19th Street Magazine October 2022

Sooner Football Just Throw it to Marvin

Veteran of the Month Angela Maness

Program Uplifts Students Bridges Moore

10

Features

Bridges of Moore by Callie Collins

Community support bolsters program set to support students.

14

The Cost of Growth by Tim Willert

City officials propose extending existing ½ cent sales tax.

18 The Future of Cyber Defense by Sharla Bardin

Students at technology center learn how to guard against cyberattacks.

26

Just Throw it to Marvin by Chris Plank

Marvin Mims Jr. electrifies the Sooner offense.

34

Fast Start by Chris Plank

The Sooner volleyball program finds success early in the season.

38 Roaring Start by Mark Doescher

Images from the Moore Lion’s undefeated start to the season.

42

Support on the Frontlines by Lindsay Cuomo

Moore police department hires mental health liaison.

42 Norman Regional Hospital: Healing the Heart by Lindsay Cuomo

Minimally invasive procedure reduces recovery time for patients needing aortic valve replacement.

42 Veteran of the Month: Angela Maness by Bill Moakley & Lindsay Cuomo

Marine veteran shares why she answered the call to serve.

CONTRIBUTORS

Sharla Bardin| Callie Collins

Lindsay Cuomo | Bill Moakley

Chris Plank | Tim Willert

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES

Trevor Laffoon - trevor@kref.com

Perry Spencer - perry@kref.com

PUBLISHER Casey Vinyard

19th Street Magazine 2020 E. Alameda Norman, Oklahoma 73071

Phone: (405) 321-1400

E-mail: 19thstreetmagazine@gmail.com

Copyright © 19th Street Magazine

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mark Doescher

MANAGING EDITOR Lindsay Cuomo PHOTOGRAPHY Mark Doescher

Cover photo by: Mark Doescher

Bridges of Moore

Planning for a better future takes community involve ment. Bridges, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering students by removing the obstacles to high school graduation, is coming to Moore with a new housing development set to break ground this winter.

“As we’re doing this critical fundraising and having im portant conversations, we are discovering a lot of dis parities with a community problem that needs a com munity answer,” said Clayton Ramick, Moore Public Schools Foundation executive director.

A site behind Sky Ranch Elementary School will fea ture 10 duplexes with 20 individualized housing units for youth participating in Bridges. Students may be able to move in as soon as fall 2023.

Throughout the past year, the project has been in its capital campaign phase with fundraising efforts coor dinated through the Moore Public Schools Foundation. Efforts are well underway to meet the overall fundrais ing goal of $2.5 million.

Bridges Moore was a recipient of last year’s Moore Love campaign, a fundraising competition between the three local high schools, which resulted in more than $300,000 in donations.

When extraordinary circumstances prompt students to seek living arrangements outside of their home setting, Bridges will serve as an intervention program for ap plicants who meet specified criteria. Moore students must be enrolled in school, maintain their grades and attendance and have a verifiable source of income, in addition to other qualifying factors.

Participants in Bridges are not considered to be in the care of the state as foster children, and parents or guardians retain custody of all minors.

“The reality is, on any given night, youth can be found sleeping in their car, couch surfing, or living on the streets due to no fault of their own,” said Stacy Bruce, executive director of Bridges of Norman. “In my expe rience with Bridges, homelessness is not a choice and there is no conceivable reason for any youth to experi ence homelessness. Every high school student should have opportunities to sleep somewhere other than a couch, a car or on the street.”

Bridges started in recognition of a community need Nor man school counselors brought to light in the 90s when students were living in a catch-21 situation: they could not attend school due to an oversight in state law that required the presence of a parent or guardian for enroll ment. Without an adult signature, students were forced

BY: CALLIE COLLINS

Community support bolsters program setto uplift students

to drop out of school, which created a self-perpetuating cycle of poverty. The law was changed, and a task force recommendation transformed what was formerly known as Independent Living Services for Youth to Bridges in 2007 in recognition of its stopgap function.

