Manor of the Plains
MAY 2020
Manor of the Plains announces Art is Ageless® winners
Hard work, determination pay off for Alexandra Vielmas There are some people who are always content with the way things are, who never take on a challenge and who see every potential obstacle as a roadblock.
Manor of the Plains recently hosted a reception for the winning artists in the annual Art is Ageless® juried competition. “We are honored to exhibit artwork by seniors,” said John VanHook, executive 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.”
And then there is Alexandra “Alex” Vielmas. Alex first came to Manor of the Plains five years ago as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Alex Vielmas, R.N. working the night shift. It was her first exposure to the world of nursing, and it was during that time that one event changed her life forever.
Winners in the Manor of the Plains Art is Ageless juried competition were:
“Somebody had passed away and it really affected me,” said Alex “I wanted to help them and understand the process, so I learned more about the dying process and the nurse’s role.”
Judge’s Choice (professional): Sarah Schaeffer, “Afternoon Tea”
As a result, Alex decided that she needed to further her education. She started the process by first studying to become a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) while still continuing to work. Then, once that goal was obtained, she immediately set her sights on a new one—nursing school. For most people, nursing school is hard enough, but Alex decided to take it on while both continuing to work at the community as needed and being pregnant with twins.
VIELMAS – continued on page 6
Best in Show (professional): Mary Anne Hendrix, “Storyteller” Best in Show (amateur): Deloris Werner, “Bride Doll & Wedding Dress”
Judge’s Choice (amateur): Carl Fieser, “African Mask” Christmas (amateur): Sharon DeMers, “Christmas Top Hat” Drawing (amateur): Joanne Clark, “Mowgli the Mutt” WINNERS - continued on page 5
Manor of the Plains | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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Veteran Spotlight: Jack MacNair In 1945 when he was at a New Jersey high school playing a fifth year of football, resident Jack MacNair was called to duty. “It was World War II, so everybody was joining something or other. Joining the United States Army Air Corps was one of the ways I thought I could sign up and not be in the military or army. They said I had so many days until they’d induct me. They called me as a senior in my spring quarter,” said Jack. The next 18 months were nothing he could have prepared for. “I wasn’t trained for anything,” he said. “They sent me to four or five different schools, but they all closed up. So, they just sent me overseas. I went on one of the first boats that went across the Pacific that wasn’t in a convoy. It was being shipped over to the Philippines. “The first thing I signed up to do was to work in a motor pool. We were mechanics, actually,” he said. “I wound up one of the head men, except for the lieutenant, in charge of the motor pool. We were keeping all the four-wheel-drive vehicles running. “At one point, they shipped us some Japanese people who were prisoners of war, and we were to
train them before sending them back to Japan,” said Jack. When Jack left the Air Corps, he went to college in Iowa, where he met his wife of 69 years, Bobbie (Barbara). They both worked for the Weyerhaeuser Company before moving to his family’s farm north of Dodge City to operate it. While there, they had two sons who grew up helping on the farm and now own it. The family also had a popular saying around the farm that Jack had picked up from his days in the service.
Resident and veteran Jack MacNair.
“When I first arrived in the Philippines, there was a line of vehicles that were inoperative. One day I was lamenting to a Filipino that we didn’t have any parts to fix the vehicles. “He said, ‘Jack, you’ve got to impro-vise.’ That became a saying on the farm, where we had lots of places that we could im-pro-vise,” said Jack. When asked what it means to be a veteran, Jack was humble. “Other people seem to make more of it than I did. I didn’t think it was any great thing. A lot of guys are veterans. I’m proud of it and it means a lot to me.” ◆
When Jack was serving in the Philippines, he found a local resident to make him a name plaque.
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MANOR PLAINS of the
A PMMA COMMUNITY
620-225-1928 ◆ Fax: 620-225-3982 200 Campus Dr. Dodge City, KS 67801-2760 ManorOfThePlains.org
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | April 2020
Community Matters
is published monthly for residents and friends of Manor of the Plains by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizaton.
To submit or suggest articles: jvanhook@PMMA.org John Van Hook, executive director
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
April 15, 2020
Dear Residents and Family,
We continue to “Stay the Course” despite the challenges of restricting all visitors to our PMMA communities. It has been a key prevention measure in the fight against the spread of the COVID-19 virus across the United States. In addition, the CDC guidelines and the emergency “Stay-at-Home” orders for the general public in Kansas and Missouri and the guidance to social distance issued by almost all of the states, has helped our employees to protect those entrusted to our care.
Just last week, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) released revised models that included a strong statement as to what social distancing is doing to decrease the number of expected cases of COVID-19. The revised projections simply indicate that the policy of social distancing is working to reduce both hospitalizations and deaths, not only in the U.S., but also around the world.
What does this mean for all of the senior living communities in the PMMA system? It means that taking the stance to implement these extreme measures by the PMMA leadership, but one required by CDC guideline, remains the right thing to do to keep all our residents and employees COVID-19 free.
To this point, PMMA has a resident population of approximately 2,400 that are – as of today – COVID-19 free. In addition, we have had only one non-direct care employee out of almost 2,500 total employees that tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, and appropriate steps were put in place to assure no other employee or resident was affected. It is difficult with these outcomes, to argue with the PMMA System success due to the key prevention measures implemented in March. I sincerely thank you for your cooperation, patience and grace during this pandemic and please let me end with a personnel experience I had this past Easter weekend.
