sam news september 2013
DESCRIPTION
A monthly newsletter created by Sierra Nething for The Samarkand- a retirement community in Santa Barbara.TRANSCRIPT
September 2013
SAM NEWS
Greetings from Executive DirectorPaul PetersonSome of you may know that I love the game of football. At a young age, I was introduced to the game by my dad, who would take me on Sunday afternoons to watch the Buffalo Bills play at the old War Memorial Stadium. Over the years, it became a family tradition to purchase season tickets for the Bills games. These are some of my fondest memories as a kid growing up.
The tradition for my family continues today as I get to watch with my son the Buffalo Bills play on Sunday afternoons. Although we can’t go to the games, being far away from home, we still get to enjoy the games on television.
Over the years, I’ve learned a lot from the game of football. Many of the principles that apply in the game also apply in my personal life. A few examples are…when you get knocked down, you get yourself back up and keep going; I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion; and you have to tackle your problems, block your fears, and score your points when you get the opportunity.
Another important aspect of football is having a philosophy that will help determine your success as a team and as an organization. This applies to me as your Executive Director and as the leader of the staff who work to serve the residents. During one of our recent weekly leadership meetings, the directors of the various departments discussed the importance of a philosophy that breathes success both at the workplace and all that we do in our personal life.
Like a football team, who is eager to win a championship, the leadership team at The Samarkand has its vision set on a winning team that is strongly motivated, competent, and engaged in providing excellent care and services to the residents.
THE SAMARKAND • 2550 Treasure Dr • Santa Barbara, CA 93105 • 805-687-0701 • www.TheSamarkand.org 1
In This IssueGreeting & Deadline .................... 1Resident Announcements and Birthdays ....................................... 2New Resident Spotlight ................ 3LifeConnect® Update & Recent Photos ....................................... 4-6Couldn’t Do Without, New Library Books............................................. 7Chaplain’s Article ........................ 8
Sam News Deadline The deadline for material to be included in the October Sam News is Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Please email your submissions to BOTH Diane Huyck [email protected] AND Helen Bernson [email protected] and type your text into the body of your email in 12 pt. Arial. You may email a Word document if that works beTer for you, or drop a copy in the Sam News box below the bulletin board in the Library Lounge.
Photo by Tom Ginn
THE SAMARKAND • 2550 Treasure Dr • Santa Barbara, CA 93105 • 805-687-0701 • www.TheSamarkand.org 2
SAM NEWSThank You
Thank you to all the residents of The Samarkand who sent kind expressions of remembrance and support during Herb'ʹs illness and after his death. It meant so much.With gratitude, Jane Myhre
We Welcome New Residents• Margaret Gibb, Santa Barbara, W-‐‑303• Marion & Bobbie Sanders, Santa Barbara, MW-‐‑529
Something new is coming to campus! During the last several months, four Samarkand residents have been laying the g roundwork f o r a resident-‐‑focused website. A webmaster is in place; our Executive Director has given his approval; and, CRC has given its OK along with valuable technical assistance. We are on a roll!
A website at The Samarkand will enable residents to access campus-‐‑wide information on computers, smart phones, iPads and other tablets. This information will be broader than what is now available in SamNews and on TV Channels 15/815.
The webmaster is se[ing up the website and ge[ing data in place. He will be holding training sessions for those who enjoy working with technology and would like to be a part of the "ʺup-‐‑dating team"ʺ. If you would like to be a part of this endeavor please contact Miriam Notehelfer ([email protected]) or Bess DeWi[ ([email protected]).
Hopefully, if everything goes as planned, the website will be presented to the Samarkand campus on Wednesday, September 18th, at 1:00 p.m. in the Mountain Room at a meeting hosted by the Computer Club. Save the date!
