Transitions 2021

Retirement

* Memory

Care

* Legal

Services

* Aging

in Place

* Hospice

Transitions Special Section

Assisted Living

* Independent

Living

* Long

Te r m C a r e

* Home

Plus

Photo by Fernando Salazar/ Wichita Journalism Collaborative

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Transition Guide

May 2021

Author brings great aunt’s eventful story to life

By Joe Stumpe Cindy Entriken was helping her grandmother clean out the house she’d lived in for 55 years when she came across a “ratty pile of papers tied with dirty string.”

“I said, ‘What is this?’ She said, ‘Those are the letters your great aunt wrote during the war.’ ” Nearly three decades later, Entriken has turned those letters and a whole lot of research into a book, “Ila’s War,” told from the perspective of her great aunt, Ila Armsbury.

And what a perspective it is. The Kansas portion of the book covers, among other things, a confrontation with the Ku Klux Klan in Lincoln, Kan., and the arrest of Ila’s father — Entriken’s great grandfather — on charges of white slavery in Russell County. “He was a real scoundrel,” Entriken said.

There’s the havoc of dust storms during the “Dirty '30s; the crippling of five Lincoln men who drank adulterated “Jake,” an alcoholic beverage popular during Prohibition; and Armsbury’s work as an obstetrics nurse in Kansas City, Kan., slums

Photo courtesy of Cindy Entriken

lla Armsbury, a 1937 graduate of the nursing program at the University of Kansas, is the subject of a recent book titled “Ila’s War.” Armsbury wears the nursing graduation garb common for the day, including a cap and cape. Inset: a photo of Ila in her nursing uniform is inscribed to her mother. during the late 1930s.

The book then follows Armsbury’s experiences during World War II, when she was stationed as an Army nurse at Camp Cable, Australia. The 155th Station Hospital treated soldiers wounded in battles in New Guinea, and the camp received more than 2,000 U.S. Marines — all sick with

malaria — who’d been evacuated from Guadalcanal just before Christmas 1942, according to Entriken’s research.

Her great aunt fought the Army Board of Disposition to stay in the Army Nurse Corps and struggled with posttraumatic stress after the war.

Entriken admits she did little with the letters upon first finding them in

1991.

“The older I got, the more I realized there was a really interesting story there,” Entriken said.

Before Armsbury’s death in 2003, she spent two weeks staying with Entriken, who made a tape recording of her great aunt telling her life story.

“She was really shocked that anybody had kept (the letters) and that anybody was interested.”

The 475 pages of letters that Armsbury wrote to Entriken’s great grandparents actually started in 1934, when Armbury was a new student in the University of Kansas’ nursing program. The last letter dates from 1946.

Entriken got serious about writing Ila’s story in 2008. She interviewed other family members, hired a researcher in Australia to help gather information and another in Arlington, Va., to retrieve military records.

She compared writing the book to “the longest labor pains you can imagine.”

“I was writing and rewriting. I

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Transition Guide

Cindy Entriken

foolishly thought because I have two master’s degrees and have done a lot (of writing) over the years, that writing a book couldn’t be that hard.”

She eventually hired a professional editor in Colorado to help with the project. “He was brutal. If anyone thinks I’m a good writer, it’s because of him.”

Entriken tells the story in the form of a first-person memoir, which she feels was justified because she had so many written and recorded words of

her great aunt to work from. An afterword contains information that Armsbury could not have known.

Entriken believes the book will especially resonate with readers of her generation — she is 70 — who probably grew up hearing tales of the war and Kansas during the 1920s and ‘30s. Entriken doubts whether she’ll ever recoup what she spent producing the book through book sales, but says the money and years she invested were worth it.

“Ila’s War” was released on Nov. 11, Veteran’s Day, complete with a blurb from Ramon Powers, retired executive director of the Kansas State Historical Society. Powers called it a “compelling story with vivid sketches, drawn from original sources . . .The world of a rural Kansas family in the 1920s and 1930s and a woman in the service of her country during wartime are vividly presented.”

More recently, KU Medical School

May 2021

in Kansas City shared Armsbury’s story on its website as part of Womens’ History Month.

Where to find it

“Ila’s War” is available at cindyentriken.com and on amazon. com, $4.99 Kindle, $19.99 paperback and $25 hard cover. A blog featuring Ila Armsbury’s recorded voice can also be found on cindyentriken.com,.

Win a copy of ‘Ila’s War’

Much of the information in “Ila’s War” came from letters written in the 1930s and '40s, plus the memories of people who lived back then.

