Across
1 Kilauea flow
5 Clear dishes from
8 Jammies
11 Hosp. figures
14 Longest, as odds
16 Like many Berbers
18 *Occasion to pin back one’s coif?
19 Like village roads
20 Mediterranean country
22 Mixed martial artist Rousey
23 Girl of the fam
26 *Catchy part of a virtuous song?
29 Shortly
32 Arboreal marsupial
33 “You betcha”
34 Garage door opener brand
35 Org. that includes the TSA
38 *People born during the Era of Good Feelings?
42 Digs in the mud
43 Battery measures
44 Biblical mount
45 Bernie in his mittens, Keanu playing with puppies, etc.
46 “Yeah, that’s old news”
47 *Evening spent downloading the latest OS?
52 Manhattan option
53 Mind
54 Qualifying events
57 Calm
60 Social climbers, and what the answers to the starred clues literally have
64 Brings in
65 “You can guess the rest”
66 Put away
67 Keystone bumbler
68 Mauna __
69 Monumental
Down
1 “Geaux Tigers!” sch.
2 High point of a trip to Europe?
3 YouTube clip, for short
4 Mine, in MontrŽal
5 Capital in the Levant
6 Many an election night graphic, for short
7 Direct
8 LAX setting
9 Yak
10 Limited autonomy, so to speak
11 Pipe cleaner
12 Internet stranger
13 Quarterback maneuver
15 The Colorado fourteeners, e.g.: Abbr.
17 Hana Airport greeting
21 Compares
23 Facial cavity
24 Unsuitable
25 Watched from the sidelines
27 Left
28 Locks
30 Letters in ancient history
31 “Tell me if this is too personal, but … “
34 Understands
35 Currency of Serbia and Jordan
36 White with frost
37 Biting
39 Large volume
40 Singer Campbell
41 Draw
45 Two socks, hopefully
46 Mississippi source
47 Linguistic practices
48 Violinist/singer Haden
49 Light rail stop
50 Slop
51 Aware of
55 Cell service letters
56 Appease fully
58 Citigroup’s Jane Fraser, e.g.
59 Super vision?
61 Set component
62 Tetra- minus one
63 __ bunt

