Commun ty Matters Salina Presbyterian Manor
March 2018
Mary’s musings By Mary Bridges, chaplain Salina Presbyterian Manor
When I turned 65, I changed my hair color, and for a number of years my dark hair was highlighted with a variety of colors. Over the years, I have been a redhead, and once even tried some purple. This year, I decided to go back to my natural hair color. I knew that my natural hair had begun to have a few white or grey strands in it, but I must say that I was shocked when I looked in the mirror today and saw my mother looking back at me. March is “Women’s History Month.”You will be hearing many stories of famous women who have changed history. The woman who changed history for me was a quiet woman: a first-generation American with an eighth-grade education. My mother, Theresa Dorthea Ehrlich Bender, was the youngest of eight children born in 1901 to Alex and Maria Ehrlich, who came to Kansas from Russia. One of the earliest stories I remember her telling was about her first day of school. Like most children, she was nervous as she sat at her desk. The teacher was going around the room getting acquainted and when she MUSINGS, continued on page 5
Peg Britton on Pi Day.
Indomitable spirit Peg Britton achieved many firsts as a mid-century feminist on the prairie It seems incredible now to hear how Peg Britton was treated in college. Professors threatened to flunk her. She was denied basic privileges that men enjoyed. She worked twice as hard to be considered half as good. All because she’s a woman. It was the 1950s and the law and society had not yet caught up to the women’s movement. Every year, March is celebrated as Women’s History Month, so we asked Peg to revisit her challenges and celebrate what she accomplished nonetheless. Peg enrolled at the University of Kansas as a geology major in 1946, but soon was drawn to architecture. She switched majors her sophomore year, and from then on she said it was “a battle from start to finish.” SPIRIT, continued on page 2
He apologized, but made no effort to buck the system. Peg recalled “Several professors said they would never pass me no matter how many reading in the Salina Journal decades later that the society finally admitted times I took their course. They would flunk me no matter what. But its first woman. I was a student paying my dues and After KU, Peg found much entitled to learn just like the men smoother sailing as a professional. next to me,” Peg said. She went to work for the J.C. Peg was determined. She took more Nichols Co. in Kansas City, then than the recommended course load married Roy Britton and moved to Ellsworth. They had three children and earned high enough grades to and four grandchildren. Peg graduate early and with honors. designed their home in Ellsworth, She even caught the attention of a 4,256-square-foot retreat on five the president of the engineering treed acres. honor society. He stopped her one SPIRIT, continued from page 1
day to say that her grades more than qualified her for membership, but “we’ve never had a woman.”
Community Matters
is published monthly for residents and friends of Salina Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org. Desi Flerlage, executive director Jenni Jones, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Jenni Jones, jjones@pmma.org. Telephone: 785-825-1366 Fax: 785-825-6554 Address: 2601 E. Crawford, Salina, KS 67401-3898 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. SalinaPresbyterianManor.org
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Community Matters March 2018
She found a lot of opportunities for other firsts, too. She became the first female president of the Kansas Association of School Boards and the first woman on the board of the Kansas State High School Activities Association. “I noticed the activities association was completely male dominated, so I thought why not? Everybody said, ‘But you’re a woman.’ There wasn’t even a place for me to go to bathroom at the offices in Topeka. But they were very accepting and it turned out to be a good thing. It opened the door for a
lot of women to follow.” It wasn’t easy to be a feminist in the mid-20th century, she said. But she’s pleased to have seen so much progress happen in her lifetime, even if the work isn’t finished. In her chosen field alone, only 18 percent of licensed architects are women, even though nearly half of architecture school graduates are women. “I grew up at a time when I couldn’t get a credit card by myself. I just barely got to be able to vote; I was born in 1928,” Peg said. It’s been five years since Peg sold the home she built, and moved to Salina Presbyterian Manor. When she moved in, she asked for something to be done in her apartment by maintenance. They told her it wasn’t possible, so, in true Peg fashion, she told them how to do it. She’s enjoying this chapter of life, Peg said, and she likes to keep her door open so it’s easy to visit with her neighbors. “I’ve never been depressed a day in my life. I just have a very positive outlook,” she said.