“(Moore Schools currently has) 26 unaccompanied homeless youth identified, which is double what we had at this time last year,” said Amanda Robinson, Moore Public Schools McKinney-Vento coordinator. “These students come from a variety of backgrounds and find themselves unaccompanied for a variety of reasons. They are exceptional and all have one thing in common: they are trying to change the trajectory of their lives by continuing to show up for school, even when it might be easier not to.”

Parental incarceration, unemployment, mental health is sues and unexplained absence are just some of the issues Robinson sees youth attempting to navigate at home.

“Our students are navigating situations that most adults would struggle to figure out. They find places to stay, ways to eat and still attend school full-time. Many are also juggling a job as well,” said Robinson. “Within the school system, we are working to connect them to cloth ing, hygiene products and school supplies, and working on transportation plans to ensure there are no barriers to education.”

Mentoring and life skills classes will be integral parts of the Bridges program, adding to the resources offered through the district.

“Bridges will not only be shelter, but support to help these students reach the finish line with a diploma in their hand,” said Robinson.

Continued education through college or trade school is also part of the path for Bridges participants.

“This program has generated some pretty big results over the decades. Bringing a Bridges program to Moore Public Schools fills the need we have here for dozens of our Moore Public Schools students,” said Dr. Robert

Romines, Moore Public Schools superintendent. “By having our own Bridges program, we know our students will receive the resources and compassionate care that all students need to graduate and successfully move into young adulthood.”

Improving lives, which in turn gives back to the commu nity we share, is the driving force behind Bridges.

“Bridges has solutions to addressing youth homelessness. All of our eligible seniors graduate and 9 out of 10 of them go on to higher education. Better yet, 100% of them have a plan after high school,” said Bruce. “We stand ready to continue our mission and to serve students in family crisis alongside our friends at Moore Public Schools.”

The mission is clear and so is the role of the community – financial support.

“When individuals are ready to sit down with people and commit their resources, we are happy to set up a conversation,” said Ramick. “Please consider sponsor ships by coordinating directly with our staff members.”

Find more information about Bridges at bridgesnor man.org and donate online at mooreschoolsfoundation. org/bridges/.   19SM

MOORE PUBLIC SCHOOLS CREDITS COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR MAKING BRIDGES MOORE POSSIBLE. SPECIAL THANKS TO:

• Moore Home Builders Association: $100,000 donation

• The Oklahoma StrongCommittee: $54,690 donation

• The Moore Beautiful Committee: $50,000 donation

• Richard McKown and Ideal Homes

• Joe Sherga with Omni Construction

• The students and faculty of Moore Public Schools

The Cost of Growth

BY: TIM WILLERT

City officials propose extending existing 1/2 cent sales tax.

For Moore Police Chief Todd Gibson, image plays a big part in police work. It’s not just the way officers conduct themselves in the field. The vehicles they drive and the equipment they use also shape the pub lic’s perception.

“If you have run down, unserviceable police cars, that’s a reflection of the community,” Gibson said. “So, it’s im portant that we’re maintaining high-quality equipment.”

On Nov. 8, voters in Moore will consider extending an existing ½ cent sales tax.

If approved, about $5 million in additional reve nue would be used annually to fix streets, purchase police and fire vehicles and other equipment, and hire personnel.

Approximately 70 percent of the projected reve nue -- $3.5 million annually for four years -- would be used to repair, maintain or rebuild residential streets.

“It’s made a huge difference in the amount of work that we’re able to do on our residential streets as far as maintenance and total replacement,” City Manager Brooks Mitchell said.

The timeline for the extension would begin April 1, 2023, and expire on March 31, 2027. If approved, the city sales tax would remain at 3.875%. The extension would be the city’s fourth in succession.

During the current four-year cycle, the city has pur chased 21 police vehicles, one fire engine and other equipment used daily by both departments. The city has also spent more than $14 million on residential streets.

“I think it’s proven that we’ve been good stewards of the money,” Mitchell said. “We’ve had lots of positive results and we hope that our residents have seen that and will continue to support it.”

