Co. Patricia Hoffman New Commander of Tinker AFB's AWACS Wing

By The Associated Press 8/28/2008 5:55 AM

Col. Patricia D. Hoffman assumed command of the wing that flies the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, or AWACS, planes during a ceremony on Wednesday on the base near Oklahoma City.

Hoffman replaces Brig. Gen. Lori Robinson, who is leaving Tinker to assume a new position at the Pentagon.

Lt. Gen. Robert Elder, the commander of the 8th Air Force, presided over the change-of-command ceremony.

Earlier in her career, Hoffman served as an air battle manager aboard an AWACS jet.

Okie Women Honored by AARP

AARP-Oklahoma has recognized 50 Oklahomansolder than 50 making a difference in the lives of others. Women honored include Cheyenne attorney Dorothy Alexander, Yukon editor Linda Andrews, Lt. Gov. Jari Askins of Duncan, Woodward teacher Rita Barnett, OKC medical researcher and educator Dr. Marie Bernard; Earlsboro volunteer Phyllis Croswell; Tulsa activist Laura Dempsey-Polan; Ponca City sexual assault nurse examiner Martha Denney; Pawhuska volunteer Janet Drummond; hospice and health ethics advocate Linda Edmondson; OKC volunteer Regina Edwards; Anadarko author, educator and Kiowa language preservationist Alecia Keahbone Gonzales; Pauls Valley community volunteer Lou Hall; Tulsa legal advocate Theresa Hansen; OKC homeless advocate Carolyn Herr; Tahlequah educator and Cherokee County historian Beth Herrington; Lawton displaced homemaker counselor Beverly Horse; OKC ombudsman for the elderly Esther Houser; OKC pantry operator Sister Barbara Joseph; Sallisaw nurse Debra Knoke; McAlester counselor Nora McBee; OKC state director of Medicaid Dr. Lynn Mitchell; Tulsa founder of The Little Lighthouse Marcia Mitchell; Guthrie Areawide Aging Agency planner Karen Orsi; and Chickasha former Okahoma State Rep. Susan Winchester. Read brief bios for honorees at http://downloads.newsok.com/documents/a26aarp.doc. Read The Oklahoman article about this recognition HERE (scroll down).

Increasing Numbers of Oklahoma's Children Raised in Poverty

Last week the Tulsa World ran an article on children and poverty in Oklahoma entitled Tulsa, state schools' free meal eligibility rises. In the article, State Superintendent of Schools Sandy Garrett and Anne Roberts, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, and others talked about the challenges of teaching children from very poor families. They also acknowledged that the percent of children in Oklahoma schools coming from very poor families is increasing over time (see below).

Today, The Oklahoman ran an editorial entitled Going Hungry: Poverty devastates children. It didn't offer solutions but at least acknowledged the problem.

The following are statewide percentages of public school students qualifying for free-reduced meals for the last five school years (note the disturbing trend):

2007-08: 55.50 percent
2006-07: 55.40 percent
2005-06: 54.84 percent
2004-05: 54.11 percent
2003-04: 53.23 percent

Source: Department of Education

Swanee Hunt, Unconventional Women Website

In following the conventions, I'm stumbling upon lots of interesting resources on the Internet. This week you can expect them to lean towards the Democratic Party and next week I hope I'll find equally cool republican leaning sites! I'm not toally clear what this ine IS - I think it is hawking an event at the convention. Swaneed Hunt spoke to graduates of the program I co-founded in Oklahoma - National Education for Women's Leadership. (Thanks to the generousity ogf Lou Kerr, I might add.) Hunt is the founding director of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government -- a very cool lady. Check out this website http://www.unconventionalwomen.org/

Congratulations, Dr. Marie Bernard

Oklahoma has been blessed with the talent of Dr. Marie Bernard, Chair of the Department of geriatrics medicine at the University of Oklahoma and Director of the Oklahoma geriatrics Education Center at the OU Health Sciences Center. She is leaving us to become deputy director of the national Institute on Aging which is part of the national Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. We will miss you. Marie; remember your many friends back in Oklahoma as you serve out nation in DC.

