September/October 2015 60 Plus in Omaha by Omaha Magazine

September/October 2015

DONNA MALONE 60 Years at the Pink Poodle

“CONVOY”

The big 10-4 turns 40

CHUCK ROBERTS

CNN’s first anchor revisits Omaha

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60PLUS FROM THE EDITOR

FAMILIAR FACES names we know and love

CONTENTS

volume 3 • issue 4

HIS ISSUE HAS SEVERAL stories about accomplished, deserving, award-winning men, all age 60-plus who have interesting stories to tell, many who you know by first and last name, if not face. Chuck Roberts, who reported for CNN for 28 years, tells us his story of going to Atlanta from his previous job—right here in Omaha. Chip Davis of Mannheim Steamroller fame tells us the improbable story of how an advertising campaign helped launch his music career, one that is soon to be featured in a PBS retrospective. But our cover story is about a woman. Donna, the firstname-basis friend to many, is a hard-working 70-plus woman who spends her days as a legal secretary in west Omaha. By night, she slings prime rib at the Pink Poodle Restaurant just across the river in Crescent, Iowa—as she has for the past 60 years. She shows no interest in slowing down and is a tribute to all women. We admire you, Donna!

Until next issue!

Gwen

Gwen Lemke Contributing Editor, 60PLUS In Omaha

FEATURE Chuck Roberts From Corn Reports to CNN....................... S4

HOBBIES Mark Erikson Life in Four-Part Harmonys........................S8

HISTORY “Convoy” 40 years Later That’s a Big 10-4, Good Buddy................S10

COVER FEATURE Still Taking orders 60 Years of Waiting Tables at the Pink Poodle........................................S14

HEALTH Is Testosterone Replacement Right for You?..........................................S18

HISTORY You Know You’ve Lived In Omaha A Long Time If You Remember.....................................S20

THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES What Happened to My Lincoln Logs? Thinking Outside the Box.........................S22

september/october 2015 | 60PLUS

60PLUS FEATURE by judy horan | photography provided by CNN

CHUCK ROBERTS from corn reports to CNN

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HUCK ROBERTS BLEW INTO Omaha the same day as the May 6, 1975, tornado that spread death and destruction. Covering the infamous storm was the newsman’s introduction to his new job as a KMTV reporter/anchor. “We were wall to wall on that story for a couple of weeks working 12 hours a day,” he recalls. Viewers may remember Roberts anchoring Today Show cut-ins and noon news. Later he was promoted to weeknight news co-anchoring with Jeff Jordan. KMTV news director Mark Gautier, who hired him, had a good eye for talent. Gautier also hired Tom Brokaw, who went on to a national stage with NBC News. Roberts also ended up with a much wider audience after seven years in Omaha. It started when Ted Turner took a liking to Roberts. The media mogul was launching the country’s first 24-hour cable news station, CNN2, which was renamed CNN Headline News one year later. Turner sent scouts across the country to find talent to anchor his news. They found Roberts in Omaha. “They told me ‘Ted fancies you,’” Roberts explains, “and that I was a finalist. They said: ‘Can’t offer you a contract. Can’t pay what you’re making now,’” says Roberts of his soon-to-be pay cut. He packed up a U-Haul and drove 1,000 miles to Atlanta and a new life. Roberts became the first anchor on the first 24-hour national news network and his was the first face seen on camera when the station went live. The paint was still wet on the CNN set when the cameras rolled.