Story and photos by Van Mitchell, staff writer

Anna Covey, Community Liaison with VIPcare, said pop-up resource fairs like the one held for veterans Nov. 16 at the American Legion LeBron Post 58 in Guthrie allow them to learn more about both VA benefits and community resources and benefits available to them, including value-based healthcare.
VIPcare and Senior News and Living sponsored the Guthrie event, and more resource fairs are planned for 2024.
“VIPcare is committed to delivering compassionate and preventive healthcare, a standard that our veterans rightfully deserve,” Covey said. “This level of exceptional healthcare is something everyone should have access to.” Covey explained that VIPcare specializes in primary care for individuals 65 and older. They accept most Medicare Advantage plans and work personally with insurance plans to ensure military families receive the coverage they need and deserve.
“We believe in better healthcare as opposed to ‘sick care,’” Covey said. “VIPcare eliminates potential healthcare burdens by offering same-day appointments and transportation assistance to and from appointments. Because our doctors only see an average of 12 to 15 patients a day instead of the industry standard of 25 to 35, they’re able to spend more time with patients, sometimes up to 30 minutes. This allows for a different mindset and a different way of providing care. At VIPcare, it’s about time. More time with the patient. More time to care.”
Steven Sibley, Senior News & Living Account Executive and Retired/Disabled Veteran, said he was approached by VIP Care about co-sponsoring community-based resource fairs.
“This is all about partnering with our advertisers, bringing their services and resources to the communities where they serve and our readers live,” he said. “We also brought in representatives from the VA, the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, and invited several of Guthrie’s local resource providers, like the Chamber and a veteran owner barbershop. They were all excited to participate.”
Steve Gentling, Guthrie’s Mayor, a veteran and post member himself remarked, “Events like this is great. Bringing these resources to the communities where veterans live is the best way to not only educate them, but it also shows them how much we care and honor their sacrifices.”
Mark Cope with Nerve Renewal attended the Guthrie event, and said veterans currently make up 5 to 10 percent of their patient load. He said attending resource fairs allows veterans to learn about Nerve Renewal services.
“With the VA we are in the process of educating their doctors about our services,” he said. “Once we have an opportunity to inform them about this treatment option, the numbers of our veteran patients should increase.”
Cope said Nerve Renewal treatments are FDA-approved.
“We are using a drug-free treatment which involves electrical stimulation combined with a vitamin B-12 complex nutrient blend,” he said. “We’re utilizing equipment to depolarize the nerve cell membrane, which basically shuts the nerve signal down. While that is happening, the nerve is open to receive nutrients from the Vitamin-B injection. What we’re doing is nourishing those nerves.”
Cope said another aspect of the treatment is when they turn the nerve signal off, it sorts of resets the brain and the nerves so they are not firing as much, reducing nerve pain during the treatment.
“We find about 80 percent of our patients have lasting relief when they complete the entire treatment program,” he said. “If a veteran has been diagnosed with neuropathy, they simply need to request a community referral from their VA primary care provider or neurologist, tell them about Nerve Renewal and that they want to come to us for treatment. I think that resource fairs are great for educating veterans about all the different services that are available to them.”
Kim Vincent, the Post Adjutant, was thankful for all who attended and supported the event.
“We were honored to host so many resource providers, and see so many veterans and family members”, she said. “This has been a vision for quite some time, so when Steve Sibley and I first met a few weeks ago, he acted quickly to pull it off. I am beyond thankful for his work and professionalism in doing so.”
Sibley, a Medicare Product Specialist for Veterans, who co-owns Sibley Insures with his wife, said he was pleased with the turnout at the Guthrie Veteran Resource Fair.
“We had 22 resource providers and probably twice that many veterans and their spouses,” he said.
For more information about Nerve Renewal visit https://nerverenewalnow.com/.
For more information about VIP Care visit https://getvipcare.com/oklahoma/.
For more information about Senior News and Living visit https://okveterannews.com/.
For more information about Sibley Insures visit https://www.sibleyinsures.com/

Oklahoma City Indian Clinic (OKCIC), celebrates the Red Feather Galaeach year during Native American Heritage month. This year’s occasion raised over $150,000 and will provide 30 pairs of hearing aids for patients in need.
Held at the Omni Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City, this year’s Red Feather Gala was emceed by Ali Meyer and Joleen Chaney, news anchors from KFOR. They successfully united nearly
600 supporters, including tribal representatives from various parts of Oklahoma, to contribute to OKCIC’s charitable mission. To support the cause, attendees had the opportunity to make donations through a silent and live auction and Native art.
An outstanding moment of the evening was when RADM (Ret.) Kevin Meeks received the 2023
Spirit of the Urban Indian honor. RADM Meeks was honored for his lifelong commitment to improving the well-being of Native Americans in Oklahoma. As a proud citizen of Chickasaw Nation, he currently serves as Deputy Secretary of Health. Throughout his career, he has played a pivotal role in the enhancement of health care services for American Indians.
“I am very honored to receive the Spirit of the Urban Indian Honor,” said RADM Meeks. “I’m so proud of Oklahoma City Indian Clinic’s accomplishments. They have created outstanding and nurtured outstanding partnerships with area tribes and the Indian Health Service. OKCIC is a great example for other urban Indian programs to emulate.”
The gala provided attendees with an opportunity to immerse themselves in Native American culture through a captivating dance performance by the Central Plains Dancers. Additionally, guests could make memories at the photo booth, while enjoying a night of dancing with live music and karaoke.