Clara Luper

This is a special week as we remember and celebrate the anniversary of the sit-ins at Katz Drugstore in Oklahoma City. To their credit, The Oklahoman is running a wonderful series of articles about the children who participated in those history making nonviolent protests - under the tutelage and loving guidance of Clara Luper.

Clara is Oklahoma's under appreciated hero. She was FINALLY inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame last year. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame in 1993 - still 20 years late! You can read about the precedent setting sit-ins, how they came about and how they influenced the participants by reading some of The Oklahoman's articles:

~ 50 years ago, Oklahoma City children helped change nation when they sat down
~ Clara Luper had to face a mysterious enemy
~ Oklahoma city police peacefully upheld the law
~ Recordings keeping Oklahoma City sit-in's history alive
and ~

Festival of Hope Honors Brenda McDaniel and Linda Lambert

The Festival of Hope will be honoring several individuals and organizations next Friday in Oklahoma City. Proceeds benefit Heartline. Among this year's honorees are Oklahoma City University's First Lady Brenda McDaniel and Oklahoma leader Linda Lambert.

Leona Aranda in Okie Derby Today; Go, Girls!

The Okie Derby, an air proficiency race sponsored each year by the Oklahoma Chapter of Ninety-Nines, is underway. You can read about one participant, Laona Aranda in an Oklahoman article here. Why not visit the Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots this month? If you use Will Rogers Airport, you've driven right past it (click for location). It chronicles the rich history of women aviators from Amelia Earhart to today's women of space including Madame Thible who, before the United States had elected its first president, had ascended as a balloon passenger in Lyons, France. Makes me want to go jump out of an airplane (wearing a parachute, of course)!

Sheri Stickley Heads Up "Project Boomerang"

At the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Sheri Stickley is in charge of the state's Project Boomerang - an initiative to lure former Oklahomans back to the state. Click HERE to read an article about Sheri and her program from the July 28, 2008 Journal Record.

The Journal Record's "50 Making A Difference" 2008 Honorees

I apologize for not posting this sooner. Back in late July, The Journal Record (which, incidentally, has several news blogs) announced the 50 women to be honored this September at their Woman of the Year Banquet. Their "50 Making a Difference" publication and the Woman of the Year awards gala (now in its 28th year) are a special tribute to Oklahoma's leading women. The publication includes full page biographical portraits of the 50 honorees and acts as the program for the Woman of the Year black-tie event. This year's event will be held on September 25, 2008 at the Cox Convention Center. I hope you all will buy a ticket and come to the banquet because it is a fabulous evening.

Here are this year's honorees:

* Jennifer Anderson, ASE Productions Inc., Oklahoma City.
* LaRita Aragon, University of Oklahoma-College of Continuing Education, Edmond.
* Dana Birkes, The Flintco Companies Inc., Tulsa.
* Mary Blankenship Pointer, UMB Bank, Oklahoma City.
* Laura Boyd, Policy and Performance Consultants Inc., Norman.
* Mary Clare Buthod, Monte Cassino School, Tulsa.
* Carolyn Caudill, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma City.
* Umi Chahal, Choice Home Health/Hospice Inc., Oklahoma City.
* Andrea Chancellor, AEP-PSO, Tulsa.
* Ashley Christofferson-Cunningham, brass brick homes, Oklahoma City.
* L. Sheryl Colton, Colton & Associates, Oklahoma City.
* Elizabeth D. Tyrrell, McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma City.
* Lee Denney, Oklahoma State House of Representatives, Cushing.
* Freda Deskin, ASTEC Inc., Oklahoma City.
* Janice Drewry, Star Performance Inc., Lawton.
* Shannon Edwards, Monnet, Hayes, Bullis, Thompson & Edwards/ Osage Nation, Oklahoma City.
* Robyn Elliott-Scribner, The Chickasaw Nation, Ada.
* Robyn Ewing, Williams Companies Inc., Tulsa.
* Celine Ferguson, Coppermark Bank, Oklahoma City.
* Michelle Finch-Walker, Oklahoma Forest Heritage Center, Broken Bow.
* Jeanne Gillert, The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation, Tulsa.

