Surrey Magazine - July/Aug 2014

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SURREY

Oklahomans in Space

Late Summer 2014 Vol. 6 No. 6 • A Claremore Daily Progress Publication

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Published Bi-monthly by The Daily Progress SEND COMMENTS TO: The SURREY @ The Daily Progress 315 W. Will Rogers Boulevard Claremore, OK 74017 P.O. Box 248 Claremore, OK 74018 E-mail — editor@claremoreprogress.com Bailey Dabney Publisher Rebecca Hattaway Editor/Designer CONTRIBUTORS Tom Fink Kristy Sturgill Diana Dickinson

ADVERTISING INFORMATION: (918) 341-1101 addir@claremoreprogress.com All copy and advertising in the Surrey are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced.

Some photos used by permission of source.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: Saige Morgan holds up her stringer of 20 fish she caught at the City of Claremore’s Kids Fishing Derby on July 4. See more pictures from the day’s festivities on pages 12 and 13.

4 Surrey Late Summer 2014

PHOTO/Kristy Sturgill

SURREY Vol. 6 No. 6 n Late Summer 2014

Inside 6 6 Oklahomans in Space

14 18 22

Oklahomans in Space Astronauts from our state have made huge contributions to the country’s space program over the decades.

CASA Volunteers with Child Advocates of Northeast Oklahoma serve as the voice of abused and neglected children in the court system. More volunteers are needed.

Volunteers for Youth Funding is critical to support vital programs that positively impact youth in our community.

Gatesway Hot Air Balloon Festival Will Rogers Downs will again host the festivities Sept. 19-20.

14 CASA — Shortening the waiting list means lengthening the list of volunteers

18 Volunteers for Youth — Guiding future productive citizens Late Summer 2014 Surrey 5

Oklahomans in Space Claremore’s Stuart Roosa among those who made a mark in space program

By KRISTY STURGILL

O

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with all paid subscriptions.

6 Surrey Late Summer 2014

klahoma Historical Society recently completed a series, “Oklahomans in space,” which aired on OETA, The series, produced by Bill Moore, was based on his book that was published in 2011.

The seven-part series covered Oklahomans’ involvement both in the story of human space exploration and the exploration of all the planets through space probes created by scientists and engineers. Moore worked on the series for 14 years.

“It’s a lifelong passion,” Moore told NewsOK. “I watched Apollo 8 circle the moon and it had a huge impact on me as a boy. As I grew older, one of the things that really stood out to me was the number of people from Oklahoma involved in the space program. And not just astronauts, there were a lot of people who were more behind the scenes.”

Stuart Roosa, one of 24 individuals to travel to the surface of the moon, grew up in Claremore, attended Claremore High School and graduated from Oklahoma State University.

Roosa had only one space flight, the Apollo 14 mission to the Moon from Jan. 31 to Feb. 9, 1971.

Andrew Chaiken, in his book “A Man on the Moon,” wrote, “More than many of his colleagues, Mr. Roosa was a straitlaced, conservative family man with a soldier’s devotion to his country.”

Prior to his Moon mission, Roosa was a smoke jumper for the US Forest Service. Then he joined the Air Force in 1953. On Apollo 14, he served as the Command Module Pilot.

Roosa orbited the moon for 33 hours alone while the other two astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr. and

LEROY GORDON COOPER

STUART ROOSA

WILLIAM POGUE

THOMAS STAFFORD

OWEN GARRIOTT

SHANNON LUCID

JOHN HERRINGTON

Late Summer 2014 Surrey 7

Edgar D. Mitchell explored a region of the lunar landscape known as Fra Mauro.

In his book, Chaiken wrote that, “Roosa enjoyed the solitude of being in lunar orbit, alone and out of radio contact and in total darkness. He took special pride in his scientific observations from orbit.”

To honor the U.S. Forest Service, Roosa carried a metal canister filed with more than 500 seeds from loblolly pine, redwood, sweet gum, sycamore and douglas fir trees.

After Apollo 14 safely arrived back on earth, Stan Krugman, of the Forest Service, oversaw planting of the moon seeds.

Krugman compared the growth of the trees from seeds that had been in orbit to seeds that did not go into orbit.

After the seeds grew into saplings, they were shipped and planted in parks on the grounds of state capitols, schools and government buildings.

