It’s incredible looking back at 2023 to see how far Morning Pointe Senior Living has come in such a short time! It has certainly been a full year with many accomplishments to celebrate – thanks to all our amazing residents, families, associates, and partners.
We have watched a brand-new community in a brandnew location rise from the ground up. Morning Pointe at Happy Valley Assisted Living and Memory Care, located in Walker County, Georgia, opened to residents in November, with a spectacular grand opening to close out the year in December. This community is very special as it is located on the beautiful and historic site of Happy Valley Farms, a beloved piece of North Georgia history.
Happy Valley wasn’t our only community growth last year, though. In September, we hosted a
groundbreaking for Morning Pointe of Danville Assisted Living in Kentucky, Phase II of our first Morning Pointe of Danville community. And in November, we broke ground on Phase II of Morning Pointe of Hardin Valley, an Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Please enjoy this year’s edition of Morning Pointe Milestones as it highlights the true heroes behind our growth: our residents. You will enjoy learning about a veteran who earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, as well as a former physical education teacher and dancer who is well known in Walker County, Georgia.
And that’s just the beginning! We have a resident who came to the United States from Italy and went on to serve our country in World War II before contributing to the measurements used in the lunar module. Another resident sailed around the Caribbean in a sailboat. New this year, we have included QR codes with some of our resident stories you can scan with your phone to read more about their fascinating lives.
Of course, we have some fantastic associates to highlight as well – we wouldn’t be successful without the dedication of each employee.
Finally, enjoy the best of the best photos from 2023 and our latest partner article from The Sanders–Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky and update on the work of the Morning Pointe Foundation.
Thank you for your continued support.
GREG A. VITAL Co-Founder and President Morning Pointe Senior LivingImmigrant, Veteran & NASA Engineer
Associate Spotlight: Lance Harvill
Resident Shares Her International Life
Associate Spotlight: Latrice Hubbard
95th Birthday Cross-Country Bike Ride Stop
The Sailing Adventures of Resident Judy Shropshire
Healthscope Associate Spotlight: Ellen Vitorino
Cover Story: Resident is World War II Flying Cross Recipient
Beloved North Georgia PE Teacher
Tennessee’s First Lady Visits Morning Pointe
Air Force Pinning Ceremony
The Cost of Senior Living
Military, Music, & Ministry
FDA Approved Therapy to Treat Alzheimer’s
Berlin to Tennessee: Gerda Vance’s Journey
KCAL Award Wins for Morning Pointe
Milestones is an annual publication of Morning Pointe Senior Living for our residents, families, associates, and friends.
Greg A. Vital Co-Founder and President
Franklin Farrow Co-Founder and CEO
Amy Clarke Vice President of Branding & Strategy
Heidi Pino Editor and Writer
Renée Tatum Writer
Want to READ MORE?
Scan the QR below to learn more about Dario and his life.
From a small olive farm to the lunar module, Dario Antonucci has made his mark on the world. Now a resident at Morning Pointe of Knoxville, Tennessee, Assisted Living, Dario is 100 years old and still has stories to share.
Dario was born in Italy in 1924 to Angelo and Rosa Antonucci. His family lived on an olive farm, and his father, Angelo, was a World War I veteran. Angelo came to America before Dario was born, seeking opportunity for his family and an escape from Benito Mussolini’s Fascist regime.
Angelo tried several times to bring his family over, but Rosa’s tuberculosis stood in the way. Angelo came to visit at the end of 1934 and was there for his wife’s passing in January 1935. In 1937, he was finally able to bring Dario and his sister to the United States.
“It was the greatest thrill – we had never seen a stove, electrical lights, radios, telephones,” Dario shared. “It was a totally new world.”
Dario was in high school in Long Island, New York, when the United States entered World War II, and just after his final exams in 1942, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He became a radio operator and mechanic and served 16 months in Northeast India, which was grueling. The men were often hungry, and then there were the mosquitoes. He contracted malaria, despite preventative medications. The bright spot was his weekly letters from Annette, a young lady he had growing feelings for back home.
Finally, the war ended. Dario’s group was the last to leave Burma as he headed back to America on Dec. 31, 1945. He discharged on Feb. 9, 1946, and went home. “I got home at two o'clock in the afternoon,” Dario remembered. “The first thing my father said was, ‘Go get a haircut.’”
Back in New York, Dario decided to become an engineer. There was one problem: he was one of the last veterans home scrambling to take advantage of the GI Bill. Day colleges were booked with a wait list of four or five years.
“I said, ‘I don’t want to wait that long.’” Dario said. “Brooklyn Polytechnical Institute and New York University had night sessions, so I enrolled in night sessions.”
Dario took night classes, and during the daytime, he worked, usually difficult jobs that no one else wanted to do. But he was determined to create a bright future for himself, and the work ethic his parents had instilled in him drove him to do whatever it took.
He finally got a job in his field at Polytechnic Research and Development Lab, and he and Annette married in July 1951. They went on to have three children: a son and two daughters.
From PRD, Dario got a job at Sylvania Research Lab, where he worked for eight years, mostly researching vacuums. In 1960, he started working for Grumman Engineering Corporation in Long Island. He established both the low-frequency and the microwave and high-frequency laboratories. “Without precision measurements, there would have been no space,” Dario said. And when Grumman contracted to work on the Apollo and Mercury projects at NASA, he got to be part of the Space Race.
“I was responsible for all the measurements for the lunar module – the radar, the communication, navigation and physical measurements,” Dario shared. “We built the module that Armstrong and company were in to land on the moon. We worked night and day to get all the systems going on that.”
Dario later worked for IBM on the C-2 and F-14 OV aircraft. He retired in 1987, having worked in research for 10 years and aerospace for 30 years. He moved to Knoxville to be near his son and help with the grandkids.
After Annette passed away in 2018, after 68 years of marriage, Dario was living by himself and started losing weight. He moved in to a local assisted living facility, and when Morning Pointe of
Knoxville opened in 2019, he followed the management to the new community. “They’ve got nice people here – they’ve been wonderful,” Dario said. “It’s a big family. I’m happy.”