The brain has plasticity and can grow at any age – if you use it.
Seniors in Oklahoma City took this “use or lose it” message seriously all year long.
More than 55 people every month took advantage of free sessions called Senior LifeSkills Learning workshops. These are the people, age 50 and more, who take personal responsibility for continued learning. Senior LifeSkills Learning topics ranged from “How to Fall Correctly” to “Get a Grip on Improving Your Brain,” to “Insider Tips on Doctors Visits” and much more. All the presentations are based on approved and tested research, but presented for practical application and in “plain English.”
One of the popular workshops involved identifying and differentiating certain smells. This demonstrates strong brain activity. The sense of smell is one of the first things to change as Alzheimer’s disease takes root, even before other symptoms appear. The workshop offered a simple but valid standardized “scratch and sniff” screening to encourage intentional training of the brain to recognize smells.
VillagesOKC organizes and promotes these monthly 90-minute events in cooperation with Our Lord’s Lutheran Church which provides the space.
In order to circle the city with learning opportunities, VillagesOKC also created three Positive Aging days of learning at local campuses. The first Positive Aging was held at Rose State College, then in June one was held at Southern Nazarene University, and most recently Positive Aging: Love Your Brain was held at MetroTech Springlake campus. Combined attendance at the Positive Aging and LifeSkills Learning events totaled 839.
More than 220 individuals came for a day of learning from local professionals such as Bruce McIntyre from the Parkinson’s Foundation and Richard V. Smith, MD, Neurosurgeon at Mercy. Dr. Smith gave the latest in stroke information and prevention. Dr. Jonathan Vestal reminded attendees to “do what you did at first” – hold your head high, look straight ahead when walking, shake hands often and break bread together. He even had the crowd standing on one foot to improve balance. These daylong events were free and included a light lunch and a movie. All had one focus: improving the brain.
Everyone wants a better brain. The Netflix documentary, “Living to 100” illustrates how people around the world are living long and living well. And it all starts in the brain.
The brain represents who we are, which is why so many are eager to learn about ways to improve the brain. In the last Positive Aging event of the year, we watched the documentary, “My Love Affair with the Brain,” which is the story of Dr. Marian Diamond and her 60 years of brain research and teaching at the University of California at Berkeley. She succinctly summarized the way to keep the brain growing and improving: diet, exercise, something new, something challenging and love.
Here in Oklahoma, there are many organizations which do a magnificent job of helping when seniors are in need or in crisis. Although VillagesOKC members do help each other as good neighbors, VillagesOKC’s focus is uniquely education. We are in the business of prevention. Empowering the 370,000 adults 50 and older in greater Oklahoma City to first take personal responsibility and then help another as the very best way to provide for everyone. The village movement encourages learning so each can make the best personal choice. Learning leads to planning for the bumps in life and this leads to serving others.
In three words, VillagesOKC members: Learn. Plan. Serve.
To learn more about http://www.villagesokc.org/, call or text 405.990.6637 or email info@villagesokc.org.

Beth Patterson to Retire After 41 Years of Matching Older Adults with Meaningful Volunteer Opportunities

A come-and-go retirement party is scheduled to honor long-time RSVP of Central Oklahoma Executive Director Beth Patterson. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, December 14 at 351 N. Air Depot Blvd., Suite O, Midwest City. Patterson will retire at the end of December.
This year, RSVP of Central Oklahoma celebrated 50 years in the community matching older adults with meaningful and rewarding volunteer opportunities. Patterson has led the organization for 41 of its 50 years.
During her four decades, Patterson has linked the skills and talents of 6,700 older Oklahomans with more than 500 local nonprofit organizations in need of volunteer support. In the time under her direction, the volunteer members who make up RSVP have contributed 8.9 million volunteer hours to help make central Oklahoma a stronger and healthier community.
“As we reflect on Beth’s years of service and her unflagging dedication to improving and celebrating the lives of older Oklahomans throughout Central Oklahoma, we are reminded of the incredible impact of her kindness and compassion that spreads so far beyond what we can measure,” said RSVP Associate Director Laura McRaniels.
Patterson moved to Oklahoma from Minnesota in 1984. She and her husband, Kelly, recently celebrated 36 years of marriage. They have three grown sons, and three grandchildren. Patterson is a community volunteer member, having served as a volunteer with Catholic Daughters, Meta Fund, Relay for Life, and currently with the Midwest City Lions Club.
In case of inclement weather, the retirement party will be held on December 19.
Since 1973, RSVP of Central Oklahoma has helped older adults 55+ continue to live with purpose and meaning by connecting them with rewarding community volunteer opportunities. RSVP is a partner of AmeriCorps Seniors and the United Way of Central Oklahoma. To learn more about becoming a volunteer, call Laura McRaniels at 405.605.3110 or visit rsvpokc.org. You can also follow RSVP on Facebook at facebook.com/RSVPokc.

