Senior News & Living and VIPCare will be hosting a Veteran Resource Fair November 16th at the Guthrie American Legion LeBron Post 58 at 123 N First St., Guthrie, OK 73044.
Coffee, beverages, snacks, and donuts will be served at the event, and veterans are encouraged to attend and enjoy learning and socializing.
Resources covered will include: Veterans Healthcare Options

Veterans Mental Health Services

Veterans Disability Claims

Veterans Home Care

Veterans Education

Veterans Beneficiaries Benefits

and more…

For information about the event, call Steve Sibley at 405-850-1569. We will see you there!

History of Veterans Day

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

Veterans Day Timeline – 1919

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m.

Veterans Day Timeline – 1926

The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words:
The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words:
Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and
Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

Veterans Day Timeline – 1938

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor Veterans of World War I.

Veterans Day Timeline – 1954

In 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the Veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American Veterans of all wars.
Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation” (PDF) which stated: “In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all Veterans, all Veterans’ organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.”

Veterans Day Timeline – 1958

In 1958, the White House advised VA’s General Counsel that the 1954 designation of the VA Administrator as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee applied to all subsequent VA Administrators. Since March 1989 when VA was elevated to a cabinet level department, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has served as the committee’s chairman.

Veterans Day Timeline – 1968

The Uniform Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.

Veterans Day Timeline – 1971

The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans service organizations and the American people.
To view the “Veterans Day Proclamation” (PDF) visit:
https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/fedreg/fr019/fr019198/fr019198.pdf