As he looks back on his life, Dario shared that he is the proudest of when his children were born. “My wedding was great, but when my child was born, I think that was the greatest gift,” Dario said.
Being a nurse at Morning Pointe Senior Living just got even better. The regional senior living company has now started its very own MP Travel Nurse program.
“We have begun the travel nurse program to really target the issue of a nursing shortage,” explained Bebe Reed, RN, vice president of clinical services at Morning Pointe Senior Living. “We want to utilize nurses who know our company, who know our processes and know our residents in order to get away from utilizing agency staff who may be here one day and then are gone. This helps us provide a little more consistency.”
“Right now, I go to seven different facilities,” explained Brittany Perri, LPN and a travel nurse for the Bluegrass Region in Kentucky. “If they have a nurse that is taking off for vacation, if they have someone who calls in sick, any schedule holes, they will message, ‘Would you like these hours at this location?’”
Sometimes these nurses travel 15 minutes… other times it’s 90 minutes. They love exploring new areas and working in different communities with different residents and teams… and still being back home every night.
“They get to make their own schedule,” said Bebe. “They get to work as many hours as they want. They can work as few hours as they want. They know they are coming into environments where they know the system, they know where things are located because our buildings are set up very similarly. How we do things is very similar from one building to another, and that provides them with a level of confidence when they come in to do their job.”
As a growing senior living company in the Southeast United States, Morning Pointe is responding to the nursing challenge and changing work needs. Nurses and residents alike benefit as a result.
To learn more about Morning Pointe Senior Living's Travel Nursing Program, SCAN THE QR CODE!
Lance Harvill joined Morning Pointe of Spring Hill, Tennessee, as a cook with an intriguing career journey to share.
Lance is a professional singer, musician and songwriter. He went to music school in Hollywood when he was young, and the drummer for the band Kansas listened to one of his demo tapes and helped him launch his music career. He has performed with Kid Rock, Rex Brown, and others and has produced music that has been featured in commercials, TV shows, and movies. He has done background music for more than 200 reality shows.
After Lance’s father passed away from ALS, Lance walked into a local assisted living facility to donate his father’s durable medical equipment and saw someone performing live music for the residents. He was inspired.
“Before I knew it, I was playing at 20 assisted livings a month,” Lance shared.
Among those communities were Morning Pointe of Brentwood and Morning Pointe of Spring Hill, Tennessee. Lance came to appreciate getting to know the residents and associates there.
As a self-employed musician and a single father raising two children, Lance found himself wanting to do something a little more steady. One day, when Lance was performing at Morning Pointe of Brentwood, he talked with Life Enrichment Director Regie Ragland about his job search. She shared that there was a cook opening at Morning Pointe of Spring Hill, and that fit right into what he was looking for.
“I really wanted to learn how to cook better, and it was a good opportunity,” Lance shared. He started working at the Spring Hill community in January 2023.
“It’s so easy to come in to work every day,” Lance shared. “I love making the residents happy and finding out what they really like and making it for them.”
Lance continues to perform for the residents as well. His shows at the communities include gospel, country, 1950s rock, and even ‘80s songs. However, even Neil Diamond can’t compare with their most-requested artist.
“Elvis Presley is hands-down their favorite,” Lance said. “If I didn’t have an Elvis song, they would complain.”
Since Lance has a lot of recorded music and equipment, he adds a special component to his shows: a memory game. He will play a song from an old show, and the residents will guess what show it was from.
Whether in the kitchen or behind the microphone, Lance gives a lot for the residents. However, he gets back a lot from them as well. “They are the most loving people in the world,” he said. “They are a joy to be around.”
Hiroko Dyslin is a resident at Morning Pointe of Franklin, Tennessee, but her 90 years have brought her on quite a journey, starting in Japan.
Born in Tokyo in 1933, Hiroko was the fourth of five children. Her father was a banker for Mitsubishi in the city, and her mother was a homemaker.
Japan entered World War II when Hiroko was between the fourth and fifth grade. As the conflict heated up, her family went through a couple of bomb raids before fleeing to a farming village 200 miles from Tokyo.
Hiroko remembers that time like this: “During the war, we did not have many classes. We had to help the farmers. And we didn’t have enough food, so I was hungry.”
Then the war ended.
“As soon as the war was over and my father came to see us, I just took a train and went back to Tokyo,” Hiroko said. “There was no school because my grade school was bombed or burned out. Fortunately, my house still remained intact. The other side of the street was all burned, but my parents’ side was not burned. We did take some classes at other schools, and I graduated from grade school.”
Hiroko went on to high school in Tokyo during the time schools were transitioning to co-educational rather than separating the sexes. After high school, Hiroko attended a private Methodist university. She graduated with a degree in English literature.
Meanwhile, Hiroko had met an American man, and the two had been corresponding for a while. After she graduated, they married at the American Embassy in Tokyo.
Hiroko came to the United States in 1957. She embarked from Yokohama Harbor on a Japanese passenger ship and crossed the Pacific Ocean in 13 days. After landing in Seattle, Washington, she took a train to Buffalo, New York, where the family settled and added two sons, Tim and Dan. “I had many good friends in Buffalo,” Hiroko said, “and I was very active in the Chamber of Commerce volunteer work there.”
Hiroko stayed home with the children until they were 5 years old and started school. Then she started work at Women’s & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo as the inpatient business office manager. She was there during the transition from using a sorting machine to implementing the use of computers. Hiroko described it as on-the-job training.
During her working years, Hiroko also worked for a corrugated box company and a materials supply company. But one of the most interesting jobs was as a translator and interpreter. She was sometimes called on when Japanese citizens would travel to New York, go to Niagara Falls, cross into Canada and then get arrested trying to come through the U.S. border. Hiroko would go to the hearing and translate for them. “Most of the times, they just didn’t know,” Hiroko said. “So, I had to help interpret for them.”
Hiroko and her first husband eventually divorced, and she married her second husband, Karl Dyslin, a former Navy Seal, who was working at the Caterpillar, Inc., International Sales Office in Illinois. So, she moved to Peoria, Illinois.