The city of Moore, which is 22.5 square miles, has ap proximately 350 miles of two-way streets, according to Assistant City Manager Jerry Ihler.

“A newly constructed concrete street should provide you with 25 to 30 years of life,” Ihler said. “You will probably get at least 20 years of life from a new asphalt street.”  In addition to upgrading and replacing police vehi cles, Gibson said the additional revenue will be used to buy bulletproof vests, pepper ball launchers and handheld radios along with less lethal items that include tasers.

“Equipment used every day wears out,” he said. “And it is used to serve the community and keep police officers safe.”

Additionally, the department will use a portion of the revenue to hire officers needed to offset several planned retirements.

“We have an agency where people stay long term,” he said. “It is a blessing and a curse. Ultimately, they have to retire.”

The city of Moore employs 105 commissioned po lice officers and 25 department staff, Gibson said.

Like Gibson, Moore Fire Chief Greg Herbster must re place fire engines, ladder trucks and other equipment to be effective and maintain public safety.

“Our population is increasing and so is the need for emergency services. Used to be, we would get 15 years out of a front-line unit and not even put 100,000 miles on it,” he said. “Now we’re putting that much on a truck in eight to 10 years.”

“We’re putting a significant amount of wear and tear on our apparatus, which requires quicker replacement than we’ve made in the past,” he added.

In 2021, the fire department made 6,675 emergency calls. Herbster said he expects that number to climb above 7,000 by the end of this year.

“Increasing call volumes and equipment costs make it imperative that we have the revenue to keep us op erating at the highest level to provide the needs of our citizens,” he said.

Typical wear and tear, by contrast, would come from 2,000 emergency calls, Herbster said.   Herbster, who oversees 78 uniformed personnel, wants to hire four more firefighters to help meet the needs of “an ever-growing community.”

“We’ve been working at trying to put another response crew in service to respond to emergency scenes,” he said. “This also will enable us to have extra people here every day so we can complete our continuing educa tion.” 19SM

The Future of Cyber Defense

Students at technology center learn how to guard against cyberattacks

Dr. Barron Winters, senior cybersecurity instruc tor at Moore Norman Technology Center, is training a team of protectors, students who will guard computer systems against cyberattacks.

These students “are going to secure our world moving forward,” shared Winters.

The students are enrolled in the center’s cyber defense program for adults and high school juniors and seniors. In the program, they learn how to identify cyberattacks, how to coordinate and implement security measures for networked-computer systems, and how to repair, main tain and install computer hardware, software and oper ating systems, including basic networking skills.

Winters said cybersecurity is a career field that con tinues to grow as cybercrimes increase. Examples of crimes include account breaches that compromise data and information, malware attacks, identity theft, dig ital currency scams and data manipulation, loss and theft, according to a recent cybercrime statistics report on earthweb.com.

The report also states that experts anticipate that cyber

crime damages will reach $10.5 trillion per year by 2025. The cost of damages includes stolen funds, data destruc tion, theft of intellectual properties, financial data theft, fraud, embezzlement and forensic investigations.

Winters said students who complete the center’s pro gram can choose from a variety of career paths, be it working in IT operations, at a law firm or medical practice or in local and federal government.

Employers also benefit by hiring students from the pro gram who “have made it through a hands-on course where they were taught to adapt, overcome and stay focused to continue to learn,” Winters said. “They are ready with the basics to take on the advanced and be trained in the way needed by any employer.”

He also said he believes students in the program enter the workforce with a variety of skills and innovative knowledge.

“My students bring a fresh approach to addressing the continually growing cyber threat that we face as a na tion since most of these students have achieved or are pursuing Security+ certification,” he explained.

Certification in Security+ gives individuals core knowl edge about security practices and functions.

Winters said one of the rewards of his job is training future information technology professionals who will work to protect employees, agencies, organizations and businesses against cyberattacks.

“We need this new generation with their experiences to take on the next level of threats we are and will face in the future,” he said.

