Even in Texas, winter can be chilly, with piercing cold winds, icy storms and low temperatures. For this reason, residents of Presbyterian Village North (PVN), a nonprofit senior living community, recently gathered coats and other forms of outerwear for women in need. The women are supported by Attitudes & Attire^®, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting personal growth for women seeking self-sufficiency (these are all women who are either recovering from domestic abuse or drug abuse incarceration, as well as women reintegrating into the civilian community after serving in the military).

Founded by Lyn Berman in 1996, the idea behind Attitudes & Attire was simple: build the self-esteem of women entering the workforce and provide professional interview attire. Attitudes & Attire’s Core Program (job readiness and self-esteem) consists of three workshops designed to help women recognize their self-worth, create a positive image and improve job-search skills. Upon completion of the workshops, each participant is invited to select workplace-appropriate clothing from a beautiful boutique stocked primarily with donations from the community. Many of the participants are from the South or other warm clients and do not own coats, so the organization is calling on the public for help fulfilling these needs. In addition to outerwear, they accept any business clothing and are especially in need of plus sizes (16 and up).

Pam Altizer, a resident of PVN, is actively involved with the organization as a board member and volunteer, and was eager to enlist the help of fellow residents in meeting the needs of the women Attitudes & Attire serves. In addition to providing professional attire, the organization also offers educational workshops that enhance financial skills, interview skills and resumé writing.

Presbyterian Village North, a Forefront Living Community, is a faith-based nonprofit continuing care retirement community for active adults aged 62 or older offering independent living, assisted living, short-stay rehab services, skilled nursing and certified memory care. Nestled among 66 acres of wildflower gardens and putting green in North Dallas, independent living residents may choose from executive homes, patio homes or garden apartments. Assisted living residents enjoy private apartments, and private suites are offered for licensed nursing care, rehabilitation therapy, memory care and hospice care. Amenities include an 1,800-square-foot wellness center, computer center, billiards room, salon, meeting rooms, woodshop, library, business center, sewing center, pottery and craft center, full-time chaplain with weekly worship services and a 250-seat performing arts center. In 2011, Presbyterian Village North opened the nation’s most innovative therapy pool, the HydroWorx 3500, with an underwater treadmill, gait monitoring and massage jets, as part of its comprehensive wellness program. The retirement community was named one of the Nation’s best for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 by U.S. News & World Report and Medicare, which ranks it 5 stars. In addition, PVN was recognized with the 2019 ICAA NuStep Pinnacle Award for their Top Five "Best in Wellness" achievements.

On November 11, more than 200 people gathered at Presbyterian Village North (PVN), a nonprofit senior living community in Dallas, to commemorate the sacrifices made by our nation’s veterans. According to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Census, there are 18.2 million veterans in the United States. Of these millions of veterans, is it estimated that a mere 496,777 are veterans who served during WWII. Understanding the crucial importance of capturing their stories, PVN selected resident Arthur Wood to be the keynote speaker of this year’s Veterans Day celebration, which was held on Monday, November 11 at 11:00 a.m. The ceremony took place in the auditorium at PVN, located at 8600 Skyline Drive. Wood served as an artilleryman alongside General Patton in Germany and France. Several veterans will be in attendance to hear him recount his WWII experience, including fellow WWII veteran Bob Ekblad, who served as a deck officer in the Navy.

“General Patton and I won the war in Europe, though we did not arrive until 100 days after D-Day. We arrived on September 14, 1944,” said Wood. “There were three divisions – two divisions accompanied Patton at the Battle of the Bulge, and I was with the division that was lined up on the Saar River. Our goal was to take over the 21-mile front in Lorraine, France. For starters, our infantry battalion completed a crucial river crossing by motorboat, firing machine guns at the enemy the whole time. We used a Bailey bridge to open up the territory to the 10th Army and made it easier for them to cross the Moselle. We had constant contact with the enemy for 105 days before we were pulled out of the frontlines. Because of our efforts, 400,000 German soldiers were captured.”

Wood and fellow soldiers served in Europe for 10 months. They slept in bedrolls and navigated by foot from one German town to the next. Sometimes they took over wrecked houses, other times it was old barns. Building tents and campsites were too obvious, so they did what they could to blend in. Food, artillery and gasoline were brought to Germany from the United States via freighters that managed to get past the German U-boats. The freighters would get as close to land as they could, and the supplies were then loaded on trucks or planes and delivered to the troops. Each division found places for cooks to set up to prepare meals, and they were often stationed in old barns. These men had breakfast ready by the time the soldiers woke up and brought food up again after dark. Wood says the roles of the cooks and transportation of goods were just as important as those serving on the frontlines.