September Birthdays
9/1 Jean Elder9/3 Carol Luce9/3 Ed Weston9/5 Frank Guernsey9/5 Stuart MacMillan9/7 Rose Kortright9/8 Jo Pa[erson9/9 Karl Sterne9/10 Lucille Johnson9/10 Myrtle Vanderlip9/12 Terry Johnson9/12 Phyllis Row9/12 Alice Tooker9/13 Ben Luce9/13 Ardith Mendenall9/14 Sue Rapson9/15 Velma Lagerstrom9/15 Vi Lewis9/16 Art Nelson9/16 Sharon Rydman9/19 John Notehelfer9/20 Irene Coker9/22 Ethel Li9/22 Hisako Tada9/23 Pat Clancy9/24 Dorothy Beverly9/24 Yvonne Rambo9/28 Abraham Safina
THE SAMARKAND • 2550 Treasure Dr • Santa Barbara, CA 93105 • 805-687-0701 • www.TheSamarkand.org 3
SAM NEWSResident Spotlight: Ken Armstrong
by Chuck Whiting
Ken arrived at The Samarkand in April 2013 and took up residence on the first floor of Magnolia West. Before that, he was living in a retirement community in Los Angeles. His daughter, Wendy, who lives in Santa Barbara, prevailed upon him to move here and introduced him to The Samarkand where he enjoys living with his two cats.
Ken was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois. He went into the Navy V5 program in 1945 first at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia then at Georgia Tech, in Atlanta. With the war ended, the training program was ended too and he was discharged in 1946. With all the universities solidly booked with returning war veterans, he went to work for the Virginia Highway Department Survey Unit as a rodman until he could get into Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
After graduating from Williams with a BA in Economics, Ken went to work for the Arabian American Oil Company (better known to most of us as ARAMCO). In preparation for his deployment to Arabia, he took a year of Arabic and Middle Eastern studies and several months of Saudi language which he points out is somewhat different than the Arabic spoken in Egypt.
In 1950, he transferred to Saudi Arabia where he worked in various departments of ARAMCO. Three years later, while working with a crew in the remote desert he got a call informing him that he had been drafted into the U.S. Army. By then, he had determined that chances of advancement in ARAMCO were pretty much reserved for Saudi nationals, so he quit and returned to the U.S. where he convinced the draft board that he was a legitimate World War Two veteran and got off the hook.
He then went to work for Richfield Oil, later to become Atlantic Richfield in Los Angeles. Richfield was trying to get government approval to build the Alaskan pipeline from the North Slope oil fields and Ken spent two years supporting the Richfield team lobbying the House Ways and Means Committee. He recalls that the final vote in the House was a tie broken by Richard Nixon’s vote. With the success of that campaign, Ken pursued corporate planning at Atlantic Richfield where one of his projects was to develop the master plan for building a fleet of tankers to carry the oil from Alaska to the lower Forty Eight for processing. Ken retired in 1984 and thereafter became a licensed stockbroker for a number of years.
Ken married Patricia Warren on June 5. 1983, who had four children of her own, William, Tiff, John and Wendy. He used to play golf and tennis but
had to give them up and only does some swimming now. He is interested in science, particularly cosmology, which he points out is an area of active research at UCSB. Ken has traveled extensively in Europe and the Middle East. He recalls one memorable trip to Cairo during the
turmoil following the ouster of King Farouk. Another time, he was asked by a friend in Arabia to participate in his wedding in Cyprus to the
daughter of the British ambassador. The wedding was subsequently postponed due to the father’s official business which gave Ken the
opportunity to tour Cyprus and see the historic Crusader castle on the north (Turkish) side of the island. He also mentions visiting Great Britain, France, Italy, Morocco, and Lebanon. So, like many of us, he is well traveled and certainly has many stories to share. Meet and welcome Ken Armstrong, another valuable addition to our Samarkand family.
THE SAMARKAND • 2550 Treasure Dr • Santa Barbara, CA 93105 • 805-687-0701 • www.TheSamarkand.org 5
SAM NEWS
THE SAMARKAND • 2550 Treasure Dr • Santa Barbara, CA 93105 • 805-687-0701 • www.TheSamarkand.org 4
SAM NEWS
September Buscapade The Ge9y Villa Malibu
September 3, 20139:30 a.m – approx. 4:30 p.m.