* Carol Gray, The Children's Center, Bethany.
* Noma Gurich, Oklahoma County District Court, Oklahoma City.
* Debbie Harrison, Oklahoma Environmental Management Authority, El Reno.
* Deborah Horrocks, Hertz Corp., Piedmont.
* Liz Hunt, Hunt Media and Marketing, Tulsa.
* Carole Kenner, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center- College of Nursing, Oklahoma City.
* Lou Kerr, The Kerr Foundation Inc., Oklahoma City.
* Karen Langdon, Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Tulsa.
* Janet Levit, University of Tulsa College of Law, Tulsa.
* Elaine Lyons, South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma City.
* Melanie MacDonald, World Neighbors, Oklahoma City.
* Kay Martin, Francis Tuttle Technology Center, Oklahoma City.
* Elizabeth Ann Nalley, Cameron University, Lawton.
* Susan Paddack, Oklahoma State Senate, Ada.
* Janet Peery, YWCA Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City.
* Nellie Perry, Perry, Gentry, Perry, and Marsh, Stillwater.
* Toni Pickle, Pioneer Telephone Cooperative Inc., Kingfisher.
* Tammy Powell, St. Anthony Hospital, Oklahoma City.
* Avis Scaramucci, Nonna's Euro-American Ristorante & Bar and Painted Door, Oklahoma City.
* April Sellers White, District Court of Creek County, Sapulpa.
* Brooke Smith Murphy, Crowe & Dunlevy, Oklahoma City.
* Carolyn Stager, Oklahoma Municipal League, Oklahoma City.
* Cheryl Steele, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond.
* Suzann Stewart, Tulsa Convention & Visitors Bureau, Tulsa.
* Terry Stuart Forst, R.T. Stuart Ranch LLC, Waurika.
* Carolyn A. Taylor, Rogers State University, Claremore.
* Pamela Troup, St. Anthony North, Oklahoma City.
* Angela West, CB Richard Ellis/Oklahoma, Tulsa.
* Terri White, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse, Oklahoma City.

Ann Simank Leaving OK City Commision

Ann Simank, the only woman current serving on Oklahoma City's City Council will resign her post on Thursday because her son is becoming a firefighter with the City. A licensed social worker, Simank has served Ward 6 for 13 years. She is a member of the Association of Central Oklahoma governments and the Oklahoma Municipal League Legislative Committee. Click here to read her biography. She will be greatly missed. Edmond has one woman on their city council. Tulsa has no women on their city council although they do have Kathy Taylor as Mayor. Norman has two women along with Cindy Rosenthal as Mayor. Folks, if we want women's perspective and women's concerns addressed, women need to be sitting at the table when decisions are made. Bottom line: We all need to do a better job of recruiting women to run for public office. Read The Oklahoman's article about Ann Simank's departure by clicking here.

Sue Hale to Speak at National Convention

Jennifer James McCollum, on her Zenobia blog, reports (click here to view her post) that:

Oklahoma City's Sue Hale, vice president of Community Engagement for OPUBCO Communications, Inc., will speak at the national conference for the Association of Women in Communications, September 25-27 in Washington D.C. She will discuss keys to successful multimedia strategies. OPUBCO, which manages http://www.newsok.com/, has one of the most popular Web sites in Oklahoma.

Cindy Lopez Named Director of OU's J.C. Penney Leadership Center

A recent Oklahoman article reported that:

The Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma has named Cindy Lopez director of the J.C. Penney Leadership Center, a benchmark program at the college.

Lopez holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from Mount Vernon College and a Master of Arts degree in international relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

The J.C. Penney Leadership Center at the Price College of Business is a selective program that provides intellectually gifted and high-performing undergraduate business students with the opportunity to develop and increase their leadership potential through a variety of learning experiences and interaction with corporate and campus leaders.

Mary Ann McCaffree Joins National Board

Oklahoma City physician Mary Ann McCaffree was recently elected to the board of the American Medical Association. Dr. McCaffree is a neonatologist with OU Children's Physicians. The 21-member board sets policy for the AMA.

Officers Elected for Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women

At the June 27, 2008 meeting of the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women, the following officers were elected for the coming year: Chair Chris Morriss, Vice-Chair Mary walker and Secretary Lou Kohlman. Jilda Motley will serve as chair of the Advisory Council.