Commun ty Matters Emporia Presbyterian Manor
December 2015
Colds and flu are back in season As we near the peak months for cold and flu season, it’s a good time to review tips for prevention and treatment.
Getting the flu vaccine is still one of the best things you can do for your health in wintertime. There is no truth to the myth that you can catch the illness from the vaccine. The injection contains only a killed version of the virus. People 65 years or older run a higher risk of complications from the flu, as do people with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, emphysema, heart disease, and diabetes. It can, however, take up to two weeks for the flu vaccine to take effect, so the earlier, the better. But they are usually available through February. Good hand-washing routines are another top defense against illness. Wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 30 seconds, or use alcohol-based sanitizer, whenever you have been out in public—especially in a community living environment. If you do get ill, follow these recommendations: COLDS, continued on page 3
Homer Clark and Harold Stevenson, standing, and Don Mader, seated.
Railroaders reunite at Presbyterian Manor Homer Clark remembers the day he looked across the dining room during lunch at Emporia Presbyterian Manor and saw a familiar face. “I said to my wife, ‘I know that fella,’ and she says, ‘You know everybody,’” Homer recalled. “I walked over to him, got halfway there, and it dawned on me who he was.” Homer had spotted Don Mader, his old superintendent from the AtchisonTopeka-Santa Fe railroad. They’re two of three veterans of the Emporia railroad crews who now live at Emporia Presbyterian Manor; the third is Harold Stevenson. All three men remember well their lifelong careers on the AT&SF, for which Emporia was a major hub in the 20th century. “There’s no other place I could have worked and enjoyed it that much,” Homer said. Homer went to work for a railroad contractor right after graduating from high school in 1941. He earned 40 cents a day, six days a week. A few months later the railroad hired him as a track layer. He served in the Merchant Marines during World War II and returned to the railroad after the war. He went on to a 42-year career that took him from assistant foreman to chief clerk for the division engineer. RAILROADERS, continued on page 3