The trees were quickly forgotten until the 40th anniversary of the Apollo landing approached. A nationwide search for Roosa’s planted moon trees began.

Seventy-nine of the moon trees have been located, but none in Oklahoma have been discovered.

Roosa, died at the age of 61 in result of pancreatitis complications.

At the time of death, he was president and owner of a Coors beer distributorship in Gulfport, Miss.

Of the 24 men who flew on Apollo lunar missions, Roosa is the fourth to die. John L. Swigert Jr. of Apollo 13 died of lung cancer in 1982, soon after being elected a Congressman from Colorado.

Ronald E. Evans of Apollo 17 died of a heart attack in 1990. James B. Irwin of Apollo 15 died of a heart attack in 1991.

Roosa’s special honors include the

NASA Distinguished Service Medal; the Johnson Space Center Superior Achievement Award (1970); the Air Force Command Pilot Astronaut Wings; the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal; the Arnold Air Society’s John F.

Kennedy Award (1971); the City of New York Gold Medal (1971); the American Astronautical Society’s Flight Achievement Award (1971); the Order of Tehad (1973); and the Order of the Central African Empire (1973). Roosa

Late Summer 2014 Surrey 9

earned a PMD from Harvard Business School, Cambridge, MA, and an LL.D. from St. Thomas University, Houston.

Roosa was a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, the Association of Space Explorers, the Explorers Club, the Circumnavigators Club, the Shikar Safari Club, and the Confederate Air

Force.

“Stuart Roosa was one of the ‘can-do’ space-farers that helped take America and all humankind to the moon,” said Daniel S. Goldin, chief of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

“He exemplified the talents that all of NASA strives for: service to our nation,

technical know-how and an unbridled creative spirit.”

Other Oklahoma Astronauts Leroy Gordon Cooper Cooper was born in Shawnee. He started flying planes when he was only 8 years old. He was a Marine in World War II and then joined the Air Force in 1949.

He spent a total of 222 hours in space.

He died on Oct. 4, 2004.

Thomas Stafford Stafford was born in Weatherford. He completed four missions; Gemini 6, Gemini 9, Apollo 10, and Apollo-Soyuz.

During Apollo 10, and he flew the largest rocket ever built, the Satur V. In his home town he built the Stafford Air and Space Museum, hosing a large collection of aviation and space flight exhibits.

Owen Garriott Garriott was born in Enid. He completed two missions; Skylab-3 and STS-9/Spacelab-1. He was a mission specialist on the STS-9 Columbia. On this mission he conducted the first amateur radio operations using his own call letters. He experience 1,674 hours and 56 minutes in space.

William Pogue Pogue was born in Okemah and grew up in Sand Springs. He was a veteran of the Korean War and a member of the US Air Force. He was a pilot for Skylab 4 and went to space of the Satum I-B rocket. Pogue spent 2,017 hours in space.

Shannon Lucid Lucid was born in Bethany. She was a

10 Surrey Late Summer 2014

part of several missions: Discovery STS51G, Atlantis STS-34, Atlantis STS-43, Columbia STS-58, Atlantis STS-76. Lucidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents were missionaries to China and as an infant, she and her family were held captive in a Japanese Army prison camp.

Her family came back to Oklahoma after being released. She received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma. NASA selected her as one of the first female astronauts.

John Herrington Herrington was born in Wetumka. He is a Chickasaw Indian and was the first Native American to go to space. Herrington was the pilot of Endeavor to the International Space Station. He installed new parts and spent 330 hours and 47 minutes in space.

Late Summer 2014 Surrey 11

City’s Fourth of July celebration

TOP PHOTO — A large crowd made it out to Claremore Lake Park for the city’s annual Fireworks Spectacular on July 4.

ABOVE — Storm Miller and her green balloon teddy bear wait on the fireworks. RIGHT — Jerzei Murray displays her huge catch at the morning’s Kids Fishing Derby.

12 Surrey Late Summer 2014

PHOTOS by KRISTY STURGILL ABOVE — Mellisa and Sophie Willis celebrate the holiday with matching Mickey Mouse shirts. TOP LEFT — Summer Morgan brings in her first catch of the morning at the Kids Fishing Derby. BOTTOM LEFT — Alex Byington and his winning carp.