Story and photos by Darl DeVault, contributing editor

Born on a cotton farm near Bessie, Oklahoma, Ivan Evans Jr. married his Dill High School sweetheart Erma J. Sallee and was drafted right after graduation to become a decorated infantryman in the U.S. Army during the last year of WWII in Europe.
After only 16 weeks of U.S. Army basic training in Texas, he sailed as a replacement soldier to rainy, fierce fighting in early November in the rugged forested terrain of the French Vosges Mountains. The mountains served as a seemingly impregnable fortress for German troops determined to hold the last barrier between the Allies and the Rhine.
Trained quickly to be a replacement soldier in the infantry because seven out of ten infantry soldiers suffered casualties in WWII, Evans became a light machine gunner.
Evans, now 98 and a 23-year resident of Spanish Cove Retirement Center in Yukon, saw more action in his almost year on the front lines in Europe than many in the whole war. He is proud that his fellow Spanish Cove residents celebrate and honor American veterans for “their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.”
He paid careful attention in his abbreviated training, earning a Bronze Star for gallantry and a Purple Heart as his proud 100th Infantry Division conquered more enemy territory with fewer casualties than any other division in the war.
“About my Purple Heart, a German did that—nothing I could do about it,” Evans said in a recent interview about the fierce fighting taking the Maginot Line.
The only time Evans was not at his light machine gun on the front lines attacking was the seven weeks in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit and recovery from being shot in the arm.
He explains his complete recovery was based on luck as he was moving through triage waiting for surgery when it was the only neurosurgeon on duty’s turn. So, Evans received the most skilled surgery available to repair the damaged nerves in his arm and ensure he was pain-free and capable for the rest of his life.
His full recovery meant soon he was back in the line, earning more respect from his fellow soldiers in his platoon.
Evans has now seen 77 Veterans Days honoring his patriotism and service. He is still quick to tell people his survival on fire-swept terrain in WWII was based on mere seconds and inches. He escaped death several times in the world’s largest and most violent armed conflict. Sixteen million American men and women served in uniform during the war. More than 400,000 lost their lives.
His 31-lb Browning 30 caliber light machine gun was a “crew-served weapon.” Evans was the gunner serving with an assistant gunner who carried the tripod and loaded the weapon and two ammo carriers.
Evans spoke about how the 45 caliber M1911 Colt semi-automatic pistol he was issued as a light machine gunner was not enough protection when the fighting got in close. He received permission to carry a M1 carbine rifle.
“My Bronze Star medal was my act of bravery, disarming a German and capturing him in hand-to-hand combat when he attacked me in a bayonet charge while I was in my foxhole,” Evans said. “In the middle of a pitched battle and heavy shelling, I recognized the form of a German soldier appear before me and reached back to grab my carbine lying behind me. So when he thrust his rifle with bayonet affixed at the center of my body, I was turned reaching back, and he just missed me by sliding his weapon across my chest.
I stopped reaching for my carbine and grabbed his rifle before he could pull it back to stab at me again. The force of his forward motion gave me just enough leverage to catch him off balance and turn him as I struck a blow that stripped him of his rifle. In the ensuing hand-to-hand combat, I got control and captured him as my friend in our foxhole did the same to another German. We were both awarded Bronze Star medals for gallantry in capturing these two enemy soldiers.”
Evans returned to wait for the next attack after marching them to the rear to turn in as prisoners. He fought across France and into Germany as part of the 398 Infantry Regiment to the war’s end.
Deep into one of the coldest winters in recent European history, it was often a severe struggle to dig foxholes with smallish entrenching tools through snow and a foot of frozen ground before reaching softer earth.
Evans says once he narrowly escaped death by leaving his foxhole.
“The heavy shelling had just stopped, and the guy in the foxhole with me said the cooks promised to bring up a hot meal,” Evans said. “The guy said I’m going to go get that meal. I said I’m not because the Germans will likely begin shelling again soon. I’m going to stay right here and eat my K ration.”
So the soldier got up and left.
“I don’t remember what made me decide to leave that foxhole after he left,” Evans said. “Soon, I was walking about 75 yards back to get behind our fortified area of the line when I heard a big explosion behind me. I realized it was close to my foxhole, so I ran back, only to find our foxhole was a big shell crater. I had to be reissued all my gear and a new machine gun.”
“And that’s how God took care of me because I wasn’t planning to get out of that foxhole,” Evans said. “I was going to stay there and eat my K ration. God and a promise of a hot meal saved us that day.”
Evans humbly says his performance was typical in the well-disciplined, effective fighting force of the 100th Division taking the battle to the enemy. He said he was proud when it was life and death and surviving as a unit; they all pulled together.
The chaotic fighting to take the strongly fortified Forts Freudenberg. and Schiesseck of the Maginot Line northwest of Bitche, France, from December 17th- 21st, 1944, was some of the fiercest fighting in the war. While farther north, the much-heralded Battle of the Bulge was receiving the lion’s share of the world’s attention.
Evans often moved over open terrain in the leading elements to set up his machine gun to fire on pill boxes under direct enemy observation. These brave men were subjected to artillery, mortar and sniper fire while keeping the assault moving forward.
The 100 Division fought on after liberating Bitche. They fought to cross the Rhine River into Germany, and then battles in crossing the rivers Neckar and Jagst. They attacked Heilbronn to pursue the enemy forces until April 21 near Stuttgart and became a unit in the Army of Occupation of Germany after VE Day restored freedom to Europe. Evans served the reestablished freedom near Stuttgart for seven months after the war.
Evans then returned to his wife in Oklahoma. Together, they attended Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater, now OSU. Evans earned a bachelor’s degree in education, while his wife earned a degree in business education with honors and later a master’s degree in the same subject.
They both taught high school students for the rest of their careers. Evans retired from a 40-year education career as a coach, teacher, and high school principal.
Married almost 69 years, Evans and his wife, who died in 2013, had one son, two grandsons, and three great-grandchildren.
“I wouldn’t be here talking to you if God hadn’t got me through,” Evans said. “I’ve lived a good life. If God were to tell me he’d give me a new life, I wouldn’t take it. I wouldn’t change a thing. I can’t explain how important freedom is; sometimes people do not realize how fortunate they are to have the freedoms they have.”