“We were told our job was threefold: look plausible, stay sober, and read the lines you’re given. Those were our marching orders.” Roberts anchored four-hour weekday newscasts on CNN Headline News. He also was CNN’s election anchor. “I would drive to the Birmingham (Alabama) library and isolate myself and prep for election night. Election night 2000 was the most memorable. Went on the air at 6 p.m. and off air at 7 a.m.” the following morning. In 2010, Roberts left CNN and an international television audience of 160 million viewers. After 28 years, he was the longestserving anchor among all the CNN networks. He then spent three years carrying out media training sessions in eight provinces in China for his alma mater, the Missouri School of Journalism. “We so-called experts were sent to teach media training to start up provincial-level news operations,” says Roberts. “It was a slow process. Everything had to be translated.” The newsman’s enthusiasm for a broadcast career began near a Nebraska farm his family owned. “There was a radio station in the basement of a hotel in Falls City. I was fascinated by that as a 9-year-old.” Roberts has high praise for the quality of broadcast news in this city. “Omaha is so much better than its market size and a great place to start a career. I learned my craft in Omaha.” Because of his many acheivements, Roberts was inducted into the Omaha Press Club Journalists of Excellence Hall of Fame in June.

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60PLUS HOBBIES by bev a. carlson | photography by bill sitzmann

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MARK ERIKSON

life in four-part harmony

ON’T BOTHER TRYING TO contact Mark Erikson on a Monday night. From now until, well—forever— he’s booked. On Monday nights, you’ll find Erikson and more than 100 other Nebraska men singing their hearts out at a Presbyterian church in Fremont. They travel in from all over. Erikson drives from Papillion, an 80-mile round trip. Other members make the trek from South Sioux City, Beatrice, and Columbus. Erikson’s work life may take him to another state, but he’ll fly in just for practice, then back. He moves mountains to make sure he’s in his spot on the riser. “Just a solid fact of life,” he explains. There’s always a quorum for rehearsal of the Pathfinder Chorus. “Every Monday at practice, we put all of life’s challenges aside. It’s like a three-hour break in the week. I’m with my buddies. And we’re singing really well,” says Erikson. “I guess it’s kind of a guy thing.” That “guy thing” is an award-winning, nationally-recognized barbershop chorus. Erikson’s modesty masks the uniqueness of this ensemble. Widely diverse, both in age and professions, the 43-year-old group first qualified to perform at the Barbershop Harmony Society’s International Competition in 2010. They’ve continued to qualify and place every year since, a rare feat for a group made up of non-music professionals.

Barbershop harmonizing and a cappella singing in general have enjoyed resurgence in popularity in recent years, thanks to movies like Pitch Perfect and Jimmy Fallon’s “Ragtime Gals” skits. “It really has made a difference,” says Erikson. “It’s bringing barbershop to the forefront of a new generation, introducing a music style that can fit them too. They don’t have to stop singing after high school. They can keep singing their whole lives.” The youngest member of Pathfinder Chorus is 13, the oldest, 85, with all ages in between represented. Professions range from student to dairy farmer to military veteran. There are even a couple of pilots on stage. One flies B-52s, the other flies commercial jets. All have one thing in common: a love for music, harmony, and fellowship. Erikson discovered his passion for barbershop singing while he was in the military, almost by accident. He was stationed at Norfolk Navy Base. An elderly lady who sat near him in church kept urging him to join the choir. So he did. Later, he downloaded a four-part men’s arrangement of “The Irish Blessing,” encouraged friends to sing with him, and never looked back. That was 11 years ago. At 63, Erikson now serves as district president. He really wants to leave the chorus— and his community—better than he found it. He also umpires baseball. And many of the

Pathfinder concerts are fundraisers. In 2014, they donated over $10,000 to the Salvation Army and Goodfellows charities. “Mark has been crucial to the success of the group,” says retiring music director Pete “P.D.” Stibor. “Mark has the passion.” The passion and the practice pay off— and not just at competition. On a sunny Saturday this summer, the Pathfinders performed at Burke High School. Despite beautiful weather, the auditorium was full of fans and groupies eager to spend the next 90 minutes enjoying perfect harmony. It was delivered with only voices as instruments, exploring great pop tunes, ballads, and the Beatles, complete with choreography—even “jazz hands.” “I want to do this as long as I can,” says Erikson. “Then have the good sense to step down when the time is right. We give ourselves goose bumps on the risers. We look at each other and say...We just did that...It’s such a personal thing. Such an emotional thing to be able to share that with your friends.”