Late Summer 2014 Surrey 13

CASA

Shortening the waiting list means lengthening the list of volunteers

By DIANA DICKINSON

“The mission of Child Advocates of Northeast Oklahoma is to speak for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the courts of northeastern Oklahoma. At CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), we promote and support quality volunteer representation

for children to provide each child with a safe, permanent and nurturing home,” said CASA Executive Director Angela Henderson.

Most organizations depend on volunteers to make their mission successful in being a service provider.

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They also have a continuous flow of comings and goings which affect not only the operation but also those that are served. There tends to be waiting lists in almost every public serving non-profit organization.

The waiting list continues to get longer since there are not enough volunteers.

“We just do not have enough volunteers to go around. We utilize volunteers only with paid staff to supervise them,” Henderson said.

Child Advocates of Northeast Oklahoma serves abused and neglected children beginning at birth to 18 years of age. They also serve children who live in foster care and/or are in state’s custody with a court-related deprived matter.

“I’ve always loved children. Let’s face it, though, children don’t have many rights in our society. The laws are written to protect the rights of the parents. As a parent, I appreciate that the law protects my right to raise my children in the way that I see fit, but not all parents are acting in their children’s best interest. For 10 years now, I’ve lent my voice to the voiceless. It’s something I mean to do for as long as there is breath in my body,” insisted Henderson.

She has experienced that CASA isn’t always wanted or appreciated by the responsible parties of the abused, neglected and deprived.

Paula Watson, Traci Cain and Joyce Medlock stand in front of CAsA’s Angel Tree located at the rogers County Courthouse.

“I’ve always loved children.

Let’s face it, though, children don’t have many rights in our society. The laws are written to protect the rights of the parents. As a parent, I appreciate that the law protects my right to raise my children in the way that I see fit, but not all parents are acting in their children’s best interest.”

AngelA Henderson Child Advocates of Northeast Oklahoma

Late Summer 2014 Surrey 15

CASA “Still, I believe in what we do, or else I wouldn’t do it,” she added.

The volunteers are motivated by a love and concern for children and a desire to see these children find better outcomes.

“This is tough work and it isn’t for everybody. The people who volunteer with us inspire me every day,” Henderson said.

The volunteers are nominated for awards through the National CASA Association and the Oklahoma CASA Association.

Ben Bradford, a long-standing volunteer, was the 2013 Oklahoma CASA Volunteer of the Year.

Henderson props Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw, who have chosen CASA as their

16 Surrey Late Summer 2014

philanthropy. Dr. Phil frequently promotes the need for CASA volunteers on television segments. They have received a number of referrals from the show.

The volunteers gave enough time last year to equal a full-time position. The benefit to the community was the equivalent of $51,000. They provide the child advocacy services free of charge and speak for what is beneficial for the abused and neglected children.

After becoming involved in the lives of the children, CASA assists in additional ways.

“We recommend services for children and youth who are troubled or experiencing difficulty as a result of the home circumstances from which they

were removed. Nearly all of the children we work with have at least one issue that causes them social, emotional, or educational problems. Our desire is that children are made whole through the court intervention process,” said Henderson.

The organization relies on an extensive fundraising plan that includes federal and state grant funding, corporate and foundation giving, annual giving and planned giving.

Their next event will be their 20th anniversary celebration in May 2015.

Paula Watson and Joyce Medlock, CASA volunteers since May, shared their reason for volunteering.

Watson said, “My background is in education. I wanted to be a voice of deprived and abused children. The teacher in me is to ‘protect and hover’ over them.”

Medlock has worked in the public sector for over 30 years. “I have a heart of compassion for people and children. I want to have a positive effect in the lives of children. I am just so protective!”

Although not a volunteer, Traci Cain does posses the heart as a CASA employee.

“I enjoy helping the most vulnerable children who do not have a voice. I will stand strong for them. Working with children, we are the eyes and the ears of the court,” she said.

CASA volunteers must be at least 21 years of age and complete an application, background check, drug test and more than 30 hours of National CASA Association certified training before being accepted into the program.

“We’re very careful about who we allow into the program because our volunteers do have access to vulnerable children,” Henderson said.

Interested volunteers can contact CASA at the Rogers County Courthouse on the second floor.

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VOLUNTEERS FOR YOUTH

By DIANA DICKINSON

To positively impact the lives of Rogers County youth does not require skill as much as it requires time and compassion.