For more information about the center’s cyber defense program, visit mntc.edu

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an effort meant to help educate individuals about mak ing smart technology decisions at home, on the job and at school.

With cybercrime increasing, individuals can play a vi tal role in protecting data. A 2022 cybercrime statistics report shows that 95 percent of all cybercrime and se curity breaches are due to human error, according to earthweb.com.

“Security is all of our jobs,” said Dr. Barron Winters, senior cybersecurity instructor at Moore Norman Technology Center. 19SM

Here are some tips to be savvy about cybersecurity.

• Be careful what you post or share - Avoid putting personal information on the internet. Hackers can gain a lot of information from your social media pages and profiles.

• Think about your apps - Only install apps from trusted sources and update your phone’s software regularly. Updates to your operating system often include critical patches and protections against se curity threats.

• Be mindful of what you click - Be cautious of un known links you receive through emails, messages or while visiting web pages. Winters advises look ing at the address bar to make sure it’s secure. And check to make sure that emails you receive are from a trusted source.

• Use strong and varied passwords - You should use distinct passwords for all your different accounts. Set up two-factor or multi-factor authentication for online verification.

• Avoid online use of debit cards - When you pur chase services or products online, try to avoid pay ing through debit cards or any other payment meth od that is directly connected to your bank account.

SOURCES: intellipaat.com, sectigostore.com

Photos by: Mark Doescher

JUST THROW IT TO

MARVIN

BY: CHRIS PLANK

The smile on the face of Sooner standout Marvin Mims was broad and beaming and for good reason. He had just wrapped up a career performance in a Sooner win over Kent State, posting a career-high 163 yards on seven catches with two touchdowns and a huge punt return.

But it wasn’t an individual play that was the biggest joy to Mims. No, that was saved for the fans and the light show.

“The lights were my favorite part, and the best part was the fans matched the lights,” Mims said with a smile as he explained the feeling on the field of the new LED lights the Sooners debuted in the game. “When the lights went off and flickered and the fans had the flash on. It was the coolest thing ever, really nice.”

The smile on his face is no surprise, even when the lights aren’t flashing. The third-year Sooner receiver has an in credibly positive and refreshing perspective and is one of the more popular Sooners on the roster. He has reached lofty standards in the classroom while also developing into one of the top receivers in the college game, likely a first-round pick in the NFL Draft.

“I’m super proud of Marvin Mims,” OU head coach Brent Venables said. “When he touches that ball, man, it’s elec tric.”

Mims has displayed that electricity from the moment he stepped on the field in a Sooner uniform. As a freshman, Mims set the all-time Sooner mark for touchdowns by a freshman (9). That number tied the Big 12 record. He was also the first wide receiver in OU history to earn FWAA Freshman All-America status and earned fresh man All-America honors from The Athletic and ESPN.

His sophomore campaign didn’t provide the increase in opportunities he had hoped for. While his 705 yards were more than 300 over any other Sooner, his reception total had dropped. The frustration after his sophomore season was understandable and noticeable.

Mims faced a dilemma - did he want to continue his career as a Sooner or take advantage of the transfer portal and seek opportunities somewhere else? Change also came at the top of the Sooner program when Lincoln Riley left for the west coast as Mims was considering his options.

“That’s kind of a hard topic to talk about,” Mims said this offseason on the possibility of transferring. “It was up in the air, but I always wanted to stay. There was never a point where I was like, ‘I’m leaving, and I’m going here.’”

He wanted more opportunities. The allure of playing in the exciting up-tempo, high-power offense that Venables would be employing alongside offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby was something that Mims wanted to be a part of.

“Lebby didn’t have to really talk much to me to get me to stay, especially with the offense he runs,” Mims said. “You’re talking about one of the top three offensive coor dinators in the country statistically. He’s just a great guy.”

Mims was staying and he had an incredible blueprint to follow. Lebby has been an offensive coordinator at UCF and Ole Miss and his leading receivers had at least 70 catches and 1,000-plus yards.