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60PLUS HISTORY by max sparber | photography by bill sitzmann

Chip Davis is celebrating 40-year anniversaries for both “Convoy” and the founding of Mannheim Steamroller.

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“CONVOY” 40 YEARS LATER

that’s a big 10-4, good buddy

N THE 1975 TRUCKER song “Convoy,” a voice can be heard on a CB radio. “What’s your 20?” the voice asks, code for “what’s your location.” The answer comes back: “Omaha.” Of course it did. The song itself was from Omaha. And while there were a lot of trucker songs in the 1970s, few could boast the sort of strange backstory “Convoy” could, and none could look to the sort of future the song had. First, the backstory: “Convoy” was the product of a successful advertising campaign. The product was Old Home Bread, the advertising agency was Omaha’s Bozell & Jacobs. They conceived of a series of ads featuring a truck driver delivering bread to a diner waitress. The waitress was named Mavis Davis. The truck driver was C.W. McCall. The campaign proved to be popular— so much so that McCall broke off to be an independent character, releasing a number of recordings. The lyrics and singing voice for McCall belonged to Bill Fries, while the songs were written by Chip Davis. Fries later became mayor of Ouray, Colorado, while Davis founded Mannheim Steamroller. “I said one time that I would never live in Nebraska and I would never write country music,” Davis explains. “I guess we see how that all worked out. My love of music was really in the classical area but my good fortune—and I mean fortune—came by way of writing “Convoy.”” The song tells the story of a lawbreaking, protesting collection of truckers riding crosscountry together as a miles-long ribbon of working class antiheroes communicating on CB radios. It became a crossover hit, spending six weeks in the number one slot on the

country charts and a week as number one on the pop charts. As a result, “Convoy” joined the ranks of country songs in the ‘70s that became films along with “Harper Valley PTA,” “Ode to Billy Joe,” and “Take This Job and Shove It.” The film version began shooting in 1977 and boasted an impressive collection of talent. Country legend Kris Kristofferson was cast in the lead along with Oscar-nominated Ali MacGraw and character actor Burt Young. Oscar-winner Ernest Borgnine was the villainous county sheriff determined to break up the I-can’t-drive-55 convoy. “Convoy” was a pop culture sensation and helped spawn an era when CB radios were all but ubiquitous in every vehicle, even your mom’s station wagon, but Davis and Mannheim Steamroller are also celebrating a pair of even more notable milestones. This summer, public television stations throughout the U.S. will air Mannheim Steamroller 30/40 Live. The concert special marks two anniversaries for the hugely successful act; their debut album, Fresh Aire, was released four decades ago, followed ten years later by the release of Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, their first holiday album, to huge success. ‘“Convoy’ and the other 12 hits we had,” Davis explains, “ultimately funded Mannheim Steamroller and [record label] American Gramaphone. I’m a lucky guy. Going from a semi to a steamroller wasn’t all that difficult.”

september/october 2015 | 60PLUS S11

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60PLUS COVER FEATURE by carol crissey nigrelli | photography by bill sitzmann