Across
1 Sarah Spain’s network
5 Percussion set
10 Cards
14 “Go on, git!”
15 Tickle
16 __ were
17 Textile machine
18 Nigerian seaport
19 “Ciao”
20 Medic with an office at Fisherman’s Wharf?
23 Expert
24 Extremely chill
25 Leaders inclined to work as a group?
31 Extremely cold
32 Channel marker
33 Picked up the tab
35 BYU or NYU
36 Sun screen
37 Strive (for)
40 African country in the Maloti Mountains
41 Drains
42 Summits
45 Captain Hook’s incredulous assessment of his nemesis?
47 Statue base
49 Melber of MSNBC
50 Puts comfy shoes through rigorous testing?
56 Tropical spot
57 Safari equine
58 Most CFOs
60 Some game
61 “Middlemarch” novelist
62 Bend at a barre
63 Retired boomers
64 Action
65 Blood bank fluids

Down
1 Subj. for those wishing to be bilingual
2 Utterly beyond repair
3 Play down
4 Motto for the ruthless
5 Meteorological effect caused by refraction
6 Desktop with an AppleCare option
7 Literary award with a spaceship logo
8 Starting on
9 Lab work
10 Thinned (down)
11 Pulitzer-winning journalist Wilkerson
12 Early ICBM
13 Hung around
21 Play-__
22 “Science of Logic” philosopher Georg
25 Small ammo
26 Director Jean-__ Godard
27 LAX postings
28 Superhero once played by Stephen Amell on The CW
29 “__ Comes to Pemberley”: P.D. James novel
30 Obama daughter
34 Friendly honk
36 Rats, gnats, and brats
37 Element in an algebraic equation
38 Wall St. event
39 Key that exits full-screen mode
40 Brand of packaged bagels
41 Is extremely frugal
42 Ladybug prey
43 Shuts
44 “The Gleaners” painter Jean-Fran ois
46 River that rises in the Bernese Alps
48 Fuzzy states
51 Move to a warmer state?
52 Drama honor
53 Cut short
54 Ink
55 Place to hibernate
59 “Wide Sargasso __”: Jean Rhys novel

by Greg Schwem

I recently received a concise text message that, depending on your affection for canines, was adorable or unbelievable:
“Sorry, I can’t meet tonight. I have a swim class…for my dog. She is spoiled.”
“She” and her owner are exactly the types of travelers Harvest Hosts CEO Joel Holland has on his radar.
Holland, 38, purchased the 13-year-old travel membership network from its original owners in 2018. Aimed at “self-contained” travelers (aka campers and RV-ers,) Harvest Hosts partners with thousands of farms, wineries, breweries and other unique destinations only too happy to host camping vehicles ranging from your basic fifth-wheel to your tricked out Airstream, for a night. Occupants, and their pets, pay no camping fees; instead they are sort of on the honor system to purchase products — perhaps a wine club membership or a bottle of homemade bourbon — their gracious hosts are selling.
“We recommend a $30 purchase. But it’s not a requirement,” Holland said. People are very generous and tend to spend $50. That turns into $50 million that goes back into these small businesses.”
Harvest Hosts takes none of those profits; participating properties pay a fee to join the program and get listed on its site.
So what about those guests who just can’t leave their beloved pooches at home? Harvest Hosts recently found 52% of travelers base their routes, and destinations, on pet-friendly camping locations. If that location contains a body of water for dogs to show off their swimming skills, all the better. Holland estimates a quarter million Harvest Hosts travelers, mostly over 55 and empty nesters who consider a dog their “new kid,” take their pets along for adventures.
“We learned early on that we needed to have a filter that said ‘pet friendly,’” Holland said. “In the process of recruiting hosts, one of the things we angled for were pet friendly locations.”
Swilled Dog, a distillery of bourbon and cider in Upper Tract, West Virginia, has proven to be the perfect Harvest Hosts partner. Currently slammed with campers taking advantage of fall colors that complement their day hikes to Spruce Knob, Seneca Rocks and Smoke Hole Canyon, the property hosts up to four RVs per night.
Once parked, dogs have free reign.
“ Dogs are allowed to relax alongside their owners in both our cider tasting room and whiskey room or even play a game of cornhole outside,” said Lauren Hagman, Swilled Dog’s operations manager.
Upon hearing this, I texted my friend and asked if her dog was currently enrolled in cornhole lessons. I have yet to hear back.
Most guests abide by the aforementioned honor system, purchasing bourbon or cider for family and friends, Hagman said. The distillery also donates a portion of its profits to various dog rescue and adoption programs.
Holland, a seasoned traveler who believes “there is something fun to do in every state,” is only too happy to share his unique adventures, which include getting a massage from an 84-year-old nun, a proprietor of Heartland Farm, an Alpaca ranch in Pawnee Rock, Kansas. Although not listed on the property’s website, massages are a legitimately offered service.
“I learned it’s OK to be naked in front of nuns in the right context,” he chuckled.
With post-pandemic travel restrictions easing, Harvest Hosts business is booming as travelers opt for wide open spaces so they, and their pets, can roam freely. Holland says he’ll continue running the business, and seeking new dog-loving sites, “as long as it’s fun.”
What could be more fun for a dog than to belly up to a bar and join their owner in a glass of locally produced wine?
Particularly if the dog has completed Wine Appreciation school.