Comparisons to New York Jet Elijah Moore started almost immediately for Mims under Lebby. While the offensive coordinator at Ole Miss, the way Lebby used Moore not only helped maximize his talent and numbers but also el evated him to the second round of the NFL Draft.

In 2019, the season before Lebby took over, Moore had 67 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns. Mims rushed for 705 yards and five touchdowns on an incon sistent Oklahoma offense last season. In his full season with Lebby, Moore improved his yards per catch to 13.9 while catching 86 for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns. Mims will be the undisputed No. 1 target for new quar terback Dillon Gabriel, making Moore’s stat line look very achievable.

“Personally, they’re very similar,” Lebby said of the com parison between Moore and Mims. “Both profession als… They keep themselves at an extremely prominent level and know how to lead and work like professionals. From that point of view, there are many similarities.”

But the process of learning a new offense and following the Elijah Moore blueprint is not easy. Mims not only had to learn a new offense, but he also had to work with his third starting quarterback in as many seasons.

UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel transferred in and im mediately meshed with the Sooner receiver. It helped that Gabriel had played for Lebby at UCF in 2019 and had a firm grasp of the offense that everyone was learn ing. It also helped that Gabriel and Mims spent a ton of time together in the offseason, both on and off the field.

“We spent a lot of time together in the spring and sum mer knowing we were at a disadvantage with a new play book and a new offense,” Mims said. “The Dime Time retreat was incredibly helpful, taking us to Medicine Park in Lawton staying in a house together having a throwing session and hanging out. At this point, this is the closes we’ve been as a team than in the past teams I’ve been on and I’m just loving it and that’s where it’s coming from.”

The much talked about “Dime Time” retreat was one of the hits of the offseason and seemed to help establish Gabriel as a leader and develop cohesiveness on the of fensive side of the football. Of course, there was also a lot of fun too. Activities included lots of throwing in the

backyard, a little golf at Fort Sill Golf Course, some lake time, plenty of fun and games, but mostly just fellow ship. And eating. Lots of eating.

“Made sure to eat every meal together,” Gabriel said. “Breakfast, lunch and dinner. That was a big point for me just to connect with one another.”

Now the Sooners are eating up opponents with its ex plosive offense. And at the core of it all is the relation ship between Gabriel and Mims.

“I mean, he’s an explosive player,” Gabriel said. “I trust Marv, know what he can do with the football in his hands, and know special things will happen.”

The relationship off the field is just as important to Ga briel and Mims.

“I think what’s really cool about me and Marvin is we’re very similar,” Gabriel said. “Just the way we ap proach football, but also the way we approach life. As

we connected and continue to have conversations over the past six or seven months, I just feel confident in the person he is.”

Don’t lose track of how tight the receiving room has become. Returning talent around Mims includes Drake Stoops, Jalil Farooq and Theo Wease while exciting newcomers Jayden Gibson and Nic Anderson will look to make an impact in 2022.

“We are all best friends,” Stoops said. “At the end of the day, we all love each other and that helps with that cohesion in the room. We’re all playing for each other; we’ve got each other’s back.”

That means end zone and sideline celebrations, indepth and intense film room studies, and of course a ton of smiles.

“We all have respect for each other. Drake, Theo and I are the older guys, and we always see eye to eye,” Mims said of the group. “We try to teach each other as much as we can, especially in the film room. I love those guys to death and it’s definitely the closest room I’ve been in.”

Mims has found the opportunities and energy he want ed in a new coaching staff and new quarterback yet still in the same location at the University of Oklahoma.

“It’s different than it’s been in the past, that’s for sure,” Mims said. “Games are always different than practices. I feel like everything’s so much calmer in games. We’re just out there playing football. It’s been great, with the receiv ers on the sideline, quarterbacks on the side, communica tion at halftime, everything’s been different, but I love it.”

And did we mention the opportunities on the field?

“I love it when I get thrown the ball,” Mims added. “Just making the most of my opportunities. Even when I’ve got to block for someone else or something, I’m go ing to try my hardest at it because we’re a team. This year, there’s no type of selfishness. We’re all out there playing football for each other.”