“

STILL TAKING ORDERS

60 years of waiting tables at the Pink Poodle

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Donna Malone

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60PLUS COVER FEATURE

HE YEAR: 1955. Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower occupy the White House, gas costs 22 cents per gallon, “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” hits the top of the record charts and Donna Malone greets the very first customers at the Pink Poodle Steakhouse. Time has a relentless way of relegating things to the past, but both the waitress known simply as Donna and the Pink Poodle have outraced the last six decades. They have persevered through fire, flood, five owners, and an uncertain economy. How? With affordable prime rib and, in Donna’s case, a strong work ethic. Excitement came to tiny Crescent, Iowa, in May 1955 when Jake Brummer, a local developer who owned three other restaurants in western Iowa, bought an establishment at 633 Old Lincoln Highway called the Black Glove and gave it a new name with a quintessential ’50s flair. The Pink Poodle served up a variety of steaks, chicken, and seafood, providing a quality entertainment venue across the Missouri River from north Omaha and a source of income for a teenage farm girl from just up the road in Honey Creek. “The Brummers were real good friends with my mom and dad, and I’d known them forever,” Donna recalls. “Jake asked me if I wanted to work at the restaurant and I said, ‘Sure.’ I was 15.” The new restaurant drew crowds immediately. Donna started out as a cashier and hostess, carefully observing how others did their jobs. One night Brummer asked her to fill in as a waitress. With her characteristic “I can do that” attitude, Donna found she liked waiting on tables—and the benefits that came with it. “Back then, if you got a quarter per person per table it was a heck of a tip; a dollar from four people,” says Donna, 75, shaking her head at the thought. “One Saturday night I remember making $32. The other girls just couldn’t believe it, absolutely unreal. Of course, a lobster dinner back then was $7.95. Things have changed. But I still make real good money.” It’s hard to pinpoint when Donna became as sought-after as the Pink Poodle’s signature prime rib (introduced to the menu in the

Donna Malone talks to Pink Poodle owner Doreen McNeil.

early 1960s). The ease with which she talks to customers vanishes when asked to talk about herself. A private, humble person by nature, Donna will only credit “great food and a wonderful clientele” for the restaurant’s continued success. Current owner Doreen McNeil, who began as a waitress in 1983 and worked with Donna in the party room, shows no such reluctance in focusing the spotlight. “A lot of people come in here because of you, Donna,” McNeil tells her friend. “People who were children when Donna first waited on them now bring their grandchildren to meet her.” Even first-time customers like Marianne and North Witcher of Omaha find themselves easily drawn into Donna’s orbit. “She’s fabulous as a waitress, very knowledgeable and courteous,” says North. “She got our orders exactly right, knew the specials and their prices by heart. We were floored when we learned how long she’d been there.” Donna’s journey to a 60th anniversary hit a roadblock in January 1972 when fire ravaged the Pink Poodle. “One of our regulars spent too much time at the bar late one night,” recounts Donna in her slow, deliberate delivery, “and a lit cigarette got away from him and fell in a booth. It started smoldering. By 3 in the morning the place was on fire.” In the four-year interim it took to secure the cash to rebuild, Donna worked at another

S16 60PLUS | september/october 2015 | omahamagazine.com

Crescent establishment where she ran into Kenny Malone, a trucker she had met years earlier. They married in 1974. With no children of her own to raise, Donna continued waitressing at night in addition to her day job as a legal secretary. “I’ve worked for the same lawyer in west Omaha for the past 45 years and one before him for 10,” she says, matter-of-factly. Donna’s knowledge of Omaha came in handy during the Missouri’s record flooding in 2011. McNeil decided to keep the restaurant open despite closures from June to November of the Mormon Bridge leading into Crescent and sections of I-29. McNeil says whenever a customer from Omaha called asking for a way to get to the restaurant, “I’d just give the phone to Donna. She’s our resident GPS.” A solid regular customer base that includes Chip Davis of Manheim Steamroller (see page S10 for more on Davis) and KMTV meteorologist Jim Flowers helped keep the restaurant afloat during a tough time, one of many Donna has faced. Tall and thin with porcelain skin and blue eyes, Donna shows no interest in slowing down. “Not unless Doreen fires me,” she says, half seriously. “Oh, Donna, I’ll never do that,” McNeil quickly responds. “I wish I could find 10 more of you.”

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60PLUS HEALTH by susan meyers

IS TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT right for you?