“As we took over each German town, the civilians assisted us in getting acclimated to the land, showing us which fields to dig up, where the prisoners were being held and which railroad tracks and vessels had bombs attached to them. The Nazis were destroying Germany, but with the help of the civilians, we put a stop to that. If they were not a Nazi, they were typically either captured or shot, so it’s no surprise they aided our efforts. At the end of the war, we took over concentration camps. It was a murderous operation, and I’m glad we put an end to it.”

A couple years ago, Wood took an Honor Flight with fellow veterans. When they landed at the airport and got off the plane, they were easily recognized for being WWII veterans because of the jackets they wore, and a group of students from a Jewish High School applauded them as they made their way off the plane. Having spent the entire day touring the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., these students had gained an understanding of the brutality of WWII. Wood overheard as their teacher said, “These are the men who stopped the Holocaust.” Wood was touched and reminded of his sacrifices and the importance of serving during a crucial and meaningful time in world history.

“After being a part of such a horrific part of history, it felt good to come home and return to normalcy,” said Wood. “Thankfully, my brother and I did not suffer from any psychological problems as a result of the war. Looking back, it is a rewarding feeling knowing that I was a part of the greater good that made this world a safer place to live.”

While Wood was in Germany when the war ended, Ekblad was aboard the USS Kittson, which was anchored in Guam awaiting orders to land troops on the Japanese mainland when President Harry Truman released orders to drop the atomic bombs.

“The drop of the atomic bombs called off our plan of hitting the Japanese beaches,” said Ekblad. “After the war in the Pacific ended, we were assigned the task of bringing soldiers home. These men didn’t want to talk about what they experienced – they didn’t recount stories, and no one was playing hero. There was a quiet sense of relief now that the war was over, and people could return to their homes and families.”

Ekblad served in the Navy for three years. For the first six months he was in training, but the rest of the time he spent at sea. His schooling took place in Princeton, Hollywood and San Diego. He later became a Lieutenant Junior Grade on a troop transport ship and spent two and a half years serving in the Pacific Theater. His vessel and most other vessels had smoke generating equipment to disguise their location during Japanese flyovers. Ekblad’s ship experienced one such flyover, and thankfully the smoke kept them hidden, and the planes did not drop any bombs on their position.

Prior to serving in Europe, Wood served at Fort Sill, Oklahoma for a year and a half training recruits and officers who had been in the reserves. He was then transferred to the 95th Infantry Division at Fort Sam Houston where he served as a battery commander for the first nine months while also training recruits. He served for four and a half years in total.

“There are 109 veterans living at PVN and 12 veterans working at PVN, and we are so privileged to hear accounts of their service,” said Bryan Cooper, executive director of Presbyterian Village North. “We were honored that Arthur Wood agreed to be this year’s keynote speaker, and know that fellow veterans, such as Bob Ekblad,  appreciated his speech. There was plenty of reminiscing this Veterans Day to be sure. It is so important to showcase our appreciation for our country’s veterans because they made many sacrifices so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.”

Coila Stevens, 92, took her first dance class at the age of five and has enjoyed dancing ever since. Dancing always brings her an immense amount of joy, and she’s tried a variety of techniques including tap, ballet, character, modern, clogging, African dance and Irish dance, among others. Currently, she attends dance classes at Presbyterian Village North (PVN), a premier senior living community in Dallas. She also assists with the beginner classes, helping her fellow residents learn how to dance. She stands in the back so that when the class turns around, they have someone else to observe and follow in addition to the instructor. With her lifelong passion for dancing, Stevens couldn’t imagine doing anything else in her retirement.

“I danced for 30 years – in my youth, through high school, during college and even after graduation,” said Stevens. “I took a hiatus from dancing to raise a family and devoted myself to all the normal things parents do, like 4-H and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). After our kids grew up, it was time for me to return to dancing, so I signed up at a facility in Indianapolis. They offered all types of classes, and if they didn’t have it, they would get it for you if you were interested in something different. I was in my 60s when I signed up for the clogging classes, and I fell in love with them. I joined two clogging groups – the Still Kicking Cloggers and the Circle City Cloggers. We volunteered to clog dance at the Indiana State Fair every day for two weeks, and we also did two trips to Europe. It is my favorite style of dancing and I did it for 20 years.”