$7.00 (does not include lunch)
!
September’s Buscapade will take us to The GeTy Villa Malibu. This museum is dedicated to the art of the ancient Greeks, Romans and other classic civilizations. The views of the Pacific from the upper terraces are gorgeous, making it an ideal location for photographs. We will depart at 9:30 a.m. and arrive in Malibu at approximately 11:00 a.m. in time for lunch. The Reel Inn has a large fresh fish selection, prepared to your own preference. After lunch we will head over to The GeTy Villa and tour their galleries and gardens. We will depart for home at approximately 3:00 p.m., arriving back to campus at approx. 4:30 p.m. in time for dinner. Entrance into the museum is free. Lunch is on your own. Sign up in the Library Lounge on Friday, August 30, 2013 at 8:30 a.m.
!
Labor Day Meal will be served poolside on Monday, September 4, 2013 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. No reservations are required. A family
style bar-b-que buffet will be served. Additional seating in the Mountain Room and the Garden Room will be available for your convenience. Invite your friends and family!
Active Aging Week -‐‑ Staying Active,
Healthy and Engaged
!"Discover your Community" is the theme, which recognizes the important role that older adults play in all sorts of communities - vocational, geographical or cultural. The Samarkand will be celebrating Active Aging Week from 9-23 through 9-27. Check your mailbox soon for a special activities flyer for those weeks' events from all levels of care.
The Summer SingersThe Summer Singers will be performing at The Samarkand! This group of singers have come together to form a choir to create a benefit concert for children in the Arts. They will be performing their dress rehearsal here, in anticipation of their benefit concert. You are invited to enjoy this special performance of accomplished singers. Our own singing hairdresser Kimberly Larsen will
Residential LifeConnect® Updateby Diane Huyck, Activities Director
Upcoming Events and Announcements
be performing a solo as well as singing with the choir. Please come to the Mountain Room on Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
Current Events Class The Samarkand current events class resumes Monday, Sept. 9 and runs for nine weeks. The class meets from 10:30-11:30 in the Garden Room. The instructor selects topics based upon student interest, makes a brief presentation and then leads a discussion. Expression of a diversity of viewpoints is encouraged but students are welcome to just sit back and listen. The instructor is Fred Hofmann, who has taught the class here since 1980. He also teaches current events classes at the Schott and Wake centers, Vista Del Monte, Casa Dorinda and Friendship Manor. He has taught Political Science at Santa Barbara City College since 1971. Questions about the class can be directed to the instructor at (805) 968-9302 or [email protected].
"Let It Go Yoga" with Felicia Williams
Sept. 5th - Oct. 24th Thursdays 3pm MR
Felicia combines her background in Massage Therapy, Reiki energy work and Yoga, offering a dynamic class experience. Her integrative techniques allow for a creative, spirited approach to yoga. She is passionate about offering healing arts and yoga to others, earning her certificate as both a Yoga instructor and Yoga Therapy facilitator through Let It Go Yoga in 2008. She is also Samarkand’s new Assisted Living Charge Nurse.
Save the Date!We are making plans for our Benefit Gala Tuesday, October 15th. All funds raised will go toward the Benevolent Care Fund which assists residents who no longer have the assets to pay for their housing and services. The festivities will include a Reception at the Library Lounge and a special Dinner at the Oaks Dining Room. It will be followed by an evening program at 7:00 pm. in the Mountain Room. We will hear from CRC President, Rick Fisk, and Director of Legacy Giving, John Wallgren. Following their opening remarks, we will be entertained by the lovely sounds of the San Marcos High School Madrigal Choir. Please join us in celebration of the Benevolent Care Fund!
