United Presbyterian Home News

United Presbyterian Home residents and staff joined in The Longest Day event as they exercised to raise money for the awareness of Alzheimer?s and support those families afflicted by the disease. Residents, staff and others in the Washington area kept stepping machines continually in use from 5 a.m. through 5 p.m. This event is appropriately named the Longest Day, and held near the longest day of the year to emphasize the day in the life of an Alzheimer?s patient. Pat Jenkins, Melva Mineart, Dorothy White and Lois Swank reached out to corporate and individual sponsors to raise $9,487 with funds still coming in. Many donations were given in memory of or in honor of loved ones with Alzheimer?s and their names were given special recognition.

Bob and Ella May Ruppert attended the wedding ceremony of their granddaughter, Cassie McFarland over the weekend. They were able to visit with family and friends who traveled to join them for the ceremony.

Fathers were guests of honor on Sunday at the steak dinner in the Main Dining Room. A large crowd of fathers, their families and guests enjoyed the meal.

Gene Driscoll organized a birthday celebration for Judy in the Town Center this week. He provided birthday cake to a crowd of partygoers and because Judy was unable to be there they sang happy birthday to her as Gene held up his phone for her to listen in.

Thirty young people attending Bible School across the street at the Immanuel Lutheran Church walked over Monday afternoon to visit with residents and give wheelchair rides. They were welcomed visitors.

The cottager?s potluck was held Monday, June 22, 2015 with residents, guests, Brynn and Luke Beenblossom and new residents, Duane and Marilyn Lynch present. The serving committee included Charlie and Betty Thompson, Jim Reid, Wilma Snakenberg and John and Pat Minneman. They chose a baseball theme using caps and mini bats on the tables as centerpieces. Betty Beenblossom conducted the meeting and Ted Stewart accompanied the group as they sang Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to those celebrating this month. Betty and granddaughter, Brynn told some baseball jokes in keeping with the theme. The group did a great job singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame accompanied by Mary Atwood. Charlie Thompson told some jokes and the meeting was closed.

Carol Ray led the discussion at the book club. Eight members shared stories and experiences related to the book, The Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It is the story of a Chinese/American boy and a Japanese/American girl at the time of the internment of Japanese/Americans during WWII. The next book club meeting will be held the fifth Wednesday in July. The book will be The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig. It is a novel of homesteaders out West in 1909, the year of Halley?s Comet.

There is a new exhibit in the UPH Gallery. It includes a small display of a variety of recent work, including new student, Betty Hansen. Also on the wall are works by the older students in the UP With Kids program. They have each done a unique interpretation of summer flowers, many of which include added ladybugs, butterflies, rain, bees, mice, clouds and cheerful yellow suns as well as the flowers. Stop by and take a look all these happy pictures.

Classics Et Cetera for June 25, 2015 included the overture to ?Prince Igor? by Alexander Borodin; Impromptu in B-flat Major by Franz Schubert; George M. Cohan Medley by the Boston Pops; ?Kijé?s Birth? from the ?Lieutenant Kijé Suite? by Sergei Prokofiev; ?Tambourin chinois? by Fritz Kreisler; ?Father Victory,? a march by Louis Ganne

The film score of the 1932 Soviet movie ?Lieutenant Kijé? was composed by the great Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953). The humorous satire tells of the unusual name of a ?Lieutenant Kijé? erroneously being written in the army register and being noticed by the tsar. (It actually means ?Lieutenant, etc.?) Not daring to admit their error, the staff invents an entire career for a nonexistent Kijé. Eventually he wins battles and is promoted to general. When the tsar wants to present Kijé a medal in person, it is decided that Kijé must be killed off. Prokofiev extracted the popular ?Lieutenant Kijé Suite? from the score.