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60PLUS // OPENER

60 Plus features some wonderful, caring people. HIS ISSUE OF

Mike Pallas, who leads the Valley View 4-H Club, works with youth living at Omaha Home for Boys. Jerry Meyer devotes several hours a week to the Nebraska Humane Society, and Carolyn Owen Anderson has been helping underserved populations create art for nearly 20 years. I'd like to talk about a story featured in Omaha Home. Reading the story on the Blackstone Hotel in this issue brings memories of my youth. Between my junior and senior years of high school I spent the summer in Omaha with my sister and her husband, Jacque and Bill Wiseman. They lived close to the Blackstone Hotel. Exaggerating my age, I applied for a job at the hotel. I was hired as an elevator operator for the 4 p.m. to midnight shift. Being from small-town Mankato, Kansas, this was an exciting experience for me. The hotel was an elegant setting with an air of excitement. The bellhops would ride my elevator to deliver flowers to the rooms of visiting celebrities. I loved seeing all of the ladies in their beautiful clothes and the stylish men, especially when there was an event on the top floor ballroom. In a column written by Robert McMorris of the Omaha World-Herald, Louis Szathmary said, “The Orleans Room was the most fabulous restaurant in the world.” Szathmary was an internationally recognized chef, food consultant, author of several cookbooks, and a charter member of the Wine and Food Society. There was a hallway lined with pictures of stars who had dined at the Orleans Room. Before leaving, I was offered a tempting position working with the social director. Alas, it was time to leave. I had a great summer.

Contributing Editor SEPTEMBER 2019 • 60PLUS

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Mike Pallas and Valley View 4-H Club

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60PLUS â€¢ SEPTEMBER 2019

FEATURE // STORY BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

EVEN CALVES STARTED

a 70-year labor of love.

In 1948, seven calves were donated to the Omaha Home for Boys, and the organization used those calves to start Valley View 4-H Club. Two years later, cattleman and OHB supporter Bob Cooper presented Omaha Home for Boys with a 72-acre stock farm three miles north of the main campus. The Valley View 4-H Club on Cooper Memorial Farm is a popular part of Omaha Home for Boys, and for 36 years, the driving force behind the club has been one leader—63-year-old Mike Pallas. Pallas began working at the farm in 1983 after working as a manager on larger farms. “When I got hired, I said ‘I’m not a teacher.’” Pallas recalls. “The guy who hired me said, ‘you’ll do just fine.’ “ He may not have known how to teach, but he was involved in 4-H as a youth. Many kids join 4-H at age 9 or 10 and remain involved throughout high school. The students Pallas teaches are teenagers when they start with the organization. Their students also come from challenging life situations. According to Rae Ann Knoell, communications coordinator for Omaha Home for Boys, the young men in the residential care program (the program that includes 4-H) are there by court order. Some of the common reasons for this are truancy, or any sort of trouble with the law. Many have unstable living environments and a lack of positive role models. Many have never participated in an extracurricular activity. “I’d say 95 percent of these kids have never been shown much of anything,” Pallas says. “They don’t know how to use a broom. That [upright] broom over there—a lot of them pick that up and try to use it like a push broom.” The students learn to sweep the floor, and also learn the importance of keeping the floor clean. “His barn is the cleanest barn I’ve ever been in,” says Rachel Wright, extension assistant at Douglas-Sarpy County Extension. It is important to Pallas to keep the floor clean because of visitors to the farm, but more important to him because of the life skills. He has shown hundreds of students how to sweep the floor, feed cattle, and respect other beings.