Mims brings it every game, every day, every opportuni ty. And while Oklahoma came close to potentially losing Mims, the renewed passion and energy is contagious in the Sooner locker room and throughout the Oklahoma fanbase.

“He epitomizes what you want the Oklahoma football player to look like… work ethic, accountability, depend ability, reliability. He has all the abilities,” Venables said of Mims. “He has a lot of gifts. You want your best players to be your best leaders and you want your guys to be about it and be doers and not takers. He’s got a great presence to him, an incredible example of what (a student-athlete) should look like.

“Everything he does he autographs his work with excel lence.” BSM

Conditions

be effectively treated

health specialist: Incontinence (urinary,fecal, urge, stress & functional)

Urinary frequency, retention or urgency

Pelvic pain, including dyspareunia

Pelvic floor or abdominal changes following pregnancy or delivery (vaginal or C-section)

of prolapse (of any type)

Joint, low back, hip

related to

changes following

Fast Start

Photos by: Mark Doescher

Megan Wilson

Coach Lindsey Gray-Walton

BY: CHRIS PLANK

The Oklahoma Sooner Volleyball team is off to its best start of the Lindsey Gray-Walton era. During her five seasons as the head coach, Gray-Walton has engineered an incredible turnaround including a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2019, after a five-year tournament absence.

But after disappointing runs the last two seasons, the Sooners have righted the ship and look primed for a sol id run into conference play.

“This young team keeps getting better every match we play,” Gray-Walton said. “It doesn’t matter what gets thrown at us, we keep the bus moving in the right di rection. We’re gelling as a unit, not just as players but as people.”

The Sooners went 10-17 last season, including a frustrat ing 4-12 mark in conference play. But the new-look Soon ers have been on fire in the first half of the season and are focused on an even better for the second half. If OU reaches its goal in 2022, the post season is a certainty.

“The standard here for the program is that we’re in the tournament every year,” Gray-Walton said. “The beau ty of the Big 12 is you don’t have to win the league to be in the postseason. The league prepares you to make a deep run in the postseason if you win.”

The talented Sooners roster features a lot of new faces. True freshmen Alexis Shelton, Taylor Preston and Mor gan Perkins have all made an immediate impact. While graduate transfer Adria Oliver has developed into a sol id leader in a short amount of time.

“These freshmen don’t feel like freshmen,” Gray-Wal ton said. “They’ve probably competed at a more intense higher level than any of the kids that we’ve ever recruit ed to this program before. We won’t need to rely on just one player like we have in years past.”

While the new is exciting for Sooner Volleyball, the continued development of Megan Wilson is impressive. Wilson just started playing volleyball in the 9th grade after playing competitive soccer for several years.

“I grew up doing swimming and just about every sport you can name,” Wilson said. “Soccer was it for a long time, but in high school I got burned out a bit and I started looking for something new to do… and I found volleyball.

“I didn’t know how to play or much about it and I just picked it up and was like... all right let’s go.”

Wilson appeared in all 27 games with 16 starts last sea son. As a true freshman, she led the Sooners with 392 kills, 441.6 points and was 4th in the Big 12 with 3.70 kills per set. She is already on pace to surpass those numbers in 2022.

“Megan has matured. She’s a different kid,” Gray-Wal ton said. “That’s the exciting part for us as coaches. It’s

not always about the game, it’s about life situations and how they handle things now. Off the court is no differ ent than on the court.”

It is incredible when you consider this is the 5th year that Wilson has played competitive volleyball and she’s having success while battling against some of the best in the sport.

“I wouldn’t be where I am if I hadn’t played soccer or did all those sports,” Wilson said. “The footwork that is necessary in soccer helped me. I transitioned right to volleyball and fell in love with it. It still feels new to me, and I love it.”

In addition to Wilson, veterans Savannah Davison, Kelsey Carrington and setter Peyton Dunn have had solid starts to the season as well. The players are in place, the buzz is generating.