Across
1 Kilauea flow
5 Clear dishes from
8 Jammies
11 Hosp. figures
14 Longest, as odds
16 Like many Berbers
18 *Occasion to pin back one’s coif?
19 Like village roads
20 Mediterranean country
22 Mixed martial artist Rousey
23 Girl of the fam
26 *Catchy part of a virtuous song?
29 Shortly
32 Arboreal marsupial
33 “You betcha”
34 Garage door opener brand
35 Org. that includes the TSA
38 *People born during the Era of Good Feelings?
42 Digs in the mud
43 Battery measures
44 Biblical mount
45 Bernie in his mittens, Keanu playing with puppies, etc.
46 “Yeah, that’s old news”
47 *Evening spent downloading the latest OS?
52 Manhattan option
53 Mind
54 Qualifying events
57 Calm
60 Social climbers, and what the answers to the starred clues literally have
64 Brings in
65 “You can guess the rest”
66 Put away
67 Keystone bumbler
68 Mauna __
69 Monumental
Down
1 “Geaux Tigers!” sch.
2 High point of a trip to Europe?
3 YouTube clip, for short
4 Mine, in MontrŽal
5 Capital in the Levant
6 Many an election night graphic, for short
7 Direct
8 LAX setting
9 Yak
10 Limited autonomy, so to speak
11 Pipe cleaner
12 Internet stranger
13 Quarterback maneuver
15 The Colorado fourteeners, e.g.: Abbr.
17 Hana Airport greeting
21 Compares
23 Facial cavity
24 Unsuitable
25 Watched from the sidelines
27 Left
28 Locks
30 Letters in ancient history
31 “Tell me if this is too personal, but … “
34 Understands
35 Currency of Serbia and Jordan
36 White with frost
37 Biting
39 Large volume
40 Singer Campbell
41 Draw
45 Two socks, hopefully
46 Mississippi source
47 Linguistic practices
48 Violinist/singer Haden
49 Light rail stop
50 Slop
51 Aware of
55 Cell service letters
56 Appease fully
58 Citigroup’s Jane Fraser, e.g.
59 Super vision?
61 Set component
62 Tetra- minus one
63 __ bunt

Story and photos provided by Carmen Daugherty
Supervisory Public Affairs Officer – OKC, VA Health Care System

On Sunday, October 22, the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs, local community, family and friends gathered at the Charity Free Will Baptist Church to honor and celebrate the 100th birthday of World War II Veteran and Pastor Lonnie Evert DaVoult. Brother Lonnie was recognized with the distinguished title of Veteran Centenarian.
Born on October 20, 1923, Brother Lonnie was the founder and 33-year-Pastor of the Charity Free Will Baptist Church. DaVoult was drafted in the U.S. Army in January 1943, and he served in the Signal Corps during World War II.

“I was grateful for serving and to the Army for giving me the opportunity to drive all over Europe,” said DaVoult. His WWII military assignment was to deliver messages to the front lines and because of his service to the nation, he was highly decorated, was wounded in action, and is the recipient of the Purple Heart Award.
“My secret to long life is because I gave myself to God, to continue teaching and preaching his mighty word and you have to stay active to stay alive,” DaVoult said. Preaching is a joy for him and he has been doing it for 73 years and doesn’t see himself quitting anytime soon. Seeing and listening to his sermon, anyone would be envious of this centenarian’s energy, passion and enthusiasm.