“We are the counselors,” Pallas says. “The animals are the teachers. If you don’t act the way they want, they will let you know.” Kelly Armbrust is one former student who touts Pallas’ abilities to work with children. Armbrust stayed at Omaha Home for Boys from 1982 to 1987. “This was a chance for me to meet new friends—that was more what I was interested in,” Armbrust says. “I’d never been to a fair, I’d never dealt with cattle before. I showed a Brama steer, [and] he was a big, ugly calf. I didn’t know any better, but I enjoyed it.” Like most of the kids, Armbrust came from a tough situation, but said Pallas’ work ethic has helped make him the man he is today. “I always saw him working like a dog,” Armbrust says. “That made me keep working.” Armbrust started working at the farm in 1987, and in 1989, became Pallas’ assistant when Pallas asked Armbrust to work for him. Through Pallas and Armbrust, the students then learn about caring for the animals, and all the work that goes into it. “He has a fun personality, but when it’s time to work he has those boys work,” says Wright. “[Pallas and Armbrust] have kind of helped everyone mesh together. Mike puts a lot of his own volunteer time and sweat equity because he wants 4-H to be successful for all kids.” “Don’t put ‘I’ and ‘can’t’ together around me,” Pallas says. “Because you’ve just defeated yourself. You can tell me ‘my cow won’t do this today,’ because that happens. They can be stubborn. But you can do it.” The students take care of calves and lambs for about four months. They learn what a calf or lamb should weigh, and how much the animal should eat to get to that weight. The students learn about the loin-eye area, an estimate of carcass muscle used to determine quality of the meat. They learn how long a cow carries a calf in the womb. And Pallas knows how to relate the material. “How old do you have to be to drive?” Pallas asks. “Sixteen. There’s your [ideal] loin-eye area. How long is a cow in gestation? Well, how long is a human pregnant? Nine months. Same for a cow.”

The positive influence of working with calves and lambs leads to other positive changes. “One of the ways the home and 4-H helps is that it creates stability and security for them,” says Knoell. “So many of these kids have spent their lives wondering where’s my next meal coming from? How am I going to get to school? Once they are in a secure environment where people care about them and they have positive mentors, they start to thrive.” The students may not enjoy having Pallas tell them to clean up after cows, but he often gains their respect. “Mike was my father figure,” Armbrust says. “Last Father’s Day, I told him, ‘you know, you tell everyone you had all girls, but you do have one boy.’ “ After four months of caring for the animals, the students have learned to trust them, and also themselves. “Probably my favorite part of this is watching how the kids first interact with the animals to how they act later on,” Pallas says. “They come in holding their noses, but come fair time, the kids are laying in the stalls with the animals.” At the end, the students show the animals at the Sarpy County Fair alongside youth who have been in 4-H for years longer than them. It is a source of quiet pride for Pallas to see the kids walk away with ribbons, and a source of happiness for the jovial man to see other farmers and 4-H leaders at the fair, all of whom Pallas calls his friends. “Fair is the culmination,” Pallas says. “I tell them I wish we could get to the fun part first, but you’ve got to put in the work.” Pallas may only be around for another couple of years before retiring, but he knows he can still impact a lot of students. “I know there’s kids that get out and think, ‘gosh I’m glad to be away from that old grump,’” Pallas reflects. “But they walk away from here with a lot of life skills.” Visit omahahomeforboys.org/ valley-view-4-h-club for more information.

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ACTIVE LIVING // STORY BY LIZ STEVENS // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

Retired School Principal Finds New Purpose at the Nebraska Humane Society

he brings the girls and the cat to me—I was the vice principal,” Jerry Meyer says. “I say, 'I am going to take the cat, she’ll stay in my office. I am going to call Mom and see what she wants to do.'” Moments prior, twin girls who attended Meyer’s school, Minne Lusa Elementary, found a gray, long-haired tabby cat near the bus stop. The students tried their best to hide the cat in their coat on the way into the school, Meyer says, but one of the other faculty members noticed the cat and sent the girls and their new friend to the vice principal’s office.

Unfortunately, the family could not take in the cat, so Meyer decided to give her to the Nebraska Humane Society, where his colleague Nicki Nixon volunteered. Meyer says that NHS was Nixon’s love. She spent almost as much time at NHS as she did teaching. Meyer says he deliberated his decision for a while, but he eventually adopted the cat. He named her Mrs. Slocombe after the Easter egg-haired, cat-loving saleswoman on “Are You Being Served?” one of his favorite British television shows. Meyer and Mrs. Slocombe would be close companions for the next 17 years.

After 31 years as an educator for Omaha Public Schools, Meyer wanted to spend his free time giving back to the community. He thought about volunteering at The Durham Museum or Fontenelle Forest, but then he remembered Nixon’s love for NHS and decided to apply to be a volunteer. The decision was poignant because Nixon had passed away shortly after Mrs. Slocombe. Meyer has volunteered at NHS for about nine years and is close to accumulating 1,800 hours helping animals, specifically cats. Meyer volunteers for roughly eight hours a week, and says he works with four or five other volunteers. They are responsible for feeding the cats, changing the litter in their boxes, and cleaning their kennels. “Some of the cats we have had close to one year, so we go out of our way to give them extra grooming, playtime, and treats,” Meyer says. “We can take them into a small, enclosed room and hang out with them. Those are the things that I enjoy about volunteering.” Meyer says the Nebraska Humane Society was the perfect fit for him, because it allowed him to combine the nurturing aspects of being a teacher with his love of animals.