Most Easter mornings, I usually attend a Sunrise service at my local church. Unfortunately, this opportunity was not available due to the “Stay at Home” orders in Kansas. Therefore, I sat in my driveway, looking at the cloudy morning and listening to a Christian podcast of the readings from all of the gospels of the very first Easter morning. At the end of the podcast, the presenter read the following chorus from the Hymn, “Because He Lives.” The words were very reassuring to me in this very trying time. I hope this speaks to you also. Because He lives I can face tomorrow Because He lives all fear is gone Because I know He holds the future And life is worth the living just because He lives God’s Blessings, Bruce H. Shogren President/CEO Manor of the Plains | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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Veteran spotlight: Bernard Brown Resident Bernard Brown was an engineer in the Navy from 1951 to 1955. “It was either be enlisted or drafted, so I enlisted,” said Bernard. In order to prepare for his service, Bernard went to San Diego to go to school to get his rating and do the training he’d need for his work on a large ship. “I also went to fireman school and swimming school—you had to be prepared for everything. And you better learn how to swim!” said Bernard. It was a skill he had to put to the test. “We got dumped into the ocean one time, our boat capsized. We were in there at 2:30 a.m. on February 14. It wasn’t too bad as long as you were in the water, but once they got you up out of the water, you about froze,” said Bernard. Bernard was on a ship with a little over 600 people. There were 30 individuals in his division. He was part of the crew that took care of the two landing crafts that were attached to the ship. Those boats were what they used to go in and land on the beach to let off men or whatever they needed to drop off. In one case, that was thousands of people. “In February of 1955, we had to go off the coast of China and evacuate a bunch of Chinese people and take them to what is now Taiwan,” Bernard said. “We transported 7,000 people in two trips—3,000 the first trip and 4,000 the second trip. The capacity for our boat was 2,600 and we
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | May 2020
were packed in there like sardines. After we unloaded all of them, we had to go to the Philippines to have the ship fumigated. It smelled something terrible. “After we were done, we got to go to Hong Kong for some R&R. Like any sailor, you go out and have a beer. We only stayed there three or four days and then headed back to the Philippines with a bunch of civilians on the ship, taking them over. Then we got hit by a typhoon! For two days we didn’t do anything but try and stay in our bunk. The ship would rock and roll too much,” said Bernard. To help memorialize his days in the service, Bernard has a special shadow box with some of his keepsakes from the Navy. “These are some of the memorabilia I had left. I framed them and display them. I have my rating, two medals—the Korean Medal and the Medal of Honor—and campaign ribbons from different countries where I was. Japan, China, Korea, Philippines and points in between,” said Bernard.
Resident and veteran Bernard Brown with his shadow box of memorabilia from serving in the Navy. Weskan, Kan., he was the director of facilities at St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City, he taught in Deerfield, Kan., and he took on odd jobs. “We’ve been married 67 years, had seven children, raised five teenagers and moved 22 times,” said Bernard. One of those moves includes the couple’s move to Manor of the Plains last June.
During his years of service, Bernard Thank you, Bernard, and all our married Norma in 1952 and she veterans, for serving our country! ◆ moved to San Diego from Kansas. “That was quite the experience for her because she had never been out of the state of Kansas,” said Bernard. After he was discharged in 1955, the couple came back to Kansas. Bernard went to college and got his master’s degree in industrial arts with a minor in school administration. Over the span of his career, he taught industrial arts, math and driver’s education in
WINNERS - continued from page 1
Fiber Arts (amateur): Cynthia Billinger, “A Pair of Incomparable Swans” Mixed Media/Crafts (professional): Patrycia Ann Herndon, “Persimmon Tree” Mixed Media/Crafts (amateur): Deloris Werner, “Bride Doll & Wedding Dress” Needlework (professional): Lilli Peters, “ABChristmas”
1980, Art is Ageless is an extension of Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica’s wellness programs, which focus on mental, physical, social and spiritual health. Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica’s Art is Ageless program encourages Manor of the Plains residents and other area seniors to express their creativity through its annual competition, as well as educational opportunities. ◆
Needlework (amateur): Linda Kobs, “Winter Mat” Painting (professional): Mary Anne Hendrix, “Storyteller” Painting (amateur): Linda Kobs, “Kansas Sunset”
“ABChristmas” by Lilli Peters
Quilting (professional): Lilli Peters, “Cox Comb” Quilting (amateur): Kae Bryant, “Flower Dance” Sculpture/3-D (professional): Patrycia Ann Herndon, “Armadillo”
“Bride Doll and Wedding Dress” by Deloris Werner
Sculpture/3-D (amateur): Joan Vogel, “Summer Sun Flowers” Local competition winners will join winners from 16 other Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America communities to be judged at the masterpiece level. Winning entries at the masterpiece level are selected for publication in PMMA’s annual Art is Ageless calendar and note cards. The 2021 calendar marks the 40th anniversary for the Art is Ageless program. Art is Ageless is a copyrighted program of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America. For the competition, works must have been completed in the past five years. Started in
“A Pair of Incomparable Swans” by Cynthia Billinger
“Armadillo” by Patrycia Ann Herndon
“African Mask” by Carl Fieser
“Afternoon Tea” by Sarah Schaeffer
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MANOR PLAINS of the
A PMMA COMMUNITY
200 Campus Dr. Dodge City, KS 67801-2760 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
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VIELMAS – continued from page 1 The process was a difficult one, filled with long hours and a lot of hard work, but she ultimately graduated last May—just one week after giving birth to two boys. “Nursing school was actually harder than having twin boys,” said Alex. Now, officially an RN, Alex says her education is still not quite finished. “It’s all new to me. I’m brand new this year, so I still have a lot to learn,” said Alex.
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | May 2020
One thing that helps her in her quest to continue to improve herself is the people she finds herself working with. “Everybody’s just been so friendly and helpful,” said Alex. And according to Alex, that team approach is especially important as the staff continues to fight the current COVID-19 crisis. “We have a great team,” said Alex. “The staff, the activities, the nurse’s aides, we all work together— especially right now.” ◆
Alex’s twin sons celebrated their first birthday last month.