DaVoult was presented with a Letter of Appreciation and coin from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. OKC VA Chaplains Office presented Brother Lonnie with a lapel pin, letter, portion of a flag (to carry it with him from a grateful nation) and hand-made quilt.
The OKC VA believes 100 years on this earth is a milestone worth celebrating and it is a priority to recognize as many Veteran centenarians as possible.
The OKC VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement program called the Centenarian Celebration Project is a special initiative honoring Veterans turning 100 years old.
Congratulations to Brother Lonnie DaVoult. The OKC VA wishes you to have many more years of preaching and teaching as you continue to inspire those around you.
Charity Free Will Baptist Church is located at 2900 S Westminster Rd, Oklahoma City, OK 73130 https://www.charityfwbc.com/.
For more information about the OKC VA CDCE Centenarian Celebration Project, please contact the OKC VA website at https://www.va.gov/oklahoma-city-health-care/, contact OKCPublicAffairs@va.gov or visit the VA main page at
https://www.va.gov/ Home | Veterans Affairs.

Dear Savvy Senior,

Where can I turn to for caregiving help? I help take care of my 80-year-old father and work too, and it’s wearing me out. Worn Out Wendy

Dear Wendy,
Taking care of an aging parent over a period of time – especially when juggling work and other family obligations – can be exhausting. But help and resources are available. Here’s what you should know.
Identify Your Needs: To help you determine and prioritize the kinds of help you need, a good first step is to make a detailed list of everything you do as your dad’s caregiver and the amount of time each task takes. Identify the times when you need help the most and which tasks others might be able to do for you.
Then list the types of care needed, such as simple companionship or doing active chores, like shopping or running errands. Once you determine this, here are some tips and places you can reach out to for help.
Care Helpers: If you have siblings or other loved ones close by, start by asking them if they could come and help with specific tasks. And see if friends, neighbors or faith group members could help too.
You also need to check into local resources that may be available. Many communities offer a range of free or subsidized services that help seniors and caregivers with basic needs such as home delivered meals, transportation, senior companion services and respite services, which offers short-term care so you can take an occasional break. Call your nearby Area Aging Agency (800-677-1116) for referrals to services or visit https://www.areawideaging.org/.
There are also a bevy of online services you can use to help you save time on certain chores. For example, online grocery shopping and home deliveries, and online pharmacy medication refills and deliveries. You can also order meal-kits or pre-made meals online through numerous meal service delivery companies and arrange needed transportation with ride sharing services like Lyft or Uber.
Or, if you can afford it, you may want to consider hiring someone a few hours a week to help with things like cooking, housekeeping or even personal care. Costs can run anywhere from $12 up to $25 per hour. https://www.care.com/ or https://www.carelinx.com/ are two good websites to help you find someone, or you can work with a local home care agency.
Financial Aids: If you’re handling your dad’s financial chores, make things easier by arranging for direct deposit for his income sources, and set up automatic payments for his utilities and other routine bills. You may also want to set up your dad’s online banking service, so you can pay bills and monitor his account anytime. Or, if you need help, consider hiring a bill paying service like SilverBills https://silverbills.com/, which charges a flat fee of $150 per month.
BenefitsCheckup.org is another excellent tool to look for financial assistance programs that may help your dad, particularly if he’s lower income.
Technology Solutions: To help you keep tabs on your dad when you are away at work or if he lives alone, there are affordable technology devices that can help. For example, there are medical alert systems and smart speakers that help with communication and allow him to call for help if needed. Home video cameras with two-way speakers that allow you to monitor and talk to him when you’re away. Electronic pill boxes that can notify you if he has taken his medications. And to help you coordinate his care with other members of his care team there are websites like https://lotsahelpinghands.com/.
Other Resources: There are also a number of other organizations you can draw on for additional information like the Family Care Alliance (Caregiver.org), which provides a state-by-state listing of caregiving programs and services; the Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving that provides information unique to the challenges of dementia caregivers; and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs https://caregiver.va.gov/, which offers caregiver support services to veterans and spouses.
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.