ODD WEBER WAS TYPICALLY a fairly active man. A senior radiation protection technician for Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) by day, he often spent his weekends racing stock cars with his teenage son or building cart racing accessories in his garage. Racing stock cars was a life-long hobby and something Weber loved to share with his son. But about a year ago, that all began to change. Weber’s energy started to dwindle and his interest in cart racing waned with it. “I had no energy or drive,” recalls Weber. “I just wasn’t enjoying life anymore. I knew something was seriously wrong when my son asked me to work on his car with him and I said no.” His wife encouraged him to go to a doctor. The first doctor put him on an antidepressant. But Weber saw no change in his energy or mood. Then Weber saw something on the Internet about low testosterone levels. His symptoms matched up. He made an appointment with Chad LaGrange, M.D., urologist at Nebraska Medicine, who tested his testosterone level. “My level was so low that he said my wife had more testosterone than me,” says Weber. Weber received a hormone pellet injection, and within a few weeks, his energy had returned, he had a renewed interest in life, and was able to cut out the afternoon nap that had begun to be a part of his daily routine. “Testosterone production begins to decline in men each year as they reach age 40 and beyond,” explains LaGrange. “About 15 percent of men will experience a drop in levels that is clinically significant, particularly those who are obese and/ or have other chronic illnesses.” Testosterone is the main male hormone that maintains muscle mass and strength, fat distribution, bone mass, sperm productions, sex drive, and potency. Very low testosterone levels can place men at higher risk for osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This decline in hormones can result in symptoms such as low motivation, decreased stamina and energy, depression, hot flashes, loss of muscle mass, and mood swings. Testosterone replacement therapy can be very effective at reducing these risks and improving symptoms. However, S18 60PLUS | september/october 2015 | omahamagazine.com

“Testosterone production begins to decline in men each year as they reach age 40 and beyond. About 15 percent of men will experience a drop in levels that is clinically significant, particularly those who are obese and/or have other chronic illnesses.” -Chad LaGrange M.D., urologist, Nebraska Medicine testosterone therapy is not without its side effects, and therefore, men should be carefully screened by licensed physicians to determine if they are a candidate for therapy, says LaGrange. In some cases, a drop in testosterone may be related to cancer, brainrelated diseases, diabetes, obesity, and other hormonal abnormalities. “If not diagnosed and treated properly, testosterone injections may cause blood clots, stroke, heart attack, and liver toxicity,” says LaGrange. “While there has been some debate over the safety of testosterone replacement therapy, most physicians agree that it is safe when provided for the appropriate reasons and monitored carefully.” Additionally, men with treated or untreated prostate cancer should not use testosterone therapy unless they have spoken with their urologist about the risks and benefits. Dr. LaGrange also cautions men to beware of over-the-counter testosterone boosters, which are not regulated and could cause harmful side effects. “I feel like a new man,” says Weber. “It’s so good to feel better again.”

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60PLUS HISTORY by judy horan

S20â&#x20AC;&#x192; 60PLUS | september/october 2015 | omahamagazine.com

YOU KNOW YOU’VE LIVED IN OMAHA A LONG TIME if you remember these moments

Johnny Carson hosting a show on WOW-TV in 1950 called The Squirrel’s Nest. The Omaha show was the television debut for the Nebraska native who went on to national stardom as a late-night TV host. Remember when Carson took a microphone onto the ledge of the county courthouse to interview the pigeons? He wanted to give their side of the controversy surrounding pigeon’s loitering on the ledges.

The Omar Baking Company near 43rd and Nicholas streets filled the neighborhood with sniffworthy aroma by delivering bread door to door. You may remember the jingle: “I’m the Omar man, (tap, tap, tap). Knocking at your door (rappa tap tap). When you taste my bread (mmmm boy!), you’re gonna want more (rappa tap tap).” The building is now used for offices and events.

You might have tasted the world’s first TV dinner (98 cents each) in the 1950s, introduced by Omaha brothers Gilbert and W. Clarke Swanson. The package was designed to look like a TV set at a time when only 20 percent of American homes had a television. The TV dinner’s aluminum tray ended up in the Smithsonian Institute in 1986 as an American cultural milestone. The Swanson name lives on in Omaha on W. Clarke Swanson Public Library, Swanson Elementar y School, Creighton’s W. Clarke Swanson Hall, and Durham Museum’s Swanson Gallery.