Do you have similar store of second-hand memories passed down to you in the form of letters, photographs or conversations you remember with your parents, grandparents or others?

If so, The Active Age would like to hear about them.

In 200 words or less, tell us about your favorite second-hand memory, including where it came from. We will enter the names of everybody who submits a memory into a drawing for an autographed copy of “Ila’s War,” plus an “Ila’s War” coffee cup to enjoy with the book.

To enter, email joe@theactiveage. com (please put “memories” in the subject line or mail your entry to: The Active Age, 125 S. West St., Suite 105, Wichita, Kan., 67213

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Transition Guide

Enter our outdoor photo contest

Photos by Ben Ornelas

More people than ever are enjoying the hobby of photography thanks to smart phones. The Active Age is holding a photo contest with just one stipulation: the photo must have been taken outdoors using either a smart phone or traditional camera.

Winners of the contest will receive gift certificates for $25 (first place), $15 (second) and $10 (third) to the Nifty Nut House. The contest judging crew will be headed by Brian Corn and Fernando Salazar, former photographers for the Wichita Eagle.

To enter, email your photo to joe@theactiveage.com (please put “photo contest” in the subject line) or mail to: The Active Age, 125 S. West St., Suite 105, Wichita, KS, 67213. Please include information about where and when the photo was taken along with your contact information.

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Transition Guide

May 2021

Recipe for You or Two: Tomato and Cream Cheese Pasta Helen Thomas is the winner of a $25 gift certificate donated by The Spice Merchant as the Helen Thomas contributor of this month’s Recipe for You or Two. Thomas is a member of the “Aldi Nerds” group on Facebook, whose members frequently post recipes made with Aldi ingredients.

“That’s where I found this,” she said. “I like the fact that it’s made with fresh tomatoes and fresh spinach. And almost anything with cream cheese and garlic in it is a winner for me.”

Tomato and Cream Cheese Pasta

8 oz. cream cheese Two cartons cherry tomatoes Minced garlic Olive oil Dried or fresh basil, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning 1 handful fresh baby spinach Approximately 12 oz. cooked pasta

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the block of cream cheese in the middle of ovenproof dish. Surround the cheese with the tomatoes and garlic. Drizzle olive oil over all. Sprinkle basil, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning over everything.

Place the dish into the oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until tomatoes are tender and skins are a little shriveled.

Remove from oven, stir until the cheese, tomatoes, garlic and seasonings are combined, and then stir in the fresh spinach. Stir this mixture into pasta and serve with garlic bread.

Serves 2 with leftovers.

Notes: A chunk of feta cheese can be used in place of the cream cheese. If fresh basil is used, double the amount.

What’s your Recipe for You or Two?

Do you have a recipe that’s great for a small household? And even better, one that doesn’t call for a long list of ingredients?

If so, send it to The Active Age and you could win a $25 gift certificate to The Spice Merchant.

To enter, mail or deliver your recipe to The Active Age, 125 S. West St., Suite 105, Wichita, KS, 67213. Or email it to joe@theactiveage.com.

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Transition Guide

May 2021

Seven ways to reach and maintain a healthy blood pressure Family Features To take care of your heart, it’s important to know and track your blood pressure. Millions of Americans have high blood pressure, also called hypertension, but many don’t realize it or aren’t keeping it at a healthy level.

For most adults, healthy blood pressure is 120/80 millimeters of mercury or less. Blood pressure consistently above 130/80 millimeters of mercury increases your risk for heart disease, kidney disease, eye damage, dementia and stroke. Your doctor might recommend lowering your blood pressure if it’s between 120/80 and 130/80 and you have other risk factors for heart or blood vessel disease.

High blood pressure is often “silent,” meaning it doesn’t usually cause symptoms but can damage your body, especially your heart over time. Having poor heart health also increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19. While you can’t control everything that increases your risk for high blood pressure – it runs in families, often increases with age and varies by race and ethnicity – there are things you can do. Consider these tips from experts with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) The Heart Truth program: 1. Know your numbers. Everyone ages 3 and older should get their blood pressure checked by a health care provider at least once a year. Expert advice: 30 minutes before your test, don’t exercise, drink caffeine or smoke cigarettes.

Peace

Right before, go to the bathroom.

During the test, rest your arm on a table at the level of your heart and put your feet flat on the floor.

Relax and don’t talk.

2. Eat healthy. Follow a hearthealthy eating plan, such as NHLBI’s Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH).

For example, use herbs for flavor instead of salt and add one fruit or vegetable to every meal.