After Karl passed away, Hiroko lived by herself for a time but eventually needed more support. Her son Dan was working in Tennessee, and her daughter-in-law Trisha looked around for a place for Hiroko to live where she could have some assistance. Hiroko moved in to Morning Pointe of Franklin in February 2023. “Trisha thought this was a good place,” Hiroko said. “I can trust both of them – my son and my daughter-in-law. If I need something done, I can talk to Trisha any time.”
So, what does Hiroko enjoy about the community?
“The people are so nice – all the staff are so nice and so kind and pleasant,” Hiroko said. “They really try to please the residents.” Hiroko also enjoys the daily exercises. “You don’t do too much physical work,” she explained. “It’s exercise to keep your body moving.”
We are so glad that Hiroko is part of our Morning Pointe family. She enriches the community with her unique background and experience, and we are happy to have her with us!
On Aug. 30, 2023, Latrice Hubbard celebrated a milestone anniversary – 20 years of working as a certified nursing assistant at Morning Pointe of Frankfort, Kentucky, Senior Living!
“Latrice has been the dayshift lead, worked in activities, housekeeping and so much more and has done it with that big, bright, beautiful smile!” said Staci Dennis, vice president of operations for Morning Pointe Senior Living's Bluegrass Region.
When Latrice started at the community in 2003, the building was owned by another company and called The Neighborhood. She began her journey in the building on second shift and worked her way up to day shift. “I come from a family of caregivers,” Latrice said. “I believe in putting family first, and the residents are like my family, so that’s what I do for them.”
In addition to enjoying the residents’ stories and getting to know them personally, Latrice has a special interest in helping new residents adapt to life in senior living.
“It’s a hard change for them, so I try to make it a smooth transition,” Latrice said. “That’s my goal, to show them that it can be a positive experience. When they first come in, I sit down and find out about them and their routine so it won’t be such a drastic change.”
One special memory from the last two decades of service at the community was a resident who wrote a poem thanking her. Latrice found the gesture touching.
Latrice is also well known for going all-out when it comes to dressing up, whether it be for special events or Spirit Week for the associates. She has dressed in poodle skirts, MC Hammer pants for ‘90s Day, and even as a gumball machine.
But what has truly led Latrice to stay at Morning Pointe of Frankfort is the team of associates.
“That’s the main reason I’ve stayed here for so long – it’s a family environment,” she said. “I’m grateful for how Morning Pointe takes care of its own.”
On July 17, 2023, Pauline Hanks, a resident at Morning Pointe of Danville, Kentucky, Senior Living, had a very special visit from her son, Scott Hanks.
It wasn’t just any stop-in from a local family member. Scott was more than halfway on his bicycle trip across the United States!
Scott took off from Santa Monica, California, on June 17, on his way to the East Coast. It was a dream trip for him, and he knew he had to stop in his hometown of Danville and see his mom. After all, his trek of 3,324 miles was dedicated to her.
“My goal was to raise $95,000 and get 95 new mentors for Big Brothers Big Sisters in honor of her 95th birthday on September 15,” Scott shared.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is an organization that matches adult volunteers with children to provide mentorship. Scott has been a volunteer and has seen the difference the program makes in the lives of children.
Pauline is proud of her son’s heart for helping others and his dedication to making such a long and physically demanding journey.
“When I heard that my youngest son, Scott, was about to embark on a cross-country bike ride, my initial thought was that he had been out in the California sun too long,” Pauline shared. “Not that I didn’t think he could do it – Scott has always been able to do whatever he sets his mind on. My concern was for his health and safety. But I knew that nothing I could say would change his mind, so I wished him well.”
As Scott stopped at Morning Pointe of Danville, associates threw him a welcome party with balloons and a banner. His proud mama got to spend some time
with him before seeing him off for the final leg of his journey. He successfully arrived at his end point in Yorktown, Virginia, on July 25. “Wow – I am overwhelmed!” said Pauline. “I cannot believe he rode his bicycle across the country for MY birthday! I am so proud of him, and he is a wonderful son!”
Judy Shropshire, 79, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and now lives not far away at Morning Pointe of Lenoir City. However, her life has included a lot of travel – including a three-year adventure sailing the Caribbean.
Born in 1944, Judy grew up doing a lot of boating and swimming. After high school, she attended the University of Tennessee, studying journalism and business administration. She got her first job at a title company and later became an employee in the legal department at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). She also got into fixing up houses and renting them out for a while.
Judy’s first husband, Hugh, got her into motorcycle riding. He built her a motorcycle of her own, which she rode to and from work, and the couple took trips to Alabama to watch motorcycle races.
Judy worked for TVA for 19 years before taking an early retirement. At the time, she was divorced and had joined a ski club. She took a trip to Gray Rocks in Quebec, Canada. “I met Lou on that trip, and we were together from then on,” Judy said. The two got married.
Lou loved boats, and he bought a sailboat and named it Bonnie Jean, after his daughter from his previous marriage. He took several months getting the vessel ready for the trip of a lifetime – island hopping through the Caribbean.
“My husband fixed things to his satisfaction,” said Judy. “He had to know everything about the boat’s operation. It was very sturdy, and it had a lot of cubby holes where you could store stuff and try to remember where you put it.”
The Shropshires did a test run, taking the Bonnie Jean up the Intercoastal Waterway to Baltimore. The trial was a success, so it was off to the south, sailing to Miami, and then jumping off to the Bahamas.
Their first stop was Bimini, the westernmost Bahaman island. Over the next three years, the couple visited Nassau, Turks and Caicos, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, St. John, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada, Trinidad and the coast of Venezuela.
Most of their travel from island to island took place at night, when the waves were calmer, and they often sailed alongside other boaters for fellowship and support. Judy also enjoyed snorkeling and getting to know other boaters.
“It was so beautiful down there,” Judy said of the Caribbean. “We had fresh seafood wherever we went. Sometimes Lou would fish. We had a freezer full of fish most of the time.”
One new friend joined the “crew” of the Bonnie Jean. When the couple was at Guadeloupe, they adopted a kitten and named him Pierre. “He took to the boat very well,” said Judy. “We put a little ball on the floor in the cabin,
and he chased it. Sometimes he got up on the railing and walked. He fell in a couple of times, but we got him back on board.”