(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 https://www.amazon.com/. Visit Greg on the web at https://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 https://www.gregschwem.com/)

John Kilman: 100 years old. John Kilman of Oklahoma City will be 100 on October 11th. Family and friends gathered this weekend to celebrate. John served in the US Army during WWII. He had a career as a typesetter, retiring in 1986. Looking back on John’s 100 years of living, there have been many memorable changes in technology, automobiles, computers and telephones.

Terry Underwood: 100 years old. Terry Underwood volunteered for St. Francis Hospital for 53 years and 32 years for the Red Cross. Words of wisdom for us today: Don’t Ever Give Up; Keep Saying You Can Do It; Be Nice to All Even if They Aren’t; Count Your Blessings; and Be Grateful for What you Have.

Paul Max Dudley: 100 years old. WWI Army Air Corps Veteran, Paul Max Dudley of Bixby retired as Deputy Fire Chief after being with the Tulsa Fire Department for 40 years. Words of wisdom: “Be respectful to others, be humble, be thankful for the opportunities you have, listen and learn!”

Marjorie Anglen: 100 years old. Marjorie Anglen of Broken Arrow had a career as a Drill Press Operator for McDonald Douglas, was an Eastern Star, loved to travel and still loves anything sweet!

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

Denise Slattery, P.E., CFM, CPM
Former caregiver to my mom, Patricia Slattery (1943-2018)