Now, the Sooners hope the atmosphere can match it.

“We talked about giving the people something to talk about, something to buzz about,” Gray-Walton said of the desire to pack the McCaslin Fieldhouse. “We want to create a product people want to come see.”

“We want to pack that thing and break records,” she add ed. “This group is hungry; they aren’t done yet and that crowd can be the tipping point to make that happen.”

With the postseason in site, the Sooners will need all the help they can get in the challenging Big 12.

“The fans are what drive us,” Wilson said. “We want everyone to come to our games and be affected by the energy that we’re bringing them.”

– BSM

MOORE FOOTBALL ROARS TO FAST START

BY: MARK DOESCHER

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Support on the Frontlines

Moore police department hires mental health liaison

BY: LINDSAY CUOMO

Astudy released by the Ruderman Family Founda tion in 2018 found that first responders are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. An updated release in 2022 found the same startling statistic.

“Moore has seen more than its fair share of tragedy, so we know that our first responders have been exposed to trauma beyond the day-to-day on the job,” Moore Police Chief Todd Gibson said. “That takes a toll and can impact their professional and personal lives.”

As a result, the Moore Police Department recently hired a mental health liaison to address mental health issues both within the department and in the commu nity. Tania Woods started with the department in Au gust but her connections to Moore and to work with first responders is not new.

“I have been a lifelong Moore resident,” Woods shared. “I love it here and I am excited to work and contribute to my community.”

Prior to joining the department, Woods worked at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse as a law enforcement liaison for 15 years. She pro vided crisis intervention and mental health in-service training for first responders including teaching the men tal health portion of the basic police academy for the Oklahoma Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) as well as city academies.

She also led a team that assisted those affected by the May 2013 storms in five counties across the state. That team also worked with the children and staff of Plaza Towers and Briarwood elementary schools. More recently, Woods was asked to join the Oklahoma FBI threat assessment team as a mental health consultant. Woods sees this new role with the Moore police de partment as an opportunity “to make sure our first re sponders have what they need to do their job in the best way they can.”

Woods said that “building trust within the department and the community will be her first priority.”

“Our officers came into this profession because they want to help people,” Woods explained. “I want to be a resource for our officers and their families.”

Woods will also assist with ongoing training, referrals and keeping up with resources such as the new 988 program, Oklahoma’s crisis intervention and mental health lifeline.

Gibson said that this position is unique in Oklahoma in that it is integrated into the department.

“Many agencies have mental health wellness programs or contract with other agencies,” he said. “(Tania) will be continually monitoring the pulse of mental health in the department and the community.

“This new position will enhance our officers’ ability to meet the needs of our community.” 19SM

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Healing the Heart

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), aortic stenosis is one of the most common valve diseases and is classified as the hardening of the aortic valve by calcium buildup. This life-threaten ing condition that weakens the heart affects an estimat ed 1.5 million Americans each year.

Aortic stenosis can impact people of all ages but is most common in people over the age of 65.

While medication can help mitigate symptoms, pa tients with aortic valve diseases experience chest pain, dizziness and shortness of breath, as well as difficulty sleeping and walking short distances, all of which can greatly impact their quality of life.

Long-term treatment plans usually include surgery to re place the diseased valve which used to mean open heart surgery with a week-long stay in the hospital and months of recovery and restrictions. Today, patients have anoth er option - a minimally invasive procedure called Tran scatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, or TAVR.

“The TAVR procedure bridges the gap, especially for very sick patients that would have a hard time with a longer recovery period,” said Brittney Roberts, a physi cian assistant with at the Norman Regional Heart Plaza.

TAVR’s recovery time is typically requires a 24-to-48hour hospital stay with one week of recovery at home and some additional activity restrictions for two weeks.

Norman Regional started a TAVR program in 2020 and has had great success, according to Roberts.

“Patients often experience less pain and have signifi cant improvement in their quality of life in a few days,” Roberts shared.

The American Heart Association compares the proce dure to the placement of a stent in an artery and Rob erts said that a new TAVR valve can last 10 to 15 years.