Funding programs to keep afloat and gaining volunteers are the most difficult challenge of almost all youth-serving organizations.

Mendy Stone, executive director of Volunteers for Youth, was selected to run the organization in 1998. Although her background is in advertising, public relations and as a former business owner, she has the tenacity to run with anything presented before her.

“My role as director requires many skills that I developed including promotion/publicity, event planning, fundraising, marketing, bookkeeping, budgeting and forecasting, strategic planning and more. Owning a business gave me lots of contacts and recognition in our community that has also been invaluable. My substituting allowed me to be a familiar face in the schools which was important in the early days of trying to convince school administrators of the importance of a mentoring program. I lead a staff and volunteer corps (over 100) of 18 Surrey Late Summer 2014

very dedicated people and their passion is my passion...to raise up a generation of Rogers County young people who are supported and valued and become productive citizens and great parents,” Stone said.

Volunteers for Youth primarily serves youth, but their mentor/mentee matches may go as young as kindergarten or 1st grade.

Stone attributes the volunteerism to the importance of time spent helping and “giving back.”

“Many will tell you that they feel they get far more from volunteering their time with a child than the child gets — but of course, that is never true,” Stone said.

Volunteers are not just people who have nothing to do. They are people who are retired, have children, work fulltime or anyone that looks for ways to help.

Volunteering helps define one’s own selfworth.

Who you are and what you do are important qualities. It is not what you have in the bank or what type of car you drive that defines your self-worth. Who you are matters most to those who need guidance, who feel they have nothing.

The volunteers are honored as PAL Mentors each year as the Mentor of the Year and they are recognized at a ceremony in OKC at the Capitol. The organization also holds an annual mentor recognition luncheon during National Mentoring Month in January.

They also host monthly mentor feedback meetings where they provide lunch and a chance for mentors to share their struggles and successes.

“In the mentoring program the bulk of our referrals come from teachers and counselors who recognize that a particular child could benefit from the one-on-one attention of an extra adult in their life. In StepUp, we take OJA (Office of Juvenile Affairs) referrals, municipal court referrals, school referrals and even an occasional parent referral. We almost always have a waiting list with a few kids

who need to be matched with a mentor and usually it’s more boys than girls,” Stone said.

Parents are faced with a dilemma each summer when school lets out.

“We offer two weeks of summer camp from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. We also offer one opportunity for our mentors and mentees to get together for a picnic,” she said.

“Our BLAST After School Program is offered for students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades by enrollment and provides daily activities from 8 to 5 for two full weeks each summer. It may be attended by students entering 4th to 8th grades. UTurn Academy students enroll when they are on long-term suspension from any Rogers County school and are afforded the opportunity to stay caught up on their school work and remain in a supervised environment during school hours. Underage drinking and youth prescription drug misuse are the focus of

the Drug Free Communities Project and the STOP Act grant funding provided to Volunteers for Youth. One of many strategies is to provide quarterly youth night activities that are drug and alcohol free and operated in partnership with the City of Claremore Parks & Recreation Department,” Stone said.

Since funding is a challenge, she said, “I would love to see more funding from the state level to support youth programming (particularly mentoring programs). I would also love to see more individual giving directed toward programs that are truly local such as ours. We are not affiliated with any national organizations and, although good in many ways, the funding support is sometimes directed toward those more nationally recognized organizations.”

For those who wish to volunteer, send inquiries to mendy.s@volunteersforyouth.com.

PHOTO — Volutneers for Youth’s golf marathon participants included members of the staff and the marathon golfers, many of which volunteer as mentors and board members.

Late Summer 2014 Surrey 19

Making it count: Presidential service awards motivate volunteers

By DIANA DICKINSON

One of the highest honors one can receive for their volunteer service is Presidential recognition. Whether you are a high school/college student or professional volunteer receiving merit or documentation can be for personal or professional growth.

To date, 2,547,247 volunteers have received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for volunteering in their community. The award is not hard to achieve but is difficult without the enrollment of a certified agency of the different obtainable awards.

The most rewarding part about volunteering is making a difference and witnessing the positive impact. If you are an adult seeking to work with children in Rogers County, it is easy to get connected. One can visit their website, call or stop in to see what the criteria is to become a volunteer.