When the Shrophires returned to the United States, they landed at Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They switched from a sailboat to a troller and sailed their way up to Tennessee.
Judy and Lou wintered on their boat at the Fort Loudon Lake Marina, but what a winter! That year, the overhang at the marina collapsed with the weight of snow. “That’s when we became landlubbers again,” Judy said. Pierre, of course, went with them. And the boat trip became the highlight of Judy’s life.
After Lou passed away in December 2020, Judy lived with her sister, Pat, for a while. Then, in late 2022, Judy had a stroke. Pat’s mother-in-law had been a resident at Morning Pointe of Lenoir City, so she was familiar with the assisted living building and recommended it to Judy. She moved in. “I came and checked it out and liked it,” Judy said. “I enjoy being able to have my meals prepared for me. I enjoy the people I have met here, the friends I have gotten to know at meals.”
In fact, her friends from the Lunch Bunch got her a stuffed animal cat that can purr, open and close its eyes, meow, and even pretend to lick its paw. She treasures it, remembering the cats she has had over the years, including precious Pierre from Guadeloupe.
Growing up as a BrazilianItalian, Ellen Vitorino was no stranger to the kitchen. With food being such an integral part of both cultures, Vitorino has been cooking for as long as she can remember. Her first job as a cook solidified her love for the art form and introduced her to a more health-focused approach – something that serves her well in her current role as the chef at Morning Pointe at Happy Valley. Vitorino went on to gain formal training, and along the way, began to specialize in vegetarian and vegan cooking. “Each one of us has that special dish that instantly transports us to another time and place. Cooking is what makes it possible,” she says. Vitorino is not only able to entertain residents with flavorful food, but she also plays a vital role in making sure they are living their best, healthiest lives and are getting the nutrients they need, which in memory care often means finger foods and specialty diets.
I've been cooking professionally since 1999 but leading the Morning Pointe kitchen since January of 2023.
706.916.2777
Morning Pointe at Happy Valley
Assisted Living and Memory Care
2989 Happy Valley Road, Rossville, GA 30741
The United States Army Air Force played an important role during World War II. Claude Hillenbrand, 100-year-old resident at Morning Pointe of Spring Hill, Tennessee, was part of that force that helped the Allies defeat the Axis powers in Europe.
Claude was born on Nov. 6, 1923, in Vincennes, Indiana, and moved to Evansville, Indiana, at age 3. He grew up during the Great Depression and remembers working different jobs during high school, including at a bakery and at a drug store. He was working at the drug store when the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor came in.
“I made a delivery and came back in, and they were all just standing there staring at the radio,” Claude remembered. “Of course, I wanted to enlist right then, but my mother kept saying no.”
A year later, things changed, due to the draft. Claude went to the recruiting office to sign up for the Navy Seabees but was turned down. He walked down the hall and signed up for the Air Force. He was sworn in on Dec. 11, 1942, and went to Miami Beach, which the military turned from a resort town into a training center. Troops filled the hotels, beaches, golf courses, and businesses.
From Miami, Claude headed to airplane mechanic school in Lincoln, Nebraska, then to Seattle to train on B-17 bombers, then to Kingman, Arizona, to aerial gunner school. When he finished, he was an engineer gunner on the 10-person crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. As such, he was the highest-ranking enlisted man on the crew.
After more training, he and his crew boarded the RMS Queen Elizabeth (sister ship of the RMS Queen Mary) for Europe. They landed in Glasgow, Scotland, and Claude was assigned to the 452nd Bomb Group, 730th Bomb Squadron, based out of Deopham Green, England. On April 29, 1944, Claude flew his first bombing mission, to Berlin.
“We bombed Berlin, but we got [hit] over the target,” Claude remembered. “We had to leave the formation before we were out of Germany. Our navigator knew where all the bases were, and he was able to keep us away from most of the fighter bases.”
The plane was running out of fuel, though, and the pilot asked Claude for his recommendation. He said they had to make the plane as light as possible to conserve fuel. Claude remembered: “We had flight suits and helmets and other stuff that was heavy, so I said, ‘Well, we’ll strip all the flight gear and drop it. And then I said, ‘Any gun that’s got extra ammunition, drop it. Radio man, if we’ve got any radio equipment we can’t use, drop it.’ We got rid of all that.”
Claude’s plane crossed over the English Channel. The crew looked for a landing space and found a base but
“There was a runway, and we circled and went to come down on what we thought was a long runway, but when we got there, we saw a building in the middle of it,” Claude said. “We had to go over that building and then set down
landed across a field on the belly of that airplane. The remarkable thing was that not one of our crew got a scratch. The good Lord had his guardian angels with us.”
Another time, the ball turret gunner could not get rotated to where he could get back into the plane. Without tools to loosen the bolts, Claude took a barrel off of a gun so that he
Claude earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for flying four major battles and doing an outstanding job helping keep the
The day before D-Day, Claude bombed a railroad bridge in France: “When we came back [from the mission] and saw the Channel full of ships, we knew something was going to happen.”
Claude himself took part in the Air Force’s role on D-Day. His plane flew to the French coast, and it was cloudy. The bombardier was very cautious about where they dropped the bombs, not wanting to bomb the Allies by mistake. “We were the last ones to bomb before the assault troops came in,” Claude said.
The Normandy invasion was the beginning of the end of the war. On his last mission, his crew bombed the outskirts of Paris as part of the liberation of the city from the German occupation.
Claude had enlisted for the duration of the war, plus six months, so he served in the Air Force for three years. He discharged as a Technical Sergeant with five stripes and went home to the States. He helped his uncle on his farm for a while before moving to Tennessee.
Starting at Smyrna Air Base near Nashville in December 1945, Claude worked on B-24 aircraft. He met his wife, Mae, in March 1946, and they married, having three sons. They were married for 52 years before she passed away of Parkinson’s disease.
Claude worked for the Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad for three years as a brakeman, which he enjoyed, and then drove a tractor trailer for 32 years. He was 67 when he retired.