Opera at The Samarkandby John Menudier You should not miss the premiere of our 9th opera season. The exhilarating music of Jacques Offenbach's. La Belle Helene (Fair Helene), an operetta he wrote around 1864, will make you hum well known melodies that have delighted several generations. The plot is somewhat based on the
story of Helen of Troy, embellished by librettists Meilhac and Halevy. Relax. Here, there is no dark treachery, sword or dagger, murder, death; only comedy and laughter, all wrapped up in delightful melodious music. This production comes to us from Zurich opera house. The orchestra and chorus are directed by maestro Nikolaus Harnoncourt with his customary flair for precise rhythms that shows his appreciation of Offenbach's witty composition. The cast is made up of top notch singers well known on the European operate scene. They deliver a memorable performance. Helene is sung by Vesselina Kasarova, mezzo, from Sofia Bulgaria. Join us on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at 7:00 PM in The Samarkand Opera House (M.R.) Sung in French with English subtitles.
Join Our Team
There’s still plenty of time to register with The Samarkand Striders! The Walk to End Alzheimer’s Disease is on Saturday, October 5 at Earl Warren Showgrounds. The route for those who choose to walk will be along Los Positas and State Street. A variety of activities are planned, including live music, raffle prizes and a tasty lunch. Residents, staff, family, friends and dogs are all invited to participate. The
Samarkand will provide a shuttle for participating residentsto/from the Showgrounds.
Registration forms are located in the Library Lounge and Administration.
Please drop off completed forms and/or donation checks (made out to the Alzheimer’s Association) in the box in Administration. Registrations and donations can also be done on line at www.alz.org.
For more information, contact Val Maxey, Heritage Court Program Coordinator at 569-7967.
Ballroom Dance Class Starting Sept. 27th
Leslie Sack has been dancing, teaching & performing in Ballroom Dancing for the past 20 years. She has owned her own dance studio in Santa Barbara for the past 7 years. She has taught in Australia, Hawaii, Washington as a coach and judge. She loves teaching social dance in particular and has been teaching a dance class for the Parkinson's Association of Santa Barbara for six years. Ballroom Dance Class begins Friday, 27th - Nov. 1st for a 6 week workshop! Held in the Mountain Room. More information will follow.
THE SAMARKAND • 2550 Treasure Dr • Santa Barbara, CA 93105 • 805-687-0701 • www.TheSamarkand.org 6
SAM NEWSPhotos from Recent Events
Fiesta 2013 Our Fiesta Week celebration ended with a buscapade to the Fiesta Parade in downtown Santa Barbara, one of the nation’s largest equestrian parades. The short trip there proved to be quite exciting due to closed off streets. We didn’t let that stop us! As we zigzagged through the streets and even moved some barricades, we found our way and safely made it to our front row seats on time! It was a beautiful way to spend the day at the beach with marvelous company.
!!
!
!!
Sunset Cruise Our sunset cruise trip in July was a fun and different way to see the terrain of Santa Barbara. We truly do live in such a beautiful area.
Covenant Women’s Ministry Thank you to Covenant Women’s Ministry, who meet once a month to sew bandages for the African country of Congo. The Covenant church has one of their largest mission projects there. We herald these remarkable women.
!
!
!
!
!
THE SAMARKAND • 2550 Treasure Dr • Santa Barbara, CA 93105 • 805-687-0701 • www.TheSamarkand.org 7
SAM NEWSCouldn’t Do Without Juliet Montano
by Margaret May
A resident suggested I interview Juliet Montano, a rather new server who works in the Oaks Dining Room and Smith Health Center. She is the seventh of eight children and the only one who has emigrated from her homeland. Juliet was born and raised in a village near Iloilo, Panay Gulf, Philippines. Her brothers and sisters are carpenters and farmers and she sends money home each month.
After graduation from high school, Juliet “had a plan and always set high goals for myself.” One day she was interviewed by an agency to become a nanny. The next day, she was called and offered a position. She was placed in a family who lived in Singapore and cared for three boys, ages eight, six, and three. It was a unique experience. She had to get used to eating Chinese food and said she just couldn’t eat the first few days. It was so different from Philippine food.
Juliet has been married for two years to Roonie who works at the US Post Office Distribution Center in Goleta. Roonie is a common name in Tagalog but now his cousins call him Romeo since he married Juliet. She thinks he may be a little tired of that joke. She likes to cook and fix dinner every night. They often shop at the Philippine mall in Los Angeles.
