115 calls throughout the stadium and 54 patients were seen in the clinic.
For more information about Norman Regional Health System click here:
https://www.normanregional.com/careers

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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.

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