Elma Holder Award 2003

Sue Wheaton's Acceptance of the Elma Holder Award

• To Commissioner on Aging Dr. Arthur Flemming, who hired me back in 1974 and, along with Ruth Knee at the Public Health Service and my first boss at AoA Cernoria Johnson, got me going – and to those at the Administration on Aging who have provided a base and solid support all these years, especially Anne Hart, Ann Lordeman, Jack McCarthy and in recent years Edwin Walker and my latest boss Barbara Dieker; 
  
• To  my family: Phil, my husband, who is the only person I know who works as hard as Elma worked; when I used to complain about that, he would say, “What about Elma?”  My daughter Rebecca, who was gestating when I first met Elma and was a toddler at the first NCCNHR meeting; and my son David, who can’t be here today but will be my dance partner at the party tomorrow night.  When he was 8, I was home from work one afternoon and made him cookies and milk.  I said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if I were home every day when you came home from school and had cookies and milk waiting for you?”  He replied, very seriously, very gravely, “No, because your job means a lot to you, Mom.”
  
• To Alice Hedt and her superb staff at the Ombudsman in recent years; to Barbara Frank, Sarah Burger and Jackie Koenig in past years, and to our finest and most constant of legal guides Trish Nemore and Toby Edelman; 
  
• And to ombudsmen throughout the years who have taught, helped and supported me so much: (I’m going to name names, and these are far from all the people I would like to name but these are the ones who have encouraged, taught and led me over the years):  Demonstration Ombudsman Arlene Warner from Idaho; Trish Riley from Maine; Virginia Fraser from Colorado; Bill Benson and Kathy Badrak from California; Barbara Hengstebeck from Florida; Sara Hunt (who is still with us as our lynchpin) and Linda Sadden from Louisiana; Esther Houser from Oklahoma; Jim Varpness and Sharon Zoesch from Minnesota; Hollis Turnham from Michigan, Robin Grant from Indiana; Mary McKenna from Massachusetts; Gary Hammond, Kathy Gannoe and Ruth Morgan from Kentucky – and also researcher Ruth Huber from Kentucky; John Hall and Jackie Majoros from Vermont; George Potaracke from Wisconsin, Judith Griffin from New Hampshire; Hilke Faber, Kary Hyre and Louise Ryan from Washington state; John Willis from Texas; Faith Fish and Jackie Case from New York; Becky Kurtz and Barbara Fraser from Georgia; Marie Tomlin from Alabama; Beverly Laubert from Ohio; Neyna Johnson and Beverly Rowley from Illinois; Vivian Omagbemi, Eileen Bennett and Pat Bayliss from Maryland; and Carol Scott from Missouri – to name only a few.

Ours is an exceptionally positive and resourceful network, bolstered continually by the need of those we serve – residents of long-term care facilities – and the wisdom, warmth and fellowship of this community.  This is due to the seeds planted by Elma Holder, who called us into being, and to her guidance, example, encouragement and nurture of us as individuals and as a community.  One of the great blessings of my life has been having Elma as my professional leader and personal friend.  She set the gold standard for commitment of spirit, constancy of endeavor, depth of content, and love of all, especially the most vulnerable.  I always considered that I worked for her, and many times over the years when faced with a particular challenge or an especially hard hill to climb, I would ask myself, “What would Elma do?”  Sometimes I could call her or get together with her to talk it over, but other times the answer just came – sometimes I was able to do what I knew she would do and sometimes I wasn’t, but she was always there in one form or another, providing inspiration and answers. 

So especially I thank Elma for this work of a lifetime and for this honor, which I accept in the name of my beloved grandparents, Lydia and Walter Bleibler, whose courageous final weeks and years in Texas nursing homes propelled me into this work.