Aberdeen Heights
Family happy hour
AUGUST 2019
Resident, inventor shares innovations
In February, Bill Hoskins, independent living resident, shared about his invention of the aluminum beer can. We were so impressed that we asked him back for the second presentation as part of our ongoing speaker’s series. This time, he talked about his invention of the Scotch Brite Pad.
Aberdeen Heights resident Bill Hoskins shares stories of his innovations.
As an employee of 3M, Bill and his team developed the Scotch Brite Pad. An engineer, most of Bill’s ideas came to him as solutions to problems he saw in day-to-day life.
The beer can invention, for example, came to him after he saw the waste of beer after his wedding because there was not a rust-free way to preserve it. His solution to that problem was the invention of the aluminum beer can, later on developing all the beer can plants and factories for Anheuser Busch. The Scotch Brite Pad was a solution to, you guessed it, hard to clean surfaces! He and his young bride had moved to an apartment. He noticed that when cleaning the counter tops, they just could not seem to clean them off well enough with the regular cloths they were using. With an idea, a bundle of nylon and many years of development, the Scotch Brite Pad came to be. A 1952 graduate of the South Dakota School of Mines, Bill attended college at a time when women were substantially outnumbered by men. He was asked if there were any women in his company or his college. Bill explained that there were, but not many. He and his fellow classmates noticed the lack of women in the school, and in the field of engineering. Their sophomore year of college, he and a few of his fraternity brothers started to go into schools, often in rural -Invention, continued on page 4
Nancy Lumpkin and family enjoyed the June happy hour. Our family happy hour had lots of residents and family and friends cool down inside on a hot day! Family happy hours are meant to be a time of friendship, fun and fellowship while you relax and enjoy each other on a weekend afternoon, listen to music and eat some light appetizers. Our June happy hour was no exception. Not to be missed was our 100-year-old birthday star, Nancy Lumpkin with family. Several volunteers and community residents joined. Jane Bollinger from our independent community was joined by her family in town from Dallas, as she celebrated a birthday, too. Dottie Gray attended as well, coming fresh out of the Senior Olympics! Go, Dottie, go! Lolita Manring was joined by her daughter and son-in-law and said -Happy hour, continued on page 2
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it took her back to the days she lived in Brazil. The musician performed “Gloria,” the hit song, and St. Louis Blues hockey song, which was a treat for Carl and Jeanne Duetches’ grandson and likely several other hockey fans present. Rita Seiler, often joined by friend Rory, joined the musician, and the two have named their newly formed duo “The Aberdeens.” They have polished three songs and we love hearing them each time they play for us. We encourage you to invite friends and family. ◆
June birthday fun
We celebrated our June Birthday party like most other parties. We had cake, punch and Frank Sinatra music with Lamar Pilsing. We recognized all June birthdays, but this time, we recognized a special July milestone birthday, too. Nancy Lumpkin, whose birthday is July 1, celebrated her 100th birthday. A seven-year resident in assisted living, Nancy is a very special woman. She is poised, kind, observant, gracious and welltraveled. She loves her family, her friends and chocolate, and she has an eye for beauty and detail. Nancy is always quick to point out when something looks nice, and admires decoration, particularly balloons! ◆
Nancy Lumpkin celebrated her 100th birthday July 1. She loves balloons, so in her honor, we had a 100 balloon drop.
ABERDEEN HEIGHTS A PMMA COMMUNITY
314-909-6010 ◆ Fax: 913-599-3810 505 Couch Ave. Kirkwood, MO 63122-5536 AberdeenSeniorLiving.com
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | August 2019
Resident Nancy Lumpkin with daughter Gail Schleiffarth pose with the birthday cake.
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Community Matters
is published monthly for residents and friends of Aberdeen Heights by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizaton.