“The procedure is a good fit for most patients, even high-risk patients,” she explained.

Aortic valve disease can be hereditary, and Roberts en courages people with a family history to talk with their primary care physicians about their risk factors and to get regular screenings.

“Treatments for aortic valve disease have come a long way,” Roberts encouraged. “We have treatment teams ready to take great care of you.”

To learn more about aortic valve diseases and the TAVR procedure, visit normanregional.com/services/ heart-care or myinteractiveasjourney.com.

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Minimally invasive procedure reduces recovery time for patients needing aortic valve replacement

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Veteran of the Month: Angela Maness

Fallujah, Iraq, Camp Leatherneck and Dwyer, the Helmand River Valley, Afghanistan. The Distin guished Service Medal with Gold Star, Meritori ous Service Medal with Gold Star, Navy Commenda tion Medal with two Gold Stars, and Navy Achievement Medal with two Gold Stars.

Those are among the places and honors that comprise part of Sergeant Major (RET) Angela Maness’ career in the United States Marine Corps. Maness, who lives in Norman, retired in July 2017 as the Depot Sergeant Major at Marine Corps Recruit Depot / Eastern Re cruiting Region, Parris Island, South Carolina, com pleting over 30 years of service in the Corps.

“My proudest moments were when I was deployed,” Maness shared. “Being in logistics, we provide supplies to infantry unit Marines located on forward operating bases many miles away from our location. Thanks to our intense pre-deployment training, I’m grateful that all three of my deployments had zero fatalities and very minimal casualties.”

In addition to her service, meritorious and commenda tion medals, Maness was honored in 2018 as the award recipient of the Distinguished Sea Service Award - Se nior Enlisted, bestowed upon her from the Naval Or der of the United States Association. That same year, she was elected to serve as the First Vice President of the Women Marines Association, a post in which she served until September 2020.

Currently, Maness serves the Marine Corps League in a National billet as the Chairperson for the Honor guard/Color guard committee and is the Senior Vice Commandant of the Department of Oklahoma and the Senior Vice Commandant of Sooner Detachment #559 in Oklahoma City, OK. Additionally, she holds the billet of National Marine Corps League Liaison to the Young Marines program.

“Your service to this country never ends,” Maness shared about her current roles. “Your active-duty time

ends and you’ll eventually take the uniform off, but your service never ends.”

She now spends time supporting fellow veterans and men toring kids. There are two units of the Young Marines in Oklahoma, one in Tulsa and another in Norman where she is working to help establish and grow a new unit.

“The Young Marines program promotes mental, moral and physical development while promoting a healthy and drug-free lifestyle,” Maness explained. “(The Nor man unit) is brand new, less than a year old.”

Maness said she and two of her siblings were inspired to serve in the military by her parents. Her father is a Marine and was deployed multiple times during the Vietnam War.

“The whole reason I think my sister, brother and I are so dedicated to what we do for our country is because of our parents,” Maness shared. “My mother was in the Navy back in the 60s when it wasn’t cool for women to be in the military.”

Even though her mom served as a dental technician in the Navy for only a short time, Maness said her leader ship within their family was an inspiration to her.

“At the time she was in the Navy, active-duty women in any branch were mainly a support system for ev erything everyone else was doing,” Maness explained.

“She is one of those humble veterans that doesn’t be lieve her service equates to much because she did not serve in a war. She didn’t feel her service warranted her claim for veterans’ benefits.”

“My mom was strong mentally and physically,” she remembered. “During the time my dad was deployed, Mom was taking care of five children, holding down a job and showing us what leadership looks like.”

Maness currently lives in Norman with her fiancé, Sal Cenicacelaya. She has three children and two grand children. 19SM

Family supports you. We roll up our sleeves, get our boots dirty, and lend what we have to help each other succeed. Family is the spirit that unites us. At Armstrong Bank, our family is here to support your family. We’re going to do our best to help you succeed, whenever and wherever we can. That’s what family does.

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