Employee of the Year: Jodi Gawith “ To make a difference in someone’s life you do not have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful or perfect.You just have to care.” - Mandy Hale Jodi enjoys her job as a restorative aide helping residents with their daily activities, and maintaining or improving their mobility. “It helps to know that your residents need you, and that your presence makes a big difference in their day,” Jodi says.
Jodi Gawith, Employee of the Year 2017. Like us on Facebook
March is a favorite time of year, as it brings warmer weather, the NCAA basketball tournament and Kansas City Royals baseball games. We have a great month planned for residents. We will host our second annual NCAA basketball bracket championship. It so much fun to see the residents check the leader board every day. Opening day for the Royals is March 29. Join us in the Ivory Keys Coffee Bar to cheer on the Royals. St. Paddy’s Day will bring a local bagpiper to Presbyterian Manor, and our first potluck of the year, “Spring has Sprung,” will be held in the lower level. Let’s make every day the best day ever! March 5 – Rojean Loucks Harp Music March 6 – Ladies Breakfast March 7 – Art is Ageless Entry Forms Due March 8 – Travel & Taste – Pretty Boy Floyds March 10 – Movie & Popcorn – “Memoirs of a Geisha” March 13 & 14 – Art is Ageless March 15 – NCAA Tournament Bracket Championship Begins March 15 – Art is Ageless Reception March 17 – St. Paddy’s Day Celebration March 20 – “Spring has Sprung” potluck March 21 – Men’s Breakfast March 22 – Manor Monologue – “Therapy at the Manor” March 26 – Evening Bingo March 29 – Ladies Lunch Club – Parade of Quilts and Carriage Crossing – Yoder March 29 – Royals Opening Day Watch Party
Health care happenings This March we will be looking into the farm life. We will celebrate 200 years of the Farmer’s Almanac, talk about eggs, try eating a dish with dandelion greens, also have a traditional morning farm dish called scrapple and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with bagpipes.
Employee of the Month: Charlie O’Neal Charlie O’Neal has two daughters Avry, 7, and Delila, 5, and two dogs named Raeger James and Kima Page. Her hobbies include watching New England Patriots, KU basketball, KC Royals, crafting 3-D letters, photography, cooking, spending time with family and working out 3 to 5 times a week. One thing people do not know about her is that her go-to for decompressing is getting in a pool and swimming laps. Her goals are to get accepted into the LPN program in January 2019, get an RN and work as a surgery nurse, and enjoy life to the fullest and travel the world. Left: Charlie O’Neal, Employee of the Month. Like us on Facebook
Salina Presbyterian Manor
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Manor debuts Perfect Attendance award
Art is Ageless exhibit and reception planned this month
In recognition of the commitment shown to Salina Presbyterian Manor by attending scheduled shifts consistently, Presbyterian Manor will present a special award for Perfect Attendance to employees based on the following guidelines.
Since the beginning of time, creative expression has brought joy to both its creators and those who experience their art. The Art is Ageless® program offers senior artists the opportunity to share and display their artwork, and reaffirms the agelessness of human creativity.
• Employee must have been employed a full year as of December 31. • Employee must have attended every shift scheduled during the full year with only these exceptions: planned vacation days and planned medical services scheduled in advance. • Unplanned absences including sick days even with proper notice of at least two hours and/or a doctor’s note will disqualify an employee from eligibility for this award. Congratulations to these employees on this prestigious award: Tammy Stramel Melissa Maas Elizabeth Couch Pat Piper Donna Smith Sherri Yates
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This month, their works are on display at Salina Presbyterian Manor. “It’s inspiring to see the beautiful pieces these seniors have created,” said Jenni Jones, marketing director for Salina Presbyterian Manor. “The joy it brings to them and others is wonderful, and that’s something we want to celebrate and share with the entire Salina community.” The Art is Ageless exhibit will feature works from local artists who are 65 and older, including a few Presbyterian Manor residents. The public is welcome to visit the community to view the exhibit of acrylics, oils, photography and various other mediums, ranging from amateur to professional levels. The exhibit is open 1 to 4 p.m. March 13 to 14 and will be located in the lower level. In addition to the exhibit, Salina Presbyterian Manor will honor local senior artists during an awards reception at the community 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 15.