3. Move more. Get at least 2½ hours of physical activity each week to help lower and control blood pressure. To ensure you’re reducing your sitting throughout the day and getting active, try breaking up your activity. Do 10 minutes of exercise three times a day or one 30-minute session on five separate days each week.

Any amount of physical activity is better than none, and all activity counts.

4. Aim for a healthy weight. If you’re overweight, losing just 3-5 percent of your weight can improve blood pressure. If you weigh 200 pounds, that’s a loss of 6-10 pounds. To lose weight, ask a friend or family member for help or to join a weight-loss program with you. Social support can help keep you motivated.

5. Manage stress. Stress can increase your blood pressure and make your body store more fat. Reduce stress with meditation, relaxing activities or support from a

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monitor your blood pressure from home. Take all prescribed medications as directed and keep up your healthy lifestyle. If seeing a doctor worries you, ask to have your blood pressure taken more than once during a visit to get an accurate reading.

To find more information about high blood pressure as well as resources for tracking your numbers, visit nhlbi. nih.gov/hypertension.

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May 2021

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May 2021

Take our community survey for chance to win dinner out

The Active Age reaches a large audience across Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties — 52,000 subscribing households and another 3,000 copies distributed through other means. With pass-along and online readership, that equals something like 100,000 pairs of eyes on each issue.

We’d like to utilize our readers’ knowledge base to paint a more complete picture of our three-county area. We want to know what you like about your community and what you think needs improving, what you’re glad exists and what’s on your wish list.

In exchange for your participation, we’ll enter your name in a drawing for gift certificates to restaurants in all three counties we serve. Gift certificates worth $25 each will be given to Riverside Café in Wichita, Sugar Shane’s Cafe in El Dorado and The Breadbasket in Newton.

We’ll publish the results in an upcoming issue and likely use the information to help guide our coverage of the community. As always, we will not share any personal reader information with any other entity. Mail to: The Active Age, 125 S. West St., Suite 105, Wichita, KS, 67213. Or if you prefer, the survey can be found online at www.theactiveage.com.Thank you in advance for your participation COMMUNITY SURVEY The survey should not take more than 10 minutes to complete. It is separated into six major sections. For each section, please rate your community on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being best. Then please add any further comments, details or examples you wish in the space provided.

The sections are: LOCAL CONDITIONS Such as physical environment, neighborhood, housing, public safety, cost of utilities and real estate taxes. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BUSINESS Such as banking, insurance, restaurants and night clubs, department stores, drug stores, supermarkets, healthcare, telephone, electricity, gas and oil. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ GOVERNMENT Such as fire department, rescue squad, library, sanitation services, water services, postal service, police, town or city administration and economic development. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NONPROFITS Such as adoption services, family planning services, religious services, senior services, food and shelter nonprofits, volunteers and youth services. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ OTHER LIFE DOMAINS Such as work, finance, health, education, social life, leisure, spiritual life, culture and social status. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ OVERALL SATISFACTION Life in general, community in general, local business overall, local government overall and local nonprofits overall. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PERSONAL INFORMATION Name and address (optional, but we can’t enter you in the drawing without it):_____________________________________________________________ Hometown/County: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Contact information (email address or telephone number, optional): ____________________________________________________________________

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May 2021

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Page 10

Transition Guide

May 2021

When Easter in south Wichita was rocked by a riot

By Max McCoy Kansas Reflector Nestled in a triangle formed by Broadway and Pawnee along the east bank of the Arkansas River, Herman Hill Park in spring is an inviting patch of green in one of Wichita’s oldest residential areas.

Named for a Wichita mayor, the park was acquired in 1932. In the intervening decades the neighborhood has evolved and is now home to a diverse and multicultural population.

The park is home to a police substation and the WATER Center.

But today Wichitans largely remember Herman Hill Park for a riot that occurred 42 years ago, a wild and bloody Easter Sunday incident in which thousands drawn to the park for a free rock concert were met by hundreds of police from Wichita and other jurisdictions. Nobody was killed, but dozens were injured, and 88 were arrested. A few shots were fired by police, tear gas was deployed, batons were used. Rocks and bottles were thrown. A couple of dozen police cars were battered, some badly enough to be taken out of service. Both sides blamed the other for the violence.

What just about everyone agreed upon was that the situation got out of control fast.

Looking over old newspaper clippings, before and after the event, it becomes clear the Herman Hill Park Riot represents a city struggling to deal with shifting cultural viewpoints.

Back in the 1970s, the park was a place where local rock bands could purchase a $5 permit from the city and play until their fingers bled. It was a pleasant way for fans to spend an afternoon, and you could expect illegal sales from the trunks of cars and a whiff of something in the air that didn’t mean Lucky Strike.