2 You followed your nose to South Omaha. The neighborhood was malodorous because of nearby stockyards. Some neighbors referred to it as “the smell of money.” Nicknamed “The Magic City” in the 1890s, South Omaha is an historical and culturally diverse area with eclectic neighborhoods like Little Italy and Little Bohemia. Each year Cinco De Mayo adds fun and music to the streets.

4 Perhaps your brush with fame was graduating from Westside High School in 1959 with actor Nick Nolte, eventually named People Magazine’s 1992 Sexiest Man Alive. Or living nearby when Jane and Peter Fonda resided with their aunt on Izard Street. You may have gone to UNO with Peter or cruised Dodge Street with Jane.

6 The Orpheum, a movie theater built in 1927 as a burlesque theater, closed in 1971. Maybe you were there in January 17, 1975, for the renovated theater’s grand reopening. We know you weren’t there in 1971 for the last movie shown; the theater was empty.

7 The Indian Hills movie theater built in 1961 near 84th and Dodge streets was called “the hat box” because of its shape. Perhaps you were among the people who tried to save the widescreen Super-Cinerama theater building before it was torn down in 2001.

8 The Cooper theater near 15th and Douglas streets, a former “bastion of bump” (burlesque) when its name was The Moon, was a place to see movies until it was demolished in 1975.

september/october 2015 | 60PLUS S21

60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES by david williams

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LINCOLN LOGS? thinking outside the box

HE INTERWEBS TELL ME that the academic term I’ve been searching for is something called “structured block play.” You know, LEGOS, building blocks, and the like. My 5-year-old grandson, Easton, is particularly enthralled with structured block play. Such toys in the hands of growing minds have many benefits in childhood development. Besides the obvious of honing fine motor skills—that ability to dope out how this piece fits into that one—there are higher cognitive functions at work here. Children must be able to envision a finished product, one that begins with nothing more than a mental blueprint of their own making. They are confronted with a hodgepodge of disparate parts and must somehow envision a cohesive whole. Along the way they learn about spatial relationships, geometry, math, and problem-solving. But that’s not Easton’s game. He almost never sets out to build anything. Sure, he’ll occasionally erect a towering skyscraper of sorts, but his structured block play is almost always a lot less…well, structured.

He can occupy himself for what seems forever assembling intricate two-dimensional patterns on the floor, ones that seemingly serve no purpose other than to fuel his imagination. Some look like abstract art. Others evoke images reminiscent of those spindly models of molecules seen in science labs. The only common denominator appears to be the establishment and repetition of pattern for pattern’s sake. Further distancing himself from the intended purpose of his toys, he eschews the “connectedness” functionality of the blocks. Instead of joining the pieces together, he lays them end-to-end. Easton is usually at a loss for words in describing his convoluted creations, and I learned long ago to consider his installation art as something dwelling in the realm of the arcane, even the trippy. I’d give anything to get inside Easton’s head to survey the workings of his brain as he puzzles through these puzzling arrays. Just what the heck is going on in that noodle of his as he conceives such fantastical explosions of variegated color?

S22 60PLUS | september/october 2015 | omahamagazine.com

I intended to begin this column reflecting on childhood memories of playing for hours on end with a set of Lincoln Logs. The problem is that such a statement would be a lie. It was impossible to tinker with toys like Lincoln Logs for any period of time without quickly losing interest. Maybe that’s because they represented an entirely different form of play, one decidedly lacking in possibilities compared to the limitless selection of block toys available today. No, young children now have a more unfettered mode of play. Millennials are the first generation to have had the benefit of such free-association upbringings, and they’re the people who are defining a brave new world where imagination is the most prized of skills. Baby Boomers like me had the endgame— the desired finished product—handed to them for all to see right there in the picture of a fort on that box of Lincoln Logs. Easton is learning to think outside the box.