“I think it is the nurturing and caring,” Meyer says. “When you are a teacher those [students] become your kids and you care about what happens to them— the same thing with the animals. You’re really happy when they get adopted.” Volunteering at NHS isn’t without its challenges. Meyer says it can be difficult to see cats come in that have experienced abuse. Whether it is a kitten with a missing eye or a cat whose owner has passed away, each one has its own story. Meyer says one of his favorite memories is when he was working with a cat who wouldn’t eat. He made it his “personal mission to get the cat to eat.” Meyer started hand-feeding him chicken, and for a while he was the only one who could get the cat to eat. When Meyer can do something like that for an animal, it helps them, and it makes him feel good. “I am happy,” Meyer states. “This is doing something that I couldn’t make a living off of. I think most people who volunteer would understand that it really is, [as with] me, a sense of purpose. I feel like I am making a difference.” Visit nehumanesociety.org for more information.

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NOSTALGIA // STORY BY JEFF LACEY // PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTED BY CHRISTOPHER PALMER // DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

, You ll Never Walk ALone Do You Remember The MDA Labor Day Telethon?

HE MDA LABOR DAY TELETHON

, hosted by multi-talented Jerry Lewis, was a holiday staple of network TV for over 40 years. The Lewis-headed televised fundraiser ran from 1966 to 2010, and raised over $2 billion for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Muscular dystrophy is a neuromuscular disease in which muscles slowly deteriorate until they cease to function.

Framed in part as a variety show, the telethon featured a steady stream of performers, skits, and musical numbers. Each performance was offered for the sake of urging people to donate generously to the MDA while phone numbers and fundraising updates from different parts of the country swam across the bottom of the screen. Do you remember these hallmarks about the telethon?

Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis was—and still is—the face most associated with the MDA telethon. Lewis, who began his career as a comedian working with fellow comedian and singer Dean Martin, didn’t stop at comedy. Lewis was an accomplished director, writer, and singer, and many of his films are considered comedy classics, the original The Nutty Professor among them. In fact, directors such as Martin Scorsese and Stephen Spielberg have gone on record to say that they consider Lewis a master of cinema.

The Phones

Nowadays, the internet makes online financial transactions easy; however, in the heyday of the MDA, telephones and mailers were the dominant paradigm. Who can forget the tiers of phone tables ringing off the hook? The phones were manned by volunteers, some of them famous entertainers, who would record donation pledges, then pass them to runners who would send the donation forms to the post office to mail as soon as possible in order to avoid donors getting cold feet.

Jerry’s Kids

Children with muscular dystrophy were often referred to as Jerry’s Kids. The moniker started almost as soon as the televised fundraiser itself, and became a powerful branding element for the telethon, which included impassioned narratives about children struggling with the illness. Currently, the MDA reports that it runs over 200 clinics dedicated to muscular dystrophy, as well as several clinics dedicated to tackling ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). The MDA also runs summer camps and aftercare programs for children with muscular dystrophy.

The Entertainment

Lewis made it a point to recruit as much Hollywood talent as possible. Ed McMahon was a longtime co-host of the show, and music legend Frank Sinatra co-hosted several times. The entertainment would occur consistently for the 21 and a half hours the telethon would run, always ending at 6:30 ET on Labor Day Monday (although not all networks televised the entire show). The lineups included skits and musical numbers by the likes of legendary entertainers Sammy Davis Jr. and Diana Ross.

Local Celebrities

There were also cutaways to local telethon charity efforts that focused on local celebrities and volunteers in the coverage areas. According to Omaha actor Christopher Palmer, Dr. San Guinary was the role of a lifetime for KMTV’s John Jones, who reveled in motivating Omaha to participate in fundraising to fight muscular dystrophy. Jones was a founder in building the Omaha MDA from its grassroots through the telethon broadcasts, and shared his passion for community service with his fans. He paid special attention to attracting involvement from children with their families. These collections would culminate at Dr. San Guinary’s telethon Fishbowl, which averaged $40,000 per year from 1971-1981. Jones was active with MDA fundraising from 1971-1987 and appeared on the telethon 17 times. Palmer is the current Dr. San Guinary and is completing a biography titled The Dr. San Guinary Scrapbook—The Life and Times of John Andrew Phillip Fleming Jones.