Bob Anthony

Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner, Oklahoma Treasure.

Story and photo by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

For the better part of the last 30 years, a wooden box has sat on Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony’s desk.
On top is the inscription, “The Secret to Success.”
Upon opening the box, you’ll find a single word: “Work.”
That same box sat on Charles Roth Anthony’s desk after the orphan of Tennessee farmers brought a unique family style of retail trade to Oklahoma and 20 other states.
Most know him as C.R. Anthony founder of Anthony’s.
But to Robert Holland Anthony, he was a grandad and one of the men who helped instill an indomitable work ethic and passion for service.
For decades now, Bob Anthony has poured into Oklahoma – the last 21 of those years as Corporation Commissioner.

By all accounts, he has had a successful career.
“The word success, humility makes me have a pause there,” Anthony said. “Whatever (success I’ve had) I attribute to my parents and the upbringing, emphasis on education, and the opportunity to start working for our company at the age of 10.”
At 10, Anthony was getting up early on Saturday mornings to man the C.R. Anthony’s mailroom. From there he advanced to the warehouse then into the stores, sweeping up at the North May location.
The next summer, when he turned 16, he became one of the company’s top salesmen, helping people at the South Oklahoma City store.
All was under the watchful eye of his grandfather and his father, Guy.
His father served for three years in the Pacific during World War II and his older brother served in Vietnam as a Marine Corps lieutenant. Bob himself rose to the rank of Captain during his 12 years with the Army ROTC and the U.S. Army Reserves.
THE ANTHONY’S BRAND

In 1922, C.R. Anthony opened his first family clothing store in Cushing. Upon the elder Anthony’s retirement in 1972, Bob’s father, Guy, became president of the company and served in that capacity for eight years.
Eventually, at the age of 32, Anthony would follow in his grandfather and father’s footsteps, serving as the company’s president from 1980-87.
Armed with degrees from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance, Harvard, Yale, and the London School of Economics, Anthony took his family’s company to new heights.
While Anthony’s may have been popular in Oklahoma, you may not have realized the chain was actually in 21 states and was the largest privately-owned company headquartered in Oklahoma, issuing some 14,000 W2s a year.
During his seven years as president and chairman of the executive committee, Anthonys had as many as 300 stores, and sales for the retail chain increased from $256 million to $411 million.
Sales, payroll, employment, and dollar profits reached all-time record levels.
In 1986, Anthony accepted the “Five Who Care” Corporate Humanitarian Award on behalf of the C.R. Anthony Company — only the third corporation to be so honored.
The award recognized Anthonys’ contributions to a variety of charitable organizations as well as the company’s employees and their involvement as volunteers in their respective communities across Oklahoma.