Stevens thinks of dancing as her therapeutic outlet, as it creates positive energy, keeps her mentally sharp and is a good outlet for stress. When she moved to Texas, she signed up for dance classes with the Syncopated Ladies at the Denton Senior Center. While living in Denton, Stevens also participated in the Rogues and Ranch dance classes for 10 years. When she moved to PVN, she started attending Dance Fusion and Line Dancing classes. Dance Fusion is held on Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. and Line Dancing is held on Thursdays at 2:45 p.m. She even attends the Beginner Line Dancing class on Thursdays at 3:15 to help teach other residents the footwork.

“The mental challenge is tremendous. People can see what our feet are doing and it looks like a breeze, but if they could only see what is happening in our heads,” said Stevens. “The most difficult styles of dance I’ve tried are African and Irish. Earlier this year I decided to challenge myself by signing up for the Gray Fox Follies Talent Show at PVN. For the talent show, I took a clogging routine I have done several times and turned it into a tap routine by wearing my tap shoes and changing the rhythm. I’ve participated in the talent show each year since I moved to PVN three years ago.”

“It’s events like the Gray Fox Follies talent show that really showcase the diverse backgrounds of our residents,” said Bryan Cooper, executive director of Presbyterian Village North. “It’s inspiring that they continue to pursue their lifelong passions, and we are fortunate when they share them with us. For this reason, we try to offer a diverse range of activities, programming and classes to meet the needs and varied interests of our residents.”

Almost 80 years ago, Dallas resident John “Lucky” Luckadoo flew 25 missions as a B-17 bomber pilot in the U.S. Eighth Air Force during World War II, serving against heavy odds but with a determination to defeat Nazi Germany. Today, the veteran pilot of the legendary “Bloody Hundredth” 100th Bombardment Group has one more mission: He aims to establish a national “Home Front Heroes Day” to honor Americans who have supported the military in years past and present. A resident of Presbyterian Village North, a premier senior living community in Dallas, Luckadoo recently hosted a Home Front Heroes celebration on May 9, which he hopes will inspire others to join his cause and host similar events in their communities.

“There are numerous holidays, special days and events honoring veterans, but there are none acknowledging the people on the home front who do their duty, too, and I hope to change that. During my time in the service, the people back home made tremendous sacrifices which boosted our morale,” said Luckadoo. “While we were in England, we faced terrible odds and lost airmen almost every time we flew, and it wore on us. Every B-17 that went down took 10 men with it who were captured, killed or declared missing in action. In October 1943, we flew a mission over Bremen, Germany, and lost seven planes and 72 airmen. A mission over Berlin lost 15 planes. We needed the support of the people back home to help us fly the next mission. Our military today needs this same level of support, too.”

The Home Front Heroes event created for the residents of Presbyterian North Village included the presentation of colors by the Franklin Middle School ROTC Honor Guard, after which Dallas City Council member Adam McGough presented a proclamation from the mayor and Dallas City Council. The Presbyterian Village North Singers performed “God Bless America.” Several residents, including Luckadoo, talked about home front experiences, including Dorothy Bolden’s account of her and 10 young classmates saving a soldier’s sugar beet crop when he was away at war; Joyce Forney’s recollections of working on the family farm while also serving as a nurse’s aide at a local hospital; and Esther Moffitt’s remembrances of graduating from high school and working at a military research facility.

World War II home front memorabilia was displayed, including the following: 48-star flag, son in service flags, victory bond magazine cover, magazine with victory garden article, ration stamps, aircraft factory service certificates, vintage radio, war bond folio, air warden armband and more.

Service on the home front during World War II meant participating in a number of volunteer efforts such as neighborhood “scrap drives” to collect brass and copper to make artillery shells, as well as abiding by government-managed rationing of food and durable goods such as tires. Americans grew “victory gardens,” lived in shared homes, abided by “black out” restrictions in coastal areas, and hosted events to encourage purchases of war bonds. Millions of Americans flocked to factories to manufacture war materials, including women who replaced men serving in the armed forces, which gave rise to the cultural icon known as “Rosie the Riveter.”

Reflecting back on his service during the war, Luckadoo says he was indeed a lucky man. He was a member of the first crew in the 100th Bombardment Group to complete 25 missions. The group, which was based out of England, was nicknamed The Bloody Hundredth due to its tremendous losses. The odds of bomber crews surviving the war were daunting, and the average pilot only completed an average of 11 missions. The average crewman only had a one-in-three chance of completing 25 missions before the addition of regular fighter escorts helped raise the odds. Half of the U.S. Army Air Force's casualties in World War II were suffered by Eighth Air Force, with more than 47,000 casualties and over 26,000 killed. The 100th Bombardment Group itself lost 785 men who were killed outright or missing in action and 229 aircraft which were destroyed or rendered unsuitable for flight.