Part of her culture is respect and care for older people. She says, “I see a lot of lonely people and it makes me sad. I love all the residents here and I want to make them as happy as possible. I appreciate all my blessings and I like to do extra work.”
New Library Books
BIOGRAPHY
•My Stroke Of Luck by Douglas, Kirk
•Gandhi’s Autobiography by Gandhi, M. K.
• Confucius by Mc Arthur, Meher
GENERAL
•A Byzantine Journey by Ash, John
•Afghanistan by Ewans, Martin
• The Tsimshian & Their Neighbors by Miller & Eastman
• Inside The Revolution by Rosenberg, Joel C.
• Le9ers From The Editor by Ross, Harold
•Wild by Strayed, Cheryl
•Olympus Mons by Walling, William
• The Silver Star by Walls, Jeanne[e
MYSTERY
•Aunt Dimity Down Under by Atherton, Nancy
• Inferno by Brown, Dan
• The Beautiful Mystery by Penny, Louise
POETRY
• Verses From 1929 On by Nash, Ogden
September 2013
THE SAMARKAND • 2550 Treasure Dr • Santa Barbara, CA 93105 • 805-687-0701 • www.TheSamarkand.org 8
SAM NEWS
Covenant Retirement Communities does not discriminate pursuant to the federal
Fair Housing Act.
Covenant Retirement Communities is a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Place of Opportunity by Chaplain Sherry Peterson
We’ve been through much economic change in recent years. There have been hard times for many. The book of Jeremiah deals with Israel’s hard time of Exile after being conquered by Babylon. Eugene Peterson, Run with the Horses, interprets Jeremiah wonderfully. These quotes are long, but worth the space because Jeremiah wanted Israel (and us) to survive and to find the gains in difficult places.
Peterson writes, “Exile (change/loss) is traumatic and terrifying. Our sense of who we are is very much determined by the place we are in and the people we are with. When that changes abruptly, who are we? The accustomed ways we have of finding our worth and sensing our significance vanish. The first wave of emotion recedes and leaves us feeling worthless, meaningless. We don’t fit anywhere. No one expects us to do anything. No one needs us. We are extra baggage. We aren’t necessary. The essential meaning of exile is that we are where we don’t want to be. We are separated from home.”
Jeremiah wrote to those uprooted, hesitating to commit to new relationships in Jer. 29:4-14, “Build houses and live in them.” Make yourself at home. Your life right
now is every bit as valuable as it was when you were in Jerusalem. Exile is not your choice, but it is what you are given.
“Plant gardens and eat their produce.” Become a productive part of the economy of the place. You are not parasites. Don’t expect others to do it for you.
“Take wives and have sons and daughters.” These people are not beneath you or above you. They are your equals. You cannot be the person God wants you to be if you keep yourself aloof from others. That which you have in common is far more significant than that which separates.
“Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” The only place you have to be human is where you are right now. The only opportunity you will ever have to live by faith is in the circumstances you are provided this day.
“Exile (being where we don’t want to be with people we don’t want to be with) forces a decision: Will I focus my attention on what is wrong with the world and feel sorry for myself? Or will I focus my energies on how I can live at my best in this place I find myself? Far more important than the climate, the economics, the
neighbors of this place is the God of this place. God is here with me.
Along with the rebuke and the counsel is promise and invitation, Jer. 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will hear you.” They settled down to find out what it meant to be God’s people in the place they did not want to be. The result was that this became the most creative period in the entire sweep of Hebrew history. They did not lose their identity; they discovered it. They learned how to pray in deeper and more life-changing ways than ever. They found God. (And they did this in the midst of everyday life- houses and gardens, marriages and children.)
“The exile was the ‘crucible of Israel’s faith.’ They were pushed to the edge of existence …and they found in fact they had been pushed to the center, where God was. They experienced not bare survival but abundant life….Exile reveals what really matters and frees us to pursue what really matters, which is to seek the Lord with all our hearts.”
May we, too, find abundant life in hard “places of opportunity.”