Jim Campion Daylen Rathbun Jan Gillet Garry Smith Ashley Miller Shanna King
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Community Matters March 2018
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MUSINGS, continued from page 1
came to my mother she said, “Oh, you are ‘n…’ Ehrlich’s daughter.” My mother was devastated to hear the teacher call her dad a bad name. In the small Russell community at that time, there were at least three Alex Ehrlichs’ and to tell them apart they gave them nicknames: There was “peg-leg” Ehrlich, he obviously had a wooden leg. There was “bean” Ehrlich, who had carried home a 50-pound sack of beans. My grandfather had a dark complexion, hence his nickname. Fast forward to my senior year in high school, 1961. My quiet mom did something she had never done before. She agreed to be a sponsor for a Future Homemakers of America trip to Topeka, where as a district president I would be serving punch at a reception at Cedar Crest, the Governor’s mansion. We were a group of about 20 and we went to a nice restaurant for lunch. The waitress greeted us by saying, “We don’t serve blacks.” My friend, Gwen, was the lone black girl in our group. After a short conversation, she said if we went to the back room, they could serve us. My quiet mom, stood up a little straighter, looked her directly in the eye and said, “If all of us can’t be served, then we are leaving,” and walked out. In the preface of her last book, Sigrid Weidenweber, who grew up in communist Germany writes, “When we ‘former inmates from behind the Iron Curtain’ meet, we soon begin to compare those details of communist life we experienced that were the same and those that were culture-specific. Like us on Facebook
Stalin created an artificial famine of devastating proportions designed to eliminate classes of people he and his henchmen designated ‘enemies’ of the Party. Stalin and his communist ilk killed more than 22 million innocent people. It is embarrassing, no, shameful, that today all these years later, the world at large overlooks this cataclysmic Russian tragedy. I wrote these books to shine light on these gross injustices.”
Causes and movements need a spokesperson to bring attention to and to lead people to come together to effect positive change in our world.
The most powerful tool of any totalitarian regime is the extermination of all opposition. If a government silences its critics and forbids ideas contrary to its ideology, labeling such ideas “hate speech,” that is the end of freedom.
Sigrid’s book enabled me to see how my hard-working ancestors stood up for their rights and came to this country for the freedom it offered. My mother’s experience at age 6 enabled her to stand up in that restaurant in Topeka, Kansas, and speak up for the rights of others.
Stalin and Hitler are frightening examples of such dictatorships. “May we never forget how quickly a nation can lose it precious freedom and fall under the aegis of fear and the power of ruthless demagogues. This moving story has implications for our lives in this complex world today.”
Moreover, those words spoken by my mother changed how I came to view our world and my responsibility to that world. Now when I look in the mirror each morning, I smile and say, “Hi Mom, what are we going to do to change our world today?”
However, I have come to believe that real change comes from the lives of simple, ordinary people who are willing to stand up not only for themselves but also for those who are unable to stand up.
Happy Women’s History Month! Salina Presbyterian Manor
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Salina Presbyterian Manor’s Post-Acute To Home (PATH®) program isn’t just about getting you home— it’s about getting you back to your life. Call 785-825-1366 today to schedule your personal appointment and tour. SalinaPresbyterianManor.org
Tell us your story We will be celebrating Older American’s Month and National Nursing Home Week in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. The Older Americans Month theme is “Engage at Every Age.” If you have ways that you are intentionally staying engaged in activities you’ve always loved, using technology or if you just want to tell the world what you love about living in your senior living community, we want to share the story. Contact Jenni Jones, marketing director, and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.
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Community Matters March 2018
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