Her eyes were wide open. She looked scared, lost and confused. This was my mother, in the summer of 2018. I had put her to bed (it was about 9 p.m. or so), but she had woken up a little bit later, adamant about going home to be with her kids.
She stopped recognizing me as her daughter some months before. She was getting agitated and my frustration was definitely not helping. We had gotten into an argument, and she started walking away from the house, along the curb. I tried following her, but she yelled at me to stay back. While we were passing a neighbor’s house, he recognized my mom and had called 911. A fire truck had come, with only the lights on (the siren was too loud and it very well could have scared my mom even more).
They started talking to mom in a gentle caring voice. I brought my car near to where mom was sitting on the step of the fire truck, and the firemen helped her get into the passenger seat. I was standing some distance away with the neighbor, hesitant and scared of my mom’s reaction to me. Would she recognize me? Would she still be angry?
After a bit, the fireman ‘introduced’ me to her as her daughter and motioned for me to come forward. Walking towards her, with the sun going down, I could just barely see her eyes and they reflected her emotions then: scared, lost and confused. When I came closer to her, and said Hello Mom in a gentle voice, she recognized me and hugged me. She was not agitated and felt so happy to see me.
This is just one of many stories I could tell you about giving care to my mom who had dementia for about 4 years, before she died from its complications in late November of 2018, just five days shy of her 75th birthday. Giving care to a loved one who has dementia is not an easy road at all; it can deplete you of all that is you. You are no longer his or her spouse, child, sibling or friend; you are a caregiver. If you are just starting down this road, or you may suspect your loved one has dementia, here are few do’s and don’ts to follow:
Don’ts:
*Don’t stand over the person in dominance. Instead, talk at their eye level.
*Don’t raise your voice. Keep your voice gentle and calm.
*Don’t correct, disagree or argue. Try not to think logical as you would normally. Their world is no longer the one we see but the world they see. Try to ‘enter’ that world and be with them.
*Don’t invade their space, but don’t be afraid of touching. A gentle touch on their hand can be reassuring.
*If you offer to stay with the person who has dementia in order for their caregiver to have some time for themselves or for them to run a few errands, please adhere to this. Don’t say that you would love to help, but then rescind your offer when they ask you because you have an errand to run or an appointment to keep. If you say you want to help, please mean it.
Do’s:
*Do establish a routine. The more you can set a routine throughout the day-to-day activities, the more you both will know what to expect, and the smoother your days will run. This helps provide stability for your loved one and doesn’t add to their confusion. This also includes upending their lives, by moving them from their home into yours. If this something that has to be done, please understand that your loved one will be angry or upset for some time; you are creating chaos in their world and because they can’t tell you how they feel, they react by being angry or agitated.
*Be patient, kind and flexible. Caring for someone with dementia is like riding a wave; go with it. Meet them where they are mentally and emotionally at any given moment. It will change constantly, and it is best to expect nothing else. And try to always remember: your loved one is still your loved one; it’s the dementia that is causing them to act this way.
*Allow as much independence for your loved one as long as possible. For instance, if they want to wear sweaters in June, then let them. Allow the person to keep as much control in their lives as possible.
*Try to spend some time for yourself. Take breaks, call a friend, or go for a walk if you can. Find a caregiver support group meeting by calling the national Alzheimer’s Association number at 1-800-272-3900 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
*Encourage a two-way conversation for as long as possible. If the conversation dies, then engage the person in an activity such as coloring or perhaps looking through a photo album.
People tend to often see only the memory impairment of someone who has dementia, but that is not the only symptom. There are many more: the person finds it difficult to make decisions or solve problems, they put things in unusual places such as the iron in the fridge or socks in the pantry, they can’t complete everyday tasks we usually take for granted: putting clothes on the correct order or how to prepare a meal, they can’t think of words to say and cannot follow a conversation so they become more withdrawn. In the later stages of dementia, the person may become incontinent, their eating patterns will be affected and they may not recognize you anymore or know your name.
As a caregiver you want to give your loved one the best care possible, and part of giving this care is getting to know more about this disease and its symptoms in all stages. Always remind yourself that your loved one is not being difficult; they have lost the ability to tell you how they are feeling, so they act out. By trying to figure out what it is they are trying to tell you can help resolve the problem quickly and helps keep your loved one calm. There are many websites to learn from and books to read from, but, in my experience, the best resource is The Alzheimer’s Association. Find your local chapter by calling 1-800-272-3900 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week, and look into what resources they have that might help you and your loved one.