When Claude met Barbara, a widow, the two of them fell in love. They were married for 18 years until she passed away as the result of a stroke. “I had to live by myself after Barbara died, and I got to where I hated to cook, and I just wasn’t eating and I was losing weight,” Claude shared.
His sons discussed the situation and decided to start looking at assisted living communities. They chose Morning Pointe of Spring Hill, Tennessee. “This one just stood out to
us,” Claude said. “I would recommend this place to anyone who’s needing to go to assisted living. Everybody here has been wonderful to me. There’s always someone to help if you need it.”
Claude enjoys several of the perks at the building, including the weekly smoothies on Tropical Tuesday, scenic rides, the men’s group, and the veterans group. In looking back on his life, he shared that he is most
At our Morning Pointe Senior Living communities, you can choose from a variety of apartment floor plans. We offer open and spacious designs for convenience and safety. Every detail of your living space is purposeful, including paint colors that are chosen to help promote peace and calm. Your apartment is waiting for you to add your own personal touches. You and your family can decorate your private apartment to make it feel just like
home. You can live stress-free knowing that each resident is issued a 24-hour emergency pendant. Your family will have peace of mind that help is always available.
Contact your local Morning Pointe Senior Living community to see what apartment styles are available.
To take a virtual tour of some of Morning Pointe Senior Living's floor plans, SCAN THE QR CODE!
One of the first residents to express interest in Morning Pointe at Happy Valley Assisted Living and Memory Care in Walker County, Georgia, was Bea Wade. Bea, 78, has a strong legacy in the community through her years of educating young people.
Bea grew up in Rossville, Georgia, and attended Rossville High School. She went on to college at the University of Chattanooga (now the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga), where she was part of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and was named Homecoming Queen. She also met Ron Wade, a fellow student, who asked her on a date after her coronation.
The rest is history.
Bea graduated in 1968 with her bachelor’s degree in health and physical education, and the couple married that year. They later had one daughter, Martha Rachelle. Ron went on to become assistant superintendent for the Walker County School System, and Bea launched a 30-year+ career teaching middle and high school.
“Bea is one of those kinds of people who just inspire kids,” said Ron. “She inspired a whole group of people.”
Over the years, she taught PE at Rossville Junior High School; East Coweta High School in Coweta County, Georgia; Rossville High School; and Ridgeland High School. At Ridgeland High School, she developed a very successful dance program. "She got those kids who were falling in between,” Ron explained, “the ones who weren’t athletes or anything. She got them involved and active too.”
With Bea’s love of dance, she also ran a dancing exercise class for 13 years called Bea-Fit. “She’s always been so loving and so active,” Ron said. “She’s always been the life of the party.”
Aside from her teaching and leading exercise classes, people in North Georgia also knew Bea for being a great hostess. She would decorate the Wade house for each season and especially made their home a wonderland for Christmas – she even has 100 Santa Claus figures!
Bea’s family expanded as her daughter married Dr. Chris Haddock and added two grandsons, Grady and Landon, for Bea and Ron to love.
In 2022, the Wades were jointly named Alumni of the Year by UTC.
Bea battled against cancer in 1984… and won! Unfortunately, the treatment for the disease led to her developing brittle bones. When she fell in summer of 2023 and hit the back of her head, the incident led to a need for a rehabilitation stay. With the support of her physicians and family, she made progress. However, her medical needs increased.
That’s when Ron and Rachelle started talking about assisted living.
Rachelle works for regional artist Alan Shuptrine, and when Morning Pointe commissioned Alan to create a painting of dogwood flowers in honor of its 25th anniversary in 2022, Rachelle learned about Morning Pointe. She attended the painting’s unveiling at Morning Pointe of Chattanooga. “I had never been in and around a Morning Pointe community before,” Rachelle said. “At that point, I was so impressed that it stuck in my mind. Then when my mom had her accident, all of a sudden I was looking for a Morning Pointe, and there was one going up in Dad’s backyard.” The Wade house is only about 10 minutes from Morning Pointe at Happy Valley.
Rachelle went to the community while it was under development and met with the community relations director and executive director to
learn about the building. On her next visit to Happy Valley, she officially put her mother on the list for an apartment.
“I’m thrilled with what’s being offered and that they’re playing up the Happy Valley Farms legacy since there’s so much history here,” Rachelle said. “It’s an answer to prayer. It’s as much for my dad as for my mom… to know that she is somewhere attentive and safe. He was immediately comfortable with the staff.”
In addition to the clinical services and medical oversight available at the new community, the Wade and Haddock families are glad to know that rehabilitation therapy is also available on site. Ron added, “I doubt that we’d ever get the services done at home that we can down at Morning Pointe.”
Thank you to the Wade family for choosing Morning Pointe. Welcome home, Bea!
On Jan. 27, residents and associates at The Lantern at Morning Pointe of Franklin, Tennessee, welcomed Tennessee’s First Lady, Maria Lee.
Maria and her team visited the Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence as part of her Tennessee Serves initiative for 2023. Seniors were the people group focus for the initiative in January. “Who says serving others can’t be fun?” said Maria.
What could be better than a little pampering?
Maria and her service group got out the nail supplies and provided manicures to the lady residents, sharing laughs and stories while they worked. They donated all-new manicure supplies to the building.
After the manicures, the service group catered a delicious lunch from Cracker Barrel and served the food to the residents and associates. They also arranged for music group Rodeo & Juliet to perform during the meal, which the residents found highly entertaining.
“It was so heartfelt and genuine,” said Lori Domer, executive director at The Lantern. “The First Lady and her team clearly have servants’ hearts. The residents loved it. Between the manicures and the music and the food, it was just a phenomenal day!”
It’s not every day that a celebrity visits, but boy, did the residents enjoy the attention, pampering, food, and entertainment! Thank you again to Mrs. Lee for taking the time to make our residents’ day!
On April 29, 2023, The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence in Knoxville, Tennessee, was the site of a special military pinning ceremony.
Lantern resident John Carnduff, a retired Air Force Colonel, had the honor of participating in the ceremony promoting his son, Chris Carnduff, to full Air Force Colonel.
