2013 Newsletter - Arkansas Hospice

volume 21
ARKANSAS HOSPICE
JOINING THE CLUB
One woman’s journey
to becoming a bomber
W
hen Jerry England first met Sarah Cheneler
Kempker, he could tell right away that she was
something special, but he had no idea that he was about
to form a friendship with a ground-breaking World War
II veteran — who flew nearly 20 missions over Europe as
a bombardier and worked with one of the United States’
most closely guarded war secrets.
“The first thing she said to me was, ‘You must have a
strong following. I bet you have to fight them off with a
stick,’” Jerry, an Arkansas Hospice social worker, recalled.
“She told me I was handsome and a charmer. I then said,
‘Who is the real charmer here?’ She just
looked at me and grinned. We really hit
it off from the beginning.”
Before long, Jerry learned that
Sarah had served as a World War II
bombardier, meaning that she was the
air crew member responsible for the
targeting and release of aerial bombs.
“I did not know that female bombers
existed,”
Jerry said. “She said she
Sarah Kempker
bullied her way into this virtually
exclusive men’s club. She said they did not want her there.”
“They were all looking for another person to bring into
their outfit, and here I showed up,” Sarah remembered,
thoughtfully. “They said, ‘Oh, no.’ And I said, ‘What you see
is what you got.’ And I became one of the boys. And I also
became a bombardier.”
WOMEN IN THE WAR
Sarah was not alone in the challenges she faced. Some
350,000 women served in the U.S. Armed Forces, both
at home and abroad, during World War II. In previous
military conflicts, women’s roles were mainly limited to
clerical duties or nursing; while those were vital tasks,
the women performing them were not always recognized
as having served the military in an official capacity. The
tide changed after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
on Dec. 7, 1941, when Congress introduced branches
of service for women, starting with the Women’s Army
Auxiliary Corps, which was later renamed the Women’s
Arkansas Hospice patient Sarah Kempker proudly salutes
during her days as a World War II bombardier.
Army Corps (WAC).
Initial reactions to the increasing number of women’s
roles in the military included a great deal of resistance.
In time, though, women came to be viewed as a valuable
source of high-quality personnel – even by high-ranking
leaders. Gen. Douglas MacArthur called the WACs
“my best soldiers,” adding that “they worked harder,
complained less, and were better disciplined than men.”
BECOMING A BOMBARDIER
As for Sarah Kempker, her journey into the military
history books began with tears because of an obstacle she
could never overcome – her height.
She explained it to Jerry England this way: “Well, my
two brothers were in the Navy, and I wanted to go, too.
But they said I was a little too short. So as I sat there
crying, someone said, ‘You can join the Army.’ And I said,
‘Hooray!’ And I was so proud and happy. They said, ‘How
would you like to be a bombardier?’ And I thought, ‘Well,
that’s wonderful … bombardier group. Not bad.”
After receiving the highly specialized training
 See BOMBER, page 5
Boards of Directors
ARKANSAS HOSPICE
Ted Gammill, Chair
Brooke Bumpers, Chair-Elect
Sheila Campbell, Vice Chair
JoAnne Wilson, Secretary
Tim Osterholm, Treasurer
F. Gladwin Connell, PhD, Chair Emeritus
Donna Baas
Christopher Cooper
Sharon Davis
Frank Funk
Margarita Garcia, MD
Mariann Harrington, MD
John Lile
Diane Mackey
Mike Miller
David Reding, MD
Doug Wasson
Rebecca Winburn
Walker Sloan
ARKANSAS HOSPICE
FOUNDATION
Walker Sloan, Chair
Sharon Heflin, Chair-Elect
Kenniann Summerell, Vice Chair
James Herden, Secretary
Dwayne Shelton, Treasurer
Pam Lamb, Chair Emeritus
Rob Anderson
Lindsey Baker
Ted Gammill
Greg Hale
Brad Hudgens
Jason LaFrance
Carol Lord
Natasha Marlow
Debbie Scrivner
Vivian Trickey Smith
Mary Thomas
Kim Vail
HONORARY MEMBERS
Gail Arnold
Bishop Kenneth Hicks
2
Mr. William Ashley (center) poses in front of the newly unveiled Arkansas
Hospice Foundation wall that was named in honor of him and his late wife,
Alice. With him are Foundation Executive Director Donald Wood and Sharon
Aureli, widow of Arkansas Hospice Founder Michael Aureli.
A special day for a special man
On August 1, one
of Arkansas Hospice’s
most generous donors
and volunteers, Mr.
William Ashley, was
honored with a special
reception in North
Little Rock.
The event was
presented by the
Arkansas Hospice
Foundation’s Towbin
Heritage Society
which recognizes those
Arkansas Hospice and Foundation employees, along
who make special
with Board members and special guests, surprise Mr.
provisions in their
wills or estate plans
Ashley with a round of applause.
to support Arkansas
walls of the Arkansas Hospice
Hospice. Mr. Ashley joined the
inpatient centers and offices.
society after Arkansas Hospice
To pay tribute to his impact
cared for his wife, Alice, in 2001.
on the organization, Arkansas
“It was beyond my capability to
Hospice dedicated its Foundation
give Alice the care and treatment
office suite in honor of the Ashleys.
she deserved during the final days
A wall in the office adorned with a
of her life,” Mr. Ashley said. “Alice
was treated with such kindness and recognition plaque and a collection
love. She was made comfortable and of Mr. Ashley’s photos was unveiled
during the event.
pain free.”
“I love all of you,” a surprised
Mr. Ashley has helped Arkansas
and
humbled Mr. Ashley told
Hospice enhance its mission for the
the
crowd
gathered to show their
past 12 years through various types
gratitude.
“I hope I live a long time
of gifts including his