Students are more likely to use the certifying agency or create an online account to track their hours for school certification of community service hours which can gain free or reduced education. Receiving and achieving the award has a multi-purpose reward.

The Presidential Service Award website states, “With that honor comes responsibility to your community, the nonprofit sector and the Office of the President of the United States. As a PVSA award recipient, it’s your duty to not only continue to a live a life of service and encourage others to follow in your footsteps, but also extend your serviceminded values outside of your volunteer work as honorable and respectable citizens.”

BRONZE LEVEL Ages 5-14 need to achieve 50-74 hours of volunteer time Ages 15- 25 need to achieve 100-175 hours 25 and above need to achieve 100-249 hours Family and Groups need to achieve 200-499 hours.

SILVER LEVEL Ages 5-14 need to achieve 75-99 hours of volunteer time Ages 15- 25 need to achieve 175-249 hours 25 and above need to achieve 250-499 hours Family and Groups need to achieve 500-999 hours.

20 Surrey Late Summer 2014

GOLD LEVEL Ages 5-14 need to achieve 100 or more hours of volunteer time Ages 15- 25 need to achieve 250 or more 25 and above need to achieve 500 or more Family and Groups need to achieve 1000 or more President’s Call to Service Award All ages must achieve 4,000 or more over a lifetime. Volunteers receive a personalized certificate and a congratulatory letter from the President of the United States.

If you are 14 years or older you can sign up to track your own service and begin looking for volunteer opportunities in your community by going to https://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov and click on “find volunteer opportunities.”

To become a certifying agency, the agency must be a legal entity in the United States. They must also complete an ecourse online as well as meet other requirements and maintain certification.

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Gatesway Hot Air Balloon Festival

T

he sky over Claremore will be filled with hot air balloons this September, and the Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs grounds will be loaded with families enjoying all the festivities of the annual Gatesway Hot Air Balloon Festival.

The annual family event will take place on place Friday, Sept. 19 and Saturday, Sept. 20, and feature more than 30 hot air balloons from across Oklahoma, and the country, activities for all ages, live entertainment, arts & crafts vendors and of course, plenty of great food.

This installment marks the seventh consecutive year for Will Rogers Downs to host the festival.

The large grounds provide the space for numerous family activities, including pony and helicopter rides, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activity area and arts and crafts vendors and exhibits.

Festivities get underway at 7:30 a.m. Sept. 19 with a media balloon flight. The festival opens to the public at 4 p.m., with several activities and vendors still being scheduled.

Tethered balloon rides will be available, both Friday and Saturday at a cost of $10 per person. A balloon glow will begin at 7:30 p.m. both evenings and will be followed by live enter-

tainment on the Dog Iron Stage inside the facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s casino.

Saturday morningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s festivities begin with a competition balloon flight that lifts off just after sunrise. Another competition balloon flight is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

Several to-be-announced activities are still being scheduled for the weekend event. Admission and parking are free both days.

All proceeds from this event will be used to continue the programs and services offered to individuals with intellectual disabilities served by Gatesway.

For more than 50 years, the Gatesway Foundation has provided opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities throughout eastern and central Oklahoma.

Gatesway offers an array of residential and vocational programs that promote independence and provide opportunities for people with disabilities to improve their quality of life For a full schedule of events and to learn more about The Gatesway Foundation please visit www.gatesway.org.

Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs is located three miles east of Claremore on Highway 20. For more information, visit www.cherokeestarrewards.com or call (918) 283-8800.

» COME JUDGE

for Yourself.

GOLFERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD COME TO CHALLENGE THE JUDGE and the two other golf courses in Prattville at RTJ Capitol Hill. Bring your clubs and come take on Judge hole number 1, voted the favorite hole on the Trail. Complete your day in luxury at the Marriott and enjoy dining, firepits and guest rooms overlooking the Senator golf course. With the Marriott’s 20,000 square feet of meeting space, 96 guest rooms and luxurious Presidential Cottage combined with three world-class golf courses, business and pleasure can definitely interact in Prattville.

THE ROBERT TRENT JONES GOLF TRAIL AT CAPITOL HILL is home of the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic on the Senator Course September 18 to 24, 2014. The Marriott Prattville is part of the Resort Collection on Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

Visit www.rtjgolf.com or call 800.949.4444 to learn more.