Charles Hardwick, engaging in a bit of counter-cultural tourism, described the park for the Wichita Eagle in 1972. “There were enough bejeaned young persons in Herman Hill Park Tuesday afternoon to make Levi Strauss sit up in his grave and slap his denim-covered knee,” Hardwick wrote. The audience was peaceful, Hardwick noted, and seemed to enjoy each other’s company and “not to be hassled because their hair was long, their clothes freaky or their choice of what to smoke was illegal.”

Police cars were damaged, dozens of people were injured, and 88 people were arrested during the riot in Herman Hill Park.

But on April 15, 1979, things weren’t so mellow.

Thousands of people — perhaps as many as 5,000 — turned out to enjoy a double bill by two bands called “Roenarc” and “Smoke.” Police were called to deal with the noise and traffic congestion on Pawnee. The trouble began when officers asked for two illegally parked pickup trucks to be

moved.

The chain of events that followed is unclear, but some rock fans became angry with police, who called for backup from other agencies to help clear the park. Things spiraled out of control, with the worst of the violence occurring between 6 and 7 p.m. Many peaceful concertgoers fled into the surrounding neighborhood, where See next page

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Transition Guide

some were sheltered by homeowners.

A 12-year-old boy was separated from his family but later was found safe.

Almost immediately, the complaints came pouring into the city about police brutality.

The Kansas attorney general became involved, and Chief of Police Richard LaMunyon was on the hot seat for a month, but he defended his officers. He did, however, investigate reports that officers from other agencies had fired into the ground to stop the advance of rioters.

A report by the Kansas Advisory

Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights was delivered in July 1980 that urged the city and county to bring policies on police use of force in line with other communities, recommended better public relations, and encouraged the department to hire women and minorities. Although the advisory committee was already at work on its report before the Herman Hill incident, because of racial tension in the city, testimony from the Herman Hill Involvement Group — a citizen’s committee — was included in the study.

The city and the county sheriff ’s department took issue with the report and, after seeing it in draft form, wrote responses that alleged the report was erroneous, misleading or lacked relevant information.

The changes that came after the Herman Hill riot included barring rock concerts at the park, the Eagle reported in a story on the six-month anniversary of the riot. The Herman Hill Involvement Group had disbanded by the time, but former disc jockey Jerry Sherwood — who had helped form the group — said

Resilience key to facing COVID-19 and other challenges

By Dave Gear Even if you were not touched physically by the COVID-19 pandemic, you may still feel overwhelmed, afraid, depressed, confused or just “not quite right.”

Individuals who have resilient personalities will fare better and get back to normal sooner. They understand that life is full of challenges. Resilient people are aware of circumstances and their own emotional reactions to those circumstances. They maintain control of a situation and think of new ways to tackle problems. They are self-aware,

practice self-care, develop and nurture positive relationships and find a sense of purpose.

If you don’t consider yourself to be someone with resilience, consider how you may be able to develop it.

Recently I facilitated a workshop with the leadership team of Senior Services, Inc. of Wichita about what they had experienced over the past several months—both personally and as a team. Senior Services operates four senior centers in Wichita, Meals on Wheels and other programs. As we worked together, members of the group were very forthcoming in

sharing their personal experiences with words like: fright, loss, weight gain, boredom, cut off from family, forced withdrawal, harm, damage and a feeling of MIA (Missing in Action).

“Without anyone able to come into our four Senior Services Centers, the staff had to think of new and innovative ways to deliver services and stay in touch with our seniors,” executive director Laurel Alkire said, “A common goal kept us united.”

During the workshop, we shared several ideas that could help them— and each of us—learn to become more resilient. The Senior Services

May 2021 the police department’s credibility had been seriously damaged. An internal police report recommended changes in some policies, including requiring officers to wear helmets when responding to disturbances, maintaining adequate supplies of tear gas, and resuming the use of police dogs by patrol officers. But many citizens interviewed for the October 1979 story maintained that police had caused the riot by overreacting.

Max McCoy teaches journalism at Emporia State University. team came up with a list of phrases that may help grow resilience: be determined; take care of yourself; practice understanding; take advantage of what your community has to offer, cook adventurously; enjoy family togetherness; continue to learn; stay healthy; find new ways to connect; relax self-imposed deadlines; and find patience.

Try some of these suggestions and see if you feel better. You can not only survive but strive to move forward by becoming more resilient.

David Gear is a certified Sage-ing Leader Intern for Sage-ing International.

He can be reached at d.gear@sage-ing.org

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Transition Guide

May 2021