“John’s high school buddies convinced him that he could make a bigger impact in his life by joining the Air Force, being a part of something bigger,” said Donna Carnduff, John’s wife.
John served 27 years from 1973-2000 as a fighter jet pilot with over 3,500 flying hours. During his military service, he was stationed stateside in Idaho, Alabama, New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and South Carolina. Overseas, he served in Korea, Italy, England, and Croatia. One of the highlights for John was participating in several Red Flag exercises at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. This is a two-week advanced aerial combat training exercise for service members from around the world.
After retiring from the Air Force, John was the Commander for the Tennessee Wing Civil Air Patrol for
17 years at McGhee Tyson Airport just outside of Knoxville. He oversaw emergency services, cadet programs for youth, and aerospace education for Civil Air Patrol members and the public.
The Carnduff family actually has three career Air Force members. Chris was commissioned through the Air Force ROTC program from the University of Illinois in December 2001 with an engineering degree. And Chris’s wife, Mary, is an orthopedic surgeon in the Air Force and was also promoted to Colonel this summer.
During the pinning ceremony at The Lantern, family members in military service wore their uniforms. Mary shared a brief history of both men’s service and issued the Call to Order, and John administered the oath of office to his son. Chris’s mother, Donna, and his 14-year-old son, Jackson, pinned the eagle’s wings on him. The event concluded with a reception.
“We were so honored to host this milestone event for the Carnduff family,” said Anita Estes, executive director at The Lantern. “We love John and are proud of his service to his country, and we appreciate the legacy he has passed on to his son, Chris. We love to honor our veterans any time we get a chance to.”
“Donna and I are extremely proud of Chris’s service to our military, and we look forward to seeing continued successes from him in the future,” said John.
Discover Cheryl Fuqua's transformative journey at Morning Pointe of Hixson, Tennessee, where embracing change brought unexpected joy and improved well-being for her mother, Mary. From the struggles of caregiving to the heartwarming outcomes of specialized care, their story is a testament to the
power of love and the strength found in community. Unlock the full heartening narrative by scanning the QR code and see why Morning Pointe stands as the region's beacon of hope for families on similar paths.
To watch
Cheryl's story, SCAN THE QR CODE!
Morning Pointe offers great value for your money. Using this simple worksheet will help you see for yourself the value of living at Morning Pointe or in The Lantern Alzheimer’s and Memory Care Community.
Morning Pointe provides local scheduled transportation for basic needs like shopping, medical appointments, and campus events. For more information, contact your Morning Pointe management team.
Based on 2024 cost of living estimate for a 2,500 sq. ft. house.
Written information relating to this community or facility’s services and policies is available upon request.
*Varies by community
**Subject to clinical needs
Richard Williams, 87, is a well-loved resident at The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence, Chattanooga, Tennessee. As a retired minister from area Christian ministries, Richard still loves to talk about what God has done for him.
Richard was born in Birmingham, to a single mother, Callie Williams. When he was still young, his mother married his stepfather, who ended up being abusive to Richard and his sister. “I had no nurturing or leadership growing up,” Richard shared. “When I was 17, I was gone.”
When Richard graduated from high school on a Friday night, the next morning he went downtown to sign up for the Army. Because he had played snare drum in his high school band and could also play the electric and string bass, he was soon recruited into the Army band.
His first military assignment was in Germany, where he spent just over two years. Then, when his whole unit was sent to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Richard took to the skies. Richard was with the 101st Airborne from 19581968 and worked his way up to the rank of First Sergeant. In 1963, Richard was named Soldier of the Year.
“I wanted to prove what I could do to everybody,” Richard said. “I was determined to be the top in my field. I made the highest rank you can make as an
Richard served in Turkey and in the Vietnam War as part of the security detail for the commanding general. In the band, Richard not only played bass and drums but also directed the band. One of Richard’s special memories
was of playing in the marching band in 1969 in New York City to honor the astronauts of Apollo 11 after the moon landing.
Two years before Richard retired from the Army, he became a Christian. He was in the Masons and was getting ready to go to a meeting when someone told him that he wasn’t a Christian.
“I said, ‘What do you mean I’m not a Christian?’” Richard said. “My mother made sure we went to church every Sunday, and so I thought I was a Christian, but I wasn’t. I went to see an Army chaplain, and we talked and we talked, and he showed me from the Bible how to become a Christian. This world is coming to an end, and I didn’t just want to come to an end with it.”
Becoming a Christian in earnest changed Richard’s heart and lifestyle. Richard described himself as a “wild one” before his conversion. Others began to notice. “They said, ‘Boy, he’s changed! What happened to him?’” Richard shared. “I was more caring, but I was more determined to get the job done.”
Even though Richard had the opportunity to continue in his 30-year career in the Army, he felt called to ministry. Two weeks after discharging from the
military as a Sergeant Major, he started Bible school at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga.
Around this time, he met his wife, Linda. She was his bank teller, and the two struck up a friendship and then something more as they found they had their faith in common. They married in June 1986.
They were both divorced, and though Richard’s five children from his previous marriage were grown by then, he became a loving stepfather to Linda’s 12-year-old daughter. He now has 13 grandchildren and multiple great-grandchildren.
Richard graduated with a degree in Bible and Christian ministries in 1988. He worked for Chattanooga Prison Ministries
for a while, then for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He later worked with The Transformation Center, a counseling organization in Chattanooga, and built up and ran its Abuse Intervention with Life Skills (AILS) program until he retired in 2014.
Richard was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2020 and started needing extra care. When The Lantern reopened in June 2021 (the original building was destroyed by a tornado in 2020), he was one of the first residents to move in. He was part of the grand re-opening program, leading the Pledge of Allegiance.
Linda and Richard shared that they were thankful for the sense of community at The Lantern and the care Richard receives there.
“I’m very grateful for my life,” Richard said. “It could’ve gone any sort of way. I’m very thankful for how God has led me.”
Greg Jicha, M.D., Ph.D. Director
of Clinical Trials
UK’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging
In July 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to lecanemab, marketed as Leqembi, for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging in Lexington has been working with this drug and others like it for more than a decade. BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Lecanemab is the first disease-modifying therapy approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in the United States, and it marks what we believe is a huge step toward finding a cure for the disease.