Reunited

One of the telethon’s defining moments was Lewis’s reunion with his comedy partner Dean Martin. The pair began their comedy career almost by accident due to an employment opportunity that hinged on them performing on stage as a pair. The duo went on to perform thousands of times together, from Atlantic City to Vegas, and they were soon considered the most famous comedy duo in show business. However, their relationship cooled; after 10 years of success, the pair split up. The two reunited during the 1976 telethon, officiated by Frank Sinatra. They hadn’t spoken personally for 20 years.

The End

Jerry Lewis ended each telethon with the song "You’ll Never Walk Alone," which he once claimed was chosen by one of the first Jerry’s Kids (although that origin story has been disputed). The song was from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. Lewis’s last telethon was in 2010.

SEPTEMBER 2019 • 60PLUS

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SideStepping Scams

Avoiding Phone Calls Isnâ€™t Just for Millennials

HEALTH // STORY BY ANDREA KSZYSTYNIAK // DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION BY DEREK JOY

“They were brought up by being very trustful, not saying no, being very polite,” Hendricks says.

the phone and you hear it: the familiar robocall offering you tickets for a cruise ship at a deeply discounted rate, or an automated message (supposedly from the IRS), saying out of the blue that you owe back taxes. OU PICK UP

“They were brought up by being very trustful, not saying no, being very polite,” Hendricks says. Margaret Schaefer, managing attorney of the centralized intake unit at Legal Aid of Nebraska, says caregivers should keep an eye out for signs that someone has been taken advantage of. Look for changes in behavior, such as someone who has always balanced their checkbook to the penny who is now beginning to receive past-due notices, she says. They may become secretive, fearful, or demonstrate other changes in behavior. It’s also possible that they may not initially recognize that they have been ripped off.

One way to avoid scams is by utilizing fraud-prevention features. Ryan Sothan, the outreach coordinator for the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, advocates for several features that caregivers can have installed on their loved one’s phone via their phone service. This can include features such as selective call acceptance, which allows the phone owner to build a list of accepted numbers to receive calls from. Call-blocking apps can be downloaded to cellphones. Seniors should also have up-to-date anti-virus software on their computers. Sothan recommends caregivers educate the vulnerable adults around them about common signs of scams. He says many scam calls are offers “too good to be true, or too compelling to ignore.” There is also often a sense of urgency tied to a demand for immediate payment, he says. Folks should be cautious to avoid probes for personally identifying information. If someone calls asking what the name of your childhood pet was, they’re not just trying to be friendly—they may be trying to get information to hack your bank account.

For many people, calls and emails like these are clearly a rip-off from first blush. But for others, including elderly adults or those diagnosed with degenerative brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, discerning the reality behind these scams can become complex. Diane Hendricks, a licensed clinical social worker who is contracted to the Alzheimer’s Association, says adults 65 and older are often targeted because they’re assumed to already have a nest egg—a bit of money set aside. They tend to have good credit and may have predictable income because of social security pensions, Hendricks says. There may also be a generational difference in demeanor.

“So they’re sure if they just come up with that additional payment of $200 for the taxes, they’ll have a $1.5 million payout,” Schaefer says. “They don’t recognize that money is never coming.”

To keep up to date on the latest information, seniors and their caregivers can attend a number of workshops and trainings. The Attorney General’s office offers a number of educational sessions, as does the Better Business Bureau, AARP, and other local organizations.

“One of the concerns we have is once somebody is a victim, then they are targeted.”

“One of the concerns we have is once somebody is a victim, then they are targeted,” Schaefer says. After a scam, phone numbers and any other contact information that was used to take advantage of the person should be changed. But prevention is the best option, as recouping lost funds can be near impossible. “Usually once the money has left your hands, it is generally not recoverable,” Schaefer says.

- Schaefer SEPTEMBER 2019 • 60PLUS

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PROFILE // STORY BY J.D. AVANT // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

Carolyn Owen Anderson

Encouraging the Art st in Everyone

RT IS ONE of the most inclusive forms of expression. Carolyn Owen Anderson has dedicated nearly 20 years to helping an underserved population of seniors and people with developmental disabilities express themselves.