“For more than 50 years, I couldn’t talk about the war. I wanted to forget it. No one who goes to war comes back the same,” said Luckadoo. “But I got an invitation to speak at an event, and my late wife encouraged me to talk. Now I have this last mission to make Home Front Heroes Day a holiday, and I also want to construct a memorial to The Bloody Hundredth here in Dallas. I don’t know if I’ll live long enough to see it all happen, but I’m going to do what I can while I can.”

“Lucky is a hero in every sense of the word and taking on this tremendous mission to institute a national holiday is truly remarkable,” said Bryan Cooper, executive director of Presbyterian Village North. “Helping to bring Lucky’s mission of a Home Front Heroes Day to fruition would be the best way to honor him and all those who have served before and after him.”  

As a chef, being invited to cook at the James Beard House is like a musician being invited to play at Carnegie Hall – it’s an honor and a big deal. Kelly Cook, dining services director at Presbyterian Village North (PVN), is passionate about preparing delectable and health-conscious cuisine for residents of the senior living community. He’s defying food stereotypes that many senior communities face and is bringing a delightful culinary experience to the seniors who live there. Now, he will have the opportunity to show off his skills and years of experience at the James Beard House in New York City with a group of six chefs who dub themselves “The Lone Star Chefs of Texas.”

“We are honored to have the privilege to perform in the James Beard House this summer,” said Cook. “The Lone Star Chefs is a seasoned group of chefs with more than 200 years of combined experience. While we are all very competitive, we share a common goal of helping others and promoting education. We are now a part of a larger group of chefs who have traveled the world over the last 25 years competing, raising money for charity, working with students, cooking at disaster relief sites and bringing the “Tastes of Texas” around the world though cultural-exchange dinners. This opportunity to cook at James Beard House is something we are all excited to cross off our bucket lists.”

A culinary groupie, James Beard was a champion of American cuisine who helped mentor and educate generations of chefs and food enthusiasts. His spirit lives on through the James Beard Foundation (JBF), which exists to celebrate, nurture and honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse and sustainable for everyone. The foundation offers a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for culinary students, publications, chef-advocacy training and thought-leader convening. The foundation also maintains the historic James Beard House as a performance space for visiting chefs. Each event is a fundraising opportunity which provides the funds necessary to complete the foundation’s initiatives and maintain programming. Foundation members and the public are invited to buy tickets for each dinner or special event.

“We are excited to showcase Texas cuisine, and our menu is a tribute to the tremendous amount of resources available within our community,” said Cook. “These include the abundant seafood in the gulf, the wild game from the plains, the bountiful produce from the Brazos Valley, cheeses and grains from the hill country and the centerpiece of our menu – iconic Texas beef – we worked to represent all the facets of Texas life. We are eager to complete our first practice dinner. Not only will it be a time for us to test out our menu, it is a way for us to fundraise. It is tradition for visiting chefs to provide all of the food and wine for those who attend, while JBF provides the service and venue space. We hope the Texas community will support us in this endeavor as we strive to deliver an exceptional culinary experience.”

Cook has been active with the Texas Chefs Association for more than 20 years and has served on the board of directors in many capacities including currently holding the office of president of the Texas Chefs Association. He also is  actively involved in the community and charity organizations such as the National Kidney Foundation of West Texas Board of Directors. In 2005, Chef Kelly was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs (AAC) – the honor society of the American Culinary Federation (ACF). He has received many service and culinary awards including the Second Place Silver Medal in the ACF National Cooking for Life Championship in 2011. He has been responsible for organizing and producing formal and casual dining experiences for U.S. Presidents, members of Congress and other dignitaries and organizations. Cook received a Bachelor of Science, Magna Cum Laude, in Organizational Management from Lubbock Christian University and achieved the level of Certified Executive Chef from the American Culinary Federation Educational Institute.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Chef Kelly lead our dining services team at Presbyterian Village North,” said Bryan Cooper, executive director of Presbyterian Village North. “When a person is talented, passionate and altruistic, that’s a winning combination and someone you want on your team. Chef Kelly ensures that residents get a five-star culinary experience every day and at every meal. From the food to the quality of the service, he and his team deliver. We are so supportive of this opportunity at James Beard House and wish him the best of luck. We know he and the other chefs will make Texas cuisine shine.”