The Alzheimer’s disease process begins with a buildup of amyloid that forms plaques in the brain. This is followed by the development of
neurofibrillary tangles. Then the nerve cells die, and we start to have memory problems. At the heart of this is this early buildup of amyloid.
The thought process has been if we can get rid of that amyloid, then we should be able to slow or stop Alzheimer’s disease. Lecanemab is an antibody made in a pharmaceutical plant that directly binds to and allows the brain to remove the amyloid that is building up in a patient with Alzheimer’s. It does this to the point where it becomes completely undetectable by about 12 to 18 months.
At the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, we have been trying to balance how effective we are at removing amyloid with the safety of the medicine. That balance really was achieved with this medication. The validation of that is the eventual FDA approval.
Not only does the medication remove amyloid from the brain, but it actually has a clinical impact. In the clinical trials, it slowed the disease process by between 27% to 40%.
I wish it were a cure. We’re not there yet. But this is the first medicine — ever — that actually changes the disease in the brain. It removes a component of the disease and can extend quality of life for patients who are developing Alzheimer’s and who are in the early stages of the disease.
We scientists are going to continue to work. We are not going to give up; we are not going to rest on laurels. This is the beginning, our first crack in the wall.
Now, we’re really approaching this issue of Alzheimer’s in a two-pronged approach. First, are there other medicines and many of them in development that we need to add? We are beginning to think about combination therapy trials where we may be able to use medicines to attack the tangles in conjunction with these medicines that can remove plaques. The other approach we are exploring involves trying to remove the plaques even earlier, before memory problems even begin.
I suspect in the next decade or two, Alzheimer’s will become a thing of the past… if we can
Example of amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and loss of neuronal connections in the brain
educate more people and get early detection and early intervention. It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to require a lot more work, a lot more elbow grease, a lot more people standing up joining the fight, and all of us really working to make these discoveries a reality in dayin-day-out medical care for patients around the globe.
But we are seeing progress, and that is exciting for Alzheimer’s patients, their families, and their caregivers alike.
Growing up in Germany during World War II, Gerda Vance’s whole life was changed by war. Now living at Morning Pointe of Hixson, Tennessee, Gerda has amazing stories to tell.
Gerda was born on April 13, 1933, the only child of Bruno and
When World War II began, her father was called to service and was killed in the war. Rations made civilian life difficult, and one day, while Gerda was at school and her mother was out of the house, their home was bombed, killing her grandmother.
In 1943, Gerda’s mother sent Gerda to East Prussia to stay with a cousin. In 1945, however, a mass exodus began ahead of the advance of the Soviet Army. Gerda and her aunt joined thousands of refugees and fled across the frozen Baltic Sea.
“German elderly couples with maybe only one bedroom would take us in,” Gerda said. “I remember a few times we slept on the floor.”
When they reached land, Gerda’s aunt put a name tag around her neck and put her on a train to Berlin. From there, she had to rely on friendly adults to help her to find her mother.
The hardships were not over. Food and supplies were scarce, and Gerda’s mother went to great lengths to protect and provide for her. During the Soviet occupation, her mother sewed gold coins into the hem of her coat to buy produce and dairy. She would sell the food, buy cigarettes, and sell those to make more money.
As the Allies divided up Berlin, Gerda was fortunate to live in the American sector, close to the Berlin Tempelhof Airport. “The Americans were good to us,” Gerda said. “They gave us food and chewing gum. They would ask us children to come over and use the pool, and they would entertain us.” Sometimes, the Americans would even drop candy from their planes.
Gerda had an advantage in this new Germany. As an adolescent, a teacher had recommended her to study English, and she was able to speak, write, and understand the language. She completed high school and went on to the University of Berlin, where she earned a journalism degree. She learned linotype and got a job at the German Medical Journal while she was in college.
After college, Gerda was working in Tempelhof, and there, she met an American military man named Charles Hilliard Higdon. They married in 1954, then moved to the United States in 1955.
The cultural transition was less of a challenge than Gerda expected, and Charles’ family welcomed her with open arms. And although the couple never had children and eventually divorced, Gerda continues to be close to his family, especially her niece Vanessa Higdon.
“I was so fortunate I spoke English, and everybody I met was very kind,” Gerda said.
The Higdons started out in Colorado Springs, then moved to Columbus, Georgia, and finally settled in Mobile, Alabama. Charles continued in the military, discharging after 20 years of service.
In Mobile, Gerda bought a small grocery store and worked in the office for a while. Eventually, she bought a location of The Village Inn Pancake House from the franchise. She particularly enjoyed working the cash register on the weekends and chatting with customers, some of whom spoke German.
In the late 1960s, Gerda moved her mother to the United States, and they worked together for a while at the restaurant.
Gerda’s second husband was Shull Vance, a Marine Corps veteran and golf superintendent. For a while, they lived on a golf course in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Gerda worked at the golf course office. The Vances were married for about 10 years before he passed away, and Gerda moved to Tennessee to live with Vanessa.
A few years ago, the two ladies visited Germany. Gerda traveled familiar streets and saw the bunker where she and her mother had hidden during air raids and the corridor where the American troops dropped food and candy.
As Gerda got older, she started needing more assistance. She chose Morning Pointe of Hixson so she could be close to family, and she moved in in early 2023. She found a home that also satisfies her social needs. “I enjoy the people,” Gerda said. “I feel very comfortable here. I’ve made new friends. I like conversation and talking about history.”
In November 2023, Morning Pointe Senior Living received a whopping three awards at the Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities/ Kentucky Center for Assisted Living awards banquet.
“Morning Pointe embodies the compassion and warmth it takes to be in the senior care profession,” said Ruby Jo Lubarsky, interim president of the Kentucky Center for Assisted Living (KCAL). “It is a testament to their work that they won this year’s Community Event Award, Outstanding Resident Award, and the Outstanding Caregiver Award. Congratulations to a truly deserving community!”