She is the executive director at WhyArts, the Omaha nonprofit dedicated to providing art to underserved populations. It’s a cause she can easily align with: she believes that everyone can benefit from a healthy dose of artistic expression, a belief that is realized in the organization’s slogan—“arts our way.” “The general public see people with disabilities and think they don’t have talent, but I don’t believe that,” Anderson says. “Art is for everyone, and there is no right or wrong way to express your ability.” As an organizational administrator, Anderson’s background is in psychology. She earned a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, which is helpful, as a large part of the job is observing people and matching artists’ skills with the organization’s needs. “I think she has an eye for art, and she has a heart for people,” says longtime friend Nancy Williams, executive director of No More Empty Pots. “Her art is not in the traditional sense of artistry. Her artistic talent is pulling people together and giving them purpose through art.” Anderson admits she has never been an artist, but that doesn’t keep her from attending arts events. She can be found watching productions by Omaha’s Blue Barn Theatre, Opera Omaha, or Omaha Symphony whenever she can. Her passion for providing art to people of all abilities was ignited when she saw her adopted son struggle with academics. “I got tired of him talking about what he couldn’t do,” Anderson explains. “People kept telling him what he would and would not achieve because his grades in math and science weren’t the best, but I knew he had potential. When he started concentrating on non-judgmental ways to do things he excelled.” // 118 //

60PLUS • SEPTEMBER 2019

She first became acquainted with WhyArts 15 years prior as a contracted consultant. Anderson went on to focus her dedication towards an overlooked group of people— those of differing abilities—who could benefit from a non-judgmental way of expressing themselves. Throughout her years as director of the organization, she has helped include seniors in the arts and overseen several outdoor mural projects. “Carolyn’s passion to connect and empower communities through the arts is an inspiration,” WhyArts teaching artist Sarah Rowe said via email. “As a working artist, I appreciate the challenge to help build creative experiences that strengthen the foundation of our city by uplifting individuals. Carolyn has a natural ability to coordinate events and connect people in a magical way.” Along the way, Anderson has remained a consummate volunteer and philanthropist, a value instilled in her by her parents—Edward F. and Dee Owen. Dee, in fact, could be seen volunteering at the Omaha Community Playhouse into her 90s. Anderson herself serves on several boards, including No More Empty Pots and the Nebraska Writers Collective, and the board members and organizational leadership appreciate her work. “She has a certain candor and brevity about things,” says Williams. “But you’ll know you have piqued her interest when she keeps digging more deeply. She’s been a good sounding board for moving things forward, or not moving them at all. She’s been supportive of not following status quo, but doing what she thinks is the right thing to do.” It is her position at WhyArts that has given her a special fondness for seeing talented artists working with people afflicted by various development disabilities. “Our clients tend to have strong responses and genuine connections with our mentors,” Anderson says. “I love seeing seniors and people with special needs notice their artwork on the wall at one of our exhibits and saying, ‘Ooh, I didn’t think I could do that!’”

Williams not only works with Anderson at NMEP, she knew Anderson through a collaboration between Why Arts and Boys and Girls Club, where Williams was CIO. “WhyArts gave the kids access to someone creative and who did creative work all day,” Williams said. “They got a chance to see how they can use their creativity and get paid for it. It was good for them to be able to share with artists and find a hobby, but also to be creative and give the kids feedback on that creative outlet.” Artists interested in working with WhyArts don’t need prior experience with disabled learners, but they must undergo an extensive observation process under Anderson’s watchful eye. She finds most of them appreciate the individuality of their clients and are willing to work with the special needs population. “Instructors need to have a bag of tricks since a structured curriculum can fall apart when teaching people with developmental disabilities,” Anderson says. “I find that most of my mentors have a great degree of compassion for our clients and appreciate the challenge.” Under Anderson’s direction, WhyArts has flourished; bringing a variety of video animation, visual arts, literature, dance activities and more to over 43,000 individuals through 2500 workshops in 2018, in places ranging from senior centers to after-school programs. Partnerships with a host of organizations including MOSAIC, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and Sacred Heart School guarantee Anderson will continue encouraging creative thinking, creative play, and creative access to the arts for an underserved population of aspiring artists. “I’m not a [practicing] therapist, but I’ll always believe that art is great therapy. It enables anyone to express themselves,” she says. “You may not be a Rhoades Scholar in math or science, but you could be a heck of a visual artist, which holds its own merit.” For more information about WhyArts mission visit their website at www.whyartsinc.org.

“I’m not a [practicing] therapist, but I’ll always believe that art is great therapy. It enables anyone to express themselves.”

-Carolyn Anderson

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