To submit or suggest articles: bholohan@PMMA.org Bethany Holohan, life enrichment dir. Rick Cumberland, executive director Lily Landy, health care administrator
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Skills Day: ‘It’s a jungle out there!’ Dawn Gonzales-Rubio, director of nursing, went wild on Skills Day. With the theme “It’s a jungle out there,” she planned a fun two days of skills practice for all nursing staff. All nursing staff were treated to special lunches, snacks, prizes and
earned their stripes. For their hard work, they received continuing education on a variety of illnesses, diseases and issues related to skilled nursing, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, elder abuse and more. It was a fun and informative day!◆
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communities, and talk to high school girls about education and the field of engineering. They mentored these young women, encouraging them to consider not only college, but the field of engineering as well. Three cheers for Bill not only for these wonderful inventions, but also for his pioneering efforts educating and encouraging women to consider opportunities they might otherwise not have had. ◆
Resident artist’s works return to Aberdeen Dr. Donald Behrens was recently honored when his whimsical creations and sculptures returned to Aberdeen Heights after some much needed repairs were completed. Several months ago, Bethany Holohan, life enrichment director, contacted John Burroughs High School, where Dr. Behrens taught and all of his five children attended, and asked if a student would like to
take the repair project on as part of a service project. Fortunate for us, Grant Kirsch, a senior at John Burroughs agreed. In May, Grant repaired these wonderful statues, and in June, when family was in town, an open house unveiling reception celebrated the return of Dr. Behrens’ works. We had cake and punch, a ribbon cutting and music by Neil and Lizzie. ◆
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony with his family and student Grant Kirsch, Dr. Behrens cut the red ribbon to reveal the repaired sculptures.
Family and residents talk to John Burroughs Senior Grant Kirsch about the project. -Artwork, continued on page 5
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Celebrating the dads among us
Bon voyage! Two great team members recently moved on. Congratulations, we will miss you!
On Father’s Day, all residents and family in skilled care and assisted living were treated to accordion music and hot fudge sundaes.
Carl Deutsch’s daughter-in-law Alexandra helped serve The Glen dads hot fudge sundaes, and Emma Shearburn, granddaughter of Dudley Shearburn, was our ice cream girl! ◆
Emily Haffer moved on to an opportunity closer to her home that she could not pass up. Emily, holding the cake, is pictured with Tiffany Hardieway, Latonya Gill and Alexis Hughes.
Shelley Fiess in dining services retired. Shelley, left, poses with Nadalee Wagner and her celebratory cookie cake.
Carl Deutsch poses with son Wayne, daughter, Anne, and grandson, Lucah.
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Aberdeen groundskeeper Dave Chamberlain picked up the statues from Grant Kirsch at John Burroughs High School. St. Louis Post Dispatch Photographer Robert Cohen, who covered the story for the paper, took several pictures.
Daughter-in-law Evelyn Behrens, Dr. Behrens and son Dr. Gary Behrens with a special cake for Dr. Behrens unveiling reception.
Daughter Barb Behrens in town from Seattle, Dr. Behrens, and student Grant Kirsch.
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ABERDEEN HEIGHTS A PMMA COMMUNITY
505 Couch Ave. Kirkwood, MO 63122 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
OUR Mission:
To provide quality senior services guided by Chri stian values.
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Video chats with family and friends can offer mental health boost By Sarah Lindenfeld Hall for Next Avenue Anne Whitley lives 800 miles from her grandchildren’s home in Florida, but she still sees them daily. On her iPhone’s FaceTime app, Whitley catches up with her five-year old granddaughter, Cairo, who might show off a new toy, and her year-old grandson, Garvey, who enjoys practicing his latest words. All it takes is just a few minutes each day to bridge those miles between them. “I don’t want them to forget me in between visits,” said Whitley, 83, a retired teacher in Clayton, N.C., who sees her grandchildren
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in person a couple times a year. “That keeps us connected.”
Whitley’s main concern is staying in touch with her grandkids, but there’s another reason older adults may want to consider dialing up their loved ones by video chat platforms like FaceTime and Skype. to connect with A recent study from Oregon Health & Science
University in Portland found that the use of video chat with friends and family also may be an effective way for older adults to dramatically reduce their risk for depression. ◆