The Community Event Award was presented to Morning Pointe as a whole for the Morning Pointe Foundation’s Seniors Got Talent showcase in Lexington on Sept. 12. Eleven senior acts competed, with singer Ron Cheak taking home the
grand prize for his rendition of “The Best is Yet to Come.” “This event brings joy to so many seniors,” said Miranda Perez, executive director for the Morning Pointe Foundation. “Seniors Got Talent is constantly fulfilling seniors’ passions, dreams, and love for the arts.”
The Outstanding Resident Award went to Robert “Bob” Morehouse at The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence, Lexington. Bob is a resident ambassador at the community.
He goes above and beyond to make every current resident, future resident, family, and caregiver feel welcomed and appreciated. He has been known to help new residents unpack as they settle in, eat meals with them in the dining room or help them with activities.
“I love Morning Pointe, and to be recognized as the Outstanding Resident just makes me so happy.” said Bob. “It truly is a dream come true.”
The Outstanding Caregiver Award went to Jacqueline “Jackie” Booker, Lantern program assistant at The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence, Louisville.
Previously a certified nursing assistant, Jackie has established deep connections with each resident, fostering a sense of trust and security in their care. She is known to get into character when reading stories, playing piano, singing and dancing with the residents.
“It was an honor to be chosen,” said Jackie. “I look forward to coming to work. I tell people all the time that I just can't wait to get to Morning Pointe because it's not a job; it's a pleasure to visit with all my dear friends.”
2023 has come and gone, and it has propelled the Morning Pointe Foundation forward with tremendous progress!
We started out the year strong with great expert speakers for our Caregiver Café webinar series, which provides free educational presentations on topics relevant to seniors. Together, they raised our understanding of the difference between normal aging memory loss and Alzheimer’s or dementia, the ins and outs of Parkinson’s disease, and the link between medications and falls.
Our partnerships with colleges across Morning Pointe Senior Living’s footprint also saw growth as we strengthed relationships post-COVID and reached out to new schools. Five new schools joined us as partners in 2023!
We expanded our clinical rotations program to make it available to ALL locations of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT), and students at Ashland Community and Technical College in Kentucky started their first clinical rotations for RN students since before the pandemic.
Besides the new partnerships, the Morning Pointe Foundation added three new fields for scholarships: social work, physical therapy, and culinary arts. These join the many nursing scholarships that we have been providing since our founding in 2014 and our occupational therapy scholarship we have offered at Eastern Kentucky University since 2018. These new scholarships enhance our commitment to senior care and to the various ways that students can benefit seniors in today’s workforce.
“We chose these three new categories knowing that when people look at moving to senior living, they look at food and activities,” said Miranda Perez, executive director of the Morning Pointe Foundation. “The Foundation recognizes that in senior care, nutrition and staying active are both vital for overall health. These new scholarships are just another way we can help provide the full circle of care for the senior community.”
We moved into golf season with two successful Mastering Memory Care Golf Tournament fundraisers, one in Niota, Tennessee (coordinated by Morning Pointe of Athens, Tennessee) that raised $17,000, and one in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that raised nearly $75,000.
From August to November, our four Morning Pointe Foundation Seniors Got Talent showcases raised a record-
breaking $134,445. We saw record sponsorships, ticket sales, and votes
Doug Brown
Donna Lawrence
Debbie Ingram Norma Cooper
Over 111 students served through 17 community colleges and universities
Tennessee:
• Cleveland State Community College
• Chattanooga State Community College
• Columbia State Community College
• Southern Adventist University
• The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
• TN College of Applied Technology at Athens
• TN College of Applied Technology at Jacksboro
• Tusculum University
• Pellissippi State Community College
• Roane State Community College
• Walters State Community College
Kentucky:
• Ashland Community and Technical College
• Bluegrass Community and Technical College
• Eastern Kentucky University
Alabama:
• Shelton State Community College
Georgia:
• Dalton State University
Indiana:
• Ivy Tech Community College
Morning Pointe Foundation's Seniors Got Talent shows are getting better and better with every passing year, and we're here to prove it!
The vibrancy, passion, and talent truly shined through in each performance of the Lexington, Kentucky, and Chattanooga, Franklin, and Knoxville, Tennessee, shows. They showed us what it's all about — living life to the fullest at ANY age.
This year, we saw a remarkable number of unique talents, from musical and dancing groups to a flag batonist, pianists playing original songs to a swordbalancing belly-dancing trio.
We were touched to hear what some contestants had to say about being in a Seniors Got Talent showcase and what it meant to them. For some, it was crossing off a bucket list item they didn't even know they had, and for others, they felt blessed to be able to share their God-given talents on the big stage. Undoubtedly, it is an experience that seniors across the Southeast are thrilled to be part of.
In 2023, we happily welcomed more and more people into the Seniors Got Talent family through a record number of auditions, audience members, and sponsorships, including our second sold-out Franklin show in a row and our biggest show attendance to date with over 500 people supporting the top 10 acts in Chattanooga.
The introduction of tour shirts, the return of Taste of Morning Pointe (a time for local food service associates to showcase their best recipes), and the People's Choice Award also made for a winning combination at each of the four shows.
“The variety of acts was very entertaining and inspiring!” said Morning Pointe Foundation Executive Director Miranda Perez. “I was blown away by the talent and by the support of the audience and our sponsors this year. Not only did the contestants have a chance to shine, but the funds raised will go to give students a chance to shine too.”
Seniors Got Talent 2024, we are ready for you!
LEXINGTON, KY
FRANKLIN
FRANKFORT (2)
LOUISVILLE (2)
BRENTWOOD
FRANKLIN (2)
ATHENS
COLUMBIA
SPRING HILL (2)
TULLAHOMA
HAPPY VALLEY
CALHOUN
TUSCALOOSA
RUSSELL (2)
LEXINGTON (3)
RICHMOND
DANVILLE (2)
GREENEVILLE
KNOXVILLE (2)
CLINTON
HARDIN VALLEY (2)
POWELL (2)
LENOIR CITY (2)
COLLEGEDALE (2)
CHATTANOOGA (2)
EAST HAMILTON (2)
HIXSON
