Lawrence Presbyterian Manor
OCTOBER 2020
Former teachers take walk down memory lane Fall is in the air and, for many, this time of year conjures up memories of school days. For two of our residents, those memories also include a career as teachers. Residents Bob Bearse and Mary Gauthier reminisce about their days in the classroom as educators. Mary Gauthier’s career as a teacher started out in a small town in Iowa where she managed the school paper and yearbook. She later moved to Lawrence where she taught at Lawrence High School from 1960-86.
COVID-19 updates continue As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, you can count on regular communication from your PMMA community and PMMA leadership. PMMA’s President and CEO Bruce Shogren’s latest letter to residents and families are posted to your community website, Lawrence PresbyterianManor.org/covid19. If there is a COVID-19 outbreak (positive COVID-19 test) at your community, your leadership team will contact employees, residents and their designated family representatives via telephone, email or mail with information about the outbreak and the recommendations of the local health department. u
“I had the best job in the world,” Resident Mary Gauthier taught at Lawrence High for 26 years. said Mary. “I taught juniors and seniors in the morning and in the afternoon, I trained them for jobs. We’d work out what work skills they’d need for a job and then create a training memo for each student.” One student of Mary’s that she is particularly proud of trained with her at Lawrence High before working at First National Bank. Today, she works for KPERS and has her doctorate. Mary was raised in a family that focused on helping other people. She
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TEACHERS – continued from page 1 credits her parents to why she went into teaching. “My mom and dad were very much into helping others. And the thing I enjoyed most was helping kids mature. It’s not easy – kids get ideas about what they think they should be doing. I really enjoyed visiting with kids, listening and talking with them. I think teaching is wonderful. You’re actually helping people day to day,” said Mary. Bob Bearse started teaching in the physics department at the University of Kansas in 1969 and was on the faculty for 29 years. “Teaching was sort of what physics people did. It was a natural gravitation. After I got out of graduate school, I went into the military for two years and then went to Argonne National Laboratory. After finishing there, I wanted to go to a university. There were three jobs available in the country in my area – Michigan State, K-State and KU. I ended up here and expected to be in Kansas about three years, but stayed about 50,” said Bob.
One of the highlights of his career is when Bob saw an opportunity for art students to take physics classes. “I started a course called, ‘Physics for Art Students.’ I was involved with that for 10 years. It was an amazing amount of fun working with Resident Bob Bearse taught physics at KU for 29 years. kids who had a completely different way of looking at life. I also got to know a “I enjoyed working with the lot more faculty members I never students. Some of them I would’ve met otherwise. That’s one became fairly close with. My of the things I liked about the neurologist is a former student. university – I got to meet so many And there are other people people in other departments,” said around town I had in class 100 Bob. years ago! I think I made a difference in their careers by Like Mary, one of the other things helping them out.” u Bob enjoyed about teaching was helping others. Like us on Facebook to stay updated on news and events.
Community Matters 785-841-4262 ◆ Fax: 785-841-0923 1429 Kasold Dr. Lawrence, KS 66049-3425 LawrencePresbyterianManor.org
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is published monthly for residents and friends of Lawrence Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
To submit or suggest articles: cjones@PMMA.org. Christie Patrick, executive director Curtis Jones, marketing director
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Local artist among Art is Ageless® masterpiece winners Lawrence Presbyterian Manor announces a winning artist in the community’s annual Art is Ageless® juried competition will be featured in the 2021 Art is Ageless calendar produced by PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica). “Flowers in the Sunset,” a quilting entry by Vernis Flottman, will appear in the 40th anniversary calendar when it is released this fall. “Lady,” a painting by Rick Prosser, will be featured on the pull-out postcards in the 2021 calendar. More than 160 entries were received for this year’s masterpiece competition, which features works
by local winners with winning art from 15 other PMMA communities. The winners are featured in the Art is Ageless calendar with pull-out postcards and greeting cards. “I am blown away at the talent we have here in our community and am honored that we get to share this exhibit of artwork by seniors,” said Curtis Jones, sales and marketing director. “Art is Ageless is unique in featuring only the works of artists age 65 and older. Our artists prove that art, in any form, is an ageless ambition.” Open exclusively to people age 65 and older, Art is Ageless is a copyrighted program of PMMA. For the competition, the artist
must be 65 when the work is completed and works must be completed in the past five years. PMMA’s Art is Ageless program encourages Lawrence Presbyterian Manor residents and other area seniors to express their creativity through its annual competition, as well as art classes, musical and dramatic events, educational opportunities and current events discussions throughout the year. Started in 1980, Art is Ageless is an extension of PMMA’s wellness programs, which focus on mental, physical, social and spiritual health. Residents and friends of PMMA’s Art is Ageless program are proving that art, in any form, is an ageless ambition. u
“Flowers in the Sunset” quilt by Vernis Flottman
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1429 Kasold Dr. Lawrence, KS 66049-3425 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Thanks for letting us know! As part of Lawrence Presbyterian Manor’s ongoing customer service initiative, residents and their representatives are randomly selected to participate in telephone satisfaction surveys conducted by Pinnacle Quality Insight.
and families also reported a high willingness to recommend the community to others. We greatly value the opinions of our residents and their representatives
The graphic at right highlights some of the survey results. All scores are given on a 5-point scale, with 5 being the highest score and 1 the lowest score. Between July 2019 through June 2020, Lawrence Presbyterian Manor residents and their families gave the community high scores in professional therapy, cleanliness and dining services. In addition, residents
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about the care and services we provide, and we encourage them to participate honestly when contacted by Pinnacle Quality Insight. All state and federal confidentiality laws are met in Pinnacle’s service. u