A NEW CALLING
Serving the public was nothing new to Bob Anthony, but public service was something different entirely.
In 1987, the shareholders voted to sell the C.R. Anthony Company to an investor group sponsored by Citicorp Venture Capital.
The $112 million transaction marked the largest venture capital investment in Oklahoma for more than a decade, and the value of the Anthony Company employee retirement trusts increased substantially.
The following year, Anthony launched his first of six victorious statewide political campaigns and was elected to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
“Somebody asked me to run,” Anthony said with a laugh. “I’d never been to the corporation commission.”
The Corporation Commission was established in 1907 by Article 9 of the Oklahoma Constitution, and the First Legislature gave the Commission authority to regulate public service corporations; defined as those businesses whose services are considered essential to the public welfare.
The legal principle for such regulation had been established in 1877 when the United States Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling, Munn v. Illinois, that when a private company’s business affects the community at large, it becomes a public entity subject to state regulation.
Initially, the Corporation Commission regulated transportation and transmission companies, mostly railroads and telephone and telegraph companies.
The Second Legislature put oil pipelines under regulation. The Commission began regulating the prices of telephone calls in 1908 and telegrams in April 1912. Regulation of water, heat, light, and power rates began in 1913.
The Commission began regulating oil and gas in 1914 when it restricted oil drilling and production in the Cushing and Healdton fields to prevent waste when production exceeded pipeline transport capacity.
As an officer and then public servant, Anthony saw distinct similarities in his roles.
“Both of them have the same oath of office – to support, obey, and defend the constitution,” Anthony said. “It’s a sacred duty and I’m proud the good Lord has given me an opportunity to be in service.”
“The scriptures also call us to serve, not to be served.”
Anthony has long been an Oklahoma favorite. He garnered 60 percent of the vote in 2018 during his last re-election campaign with more than 700,000 votes and carrying all 77 counties to earn a sixth-consecutive term.
In 2000, he received more votes than any candidate for state office in Oklahoma history.
Anthony is the longest current serving public service commissioner in the United States.
Oklahoma is one of only 10 states where commissioners are elected by the public. Positions are appointed by the governor or legislature in the remaining states.
His work for un-covering corruption earned him the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s highest citizen award in 1995
“My record in office reflects independence and commitment to the public interest and general welfare,” Anthony said. “No one has accused me of being owned by any special interest group.”
Many Oklahomans have fond memories of Anthony’s department stores. Whether it was shopping for new school clothes in August or Christmas presents in December, customers were always met with a smiling face at the register.
“The friendliest store in town” was C.R. Anthony’s slogan along with the idea of determining not how much, but how little something could be sold and still earn a profit.
Bob Anthony learned from an early age that if you worked for your customers and your employees everything else would fall into place.
And if he ever forgets, all he has to do is open that little wooden box.

Oklahoma woman battles a rare and debilitating disease

Story and photo by Jake Strickbine, contributing writer

We tend to take for granted things — things like our ability to walk or to tie our own shoes — until we can no longer do those things.
Emily Rogec lives that reality, and she is grateful for every movement she can still make.
Diagnosed at just six years old with a rare disorder that attacks the nervous system, the Purcell woman was in a wheelchair by 12. Friedrich’s Ataxia is so rare it impacts only one in every 50,000 people in this country.
“It’s progressive,” said Tracy Weidman, Emily’s mom. “It doesn’t just affect her walking. It’s her hands. It’s her throat. It’s her heart. It’s anything that’s muscle.”
The odds may be stacked against her, but Emily is now 27 and proves every day that she is a fighter. Emily has also found a powerful ally in Taylor Marcum, a physical therapist at Valir PT in Purcell.
“Emily’s disease affects the nervous system. So, it affects her physically, but mentally, she is sharp as a tack and witty,” Marcum explained.
Marcum admits she had not heard of Friedrich’s Ataxia before meeting Emily, but she has worked to learn more about the condition. Using that knowledge, Marcum has developed a program to help Emily retain movement.
“I think it helps with my core and a little bit with strength,” Emily said with great effort. Even the ability to talk is impacted by her disease.
Using her knowledge and skills as a physical therapist, Marcum targets specific areas of the body to help Emily maintain as much independence as possible. Her mom has seen the positive changes firsthand.
“Physically, she can hold things better,” said Weidman. “When we’re working with her hands, when I need to pick her up to transfer her, her muscles are working a little bit better. It just kind of gives her a better quality of life.”
In addition to helping with strength and movement, physical therapy helps target the pain Emily experiences as a result of sitting in a wheelchair all day.
Emily believes the team at Valir and the work they are doing together is making a difference.
“It helps my muscles contract a lot and I do think my arms are getting a little bit stronger with some of the exercises we do,” she said.
Each small gain is a big victory against a debilitating disease.
“I think for us to be able to help her in any way, shape or form that we can, whether it’s sitting more upright in her wheelchair or getting stronger – anything we can do to improve her quality of life is just a reward for everyone,” Marcum said.
Although there is no cure for Friedrich’s Ataxia, with the help of the team at Valir PT in Purcell, Emily plans to do all she can to fight back. And she remains grateful for every movement she can still make.