Former Governors Share Experience, Wisdom During Fireside Chat

Story and photo by Van Mitchell, Staff Writer

Former Oklahoma Gov. George Nigh, age 96, recalled listening to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous fireside chats as a child.
Nigh and former Gov. Brad Henry both got to participate in their own “fireside chat” before an audience recently at the Masonic Temple in Guthrie. The event was a fundraiser for the Oklahoma Territorial Museum which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023.
Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd governor of Oklahoma and as the eighth and tenth lieutenant governor of Oklahoma. He was the first Oklahoma governor to be re-elected and the first to win all 77 counties in the state. Additionally, short term vacancies in the governor’s office twice resulted in Nigh assuming gubernatorial duties while serving as lieutenant governor.
In 1950, at age 23 Nigh became the youngest member of the state legislature when elected to the House of Representatives from Pittsburg County. In 1953 he introduced the bill that made “Oklahoma!” the official state song.
“As a kid in school, I listened every week to Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chat before hardly anybody in this room was born,” Nigh told audience members which included students from Guthrie Junior High, and hardly ever did he attack somebody personally, hardly ever did he call (someone) a dirty word or anything, but he talked about how things were. He basically brought the country through the Depression. Then he brought the country through World War II, and he died shortly before Japan surrendered in 1945. He was not the dictator, he was not the emperor, he was not the king. He was the president. He was an executive. And he led personally and motivated this country.”
Henry, who was the last Democratic governor of Oklahoma, said Nigh was a mentor to him.
“I want to say that he is literally and figuratively my mentor,” Henry said. “When I was a sophomore in college, he allowed me to intern in his office. But it was not your typical intern experience. One of my jobs was every morning to get there a little early, go through the main newspapers and cut out any article that related to the governor or the Legislature, legislation pending legislation, things of interest to the governor’s office. I would copy them all and make it packageable. George would come in and sit down with me while I was reading the paper, and would just visit with me about the day’s news or whatever was on his mind. As you can imagine. It was just absolutely fascinating.”
Henry said Nigh served as a role model for him deciding to run for public office.
“I just had to recognize my friend and mentor George, because he’s a big part of my quest and my decision making and my drive to serve people,” Henry said. “I love the way he puts it. I absolutely agree with him. It’s not about politics, it’s not about being a politician, in my view, it’s about public service.”
Henry said he comes from a public service family.
“I grew up in a family of public servants and I wanted to serve the public,” he said. “My mother was a school teacher. My aunt and grandparents were school teachers. My father was a state representative and a county judge. My uncle was a county judge. My cousin Robert Henry, who you all probably know was state representative then later Attorney General and on and on. I just always wanted to serve.”
Henry initially tried to recruit other Democrats to run for governor, but was persuaded to give it a try.
“The bottom line is I looked back to the service of George Nigh and Henry Bellmon,” he said. “It wasn’t just a Democrat or Republican thing; it was a servant thing. I met Henry Bellmon when I was working for George and became very close and good friends with Henry. I think George and I and Henry are two of the greatest governors that this state has seen. Those two individuals really inspired me to take that risk, take that step.”
Henry told the audience that you sometimes have to take risks for something you believe in.
“I think it’s important to be willing to take a risk to put yourself out there, to be willing to fail,” he said. “Because if you’re not willing to fail, if you’re not willing to make a mistake, you’re never going to make it be successful. And that’s what it boils down to me.”
Nigh said he knew at an early age he wanted to become governor.
“When I was in the ninth grade, I took a vocations class at McAlester,” he said. “You wrote down what you wanted to be when you grew up, this was before Pearl Harbor in 1941. I wrote down that I wanted to be governor, and then you discussed that for the semester.”
Nigh has given commencement speeches across the state and around the country hoping to motivate young people to go into public service during their lifetime.
“I’ve made hundreds of commencement speeches, and what I want to tell these students is you cannot be drafted to be a legislator or governor or President,” he said. “You have to offer yourself. Be involved in serving the people. Yeah, be a politician. Take out an ad, shake hands, kiss a few babies, make a speech, but then be a public servant. And that’s why all 77 counties are important to Oklahoma, not just the one you come from. I want to encourage everyone to get involved.”

The Metropolitan Library System is proud to offer the Library By Mail program to help Oklahoma County residents 65 years or older who are homebound get access to library materials.
The Library by Mail program provides materials (like books, CDs, DVDs, and more) by USPS at no cost to library customers who are homebound or are otherwise physically unable to visit one of our 19 library locations. Recipients can simply request materials through the catalog or by phone, and Metro Library will mail them. When the guest is ready to return the materials, they’ll put them back in the bag they received them in, and send them back to the library with no postage required.
Library by Mail also offers monthly newsletters with suggested titles from the Library by Mail collection.
Now, with the integration of Metropolitan Library System’s upgraded catalog (starting Nov. 1), customers will be able to select “Library by Mail” as their pickup location to have their material(s) mailed to them.
To access this service, guests can visit metrolibrary.org/LBM and log in with their library card number and last name.
Interested recipients who are 65 years or older and reside in Oklahoma County can call 405-606-3295 or 405-606-3297 or email askalibrary@metrolibrary.org to consult with a staff member to determine eligibility.
About Metropolitan Library System: The Metropolitan Library System provides library services for more than 800,000 residents of Oklahoma County with 19 physical locations as well as 24/7 access to our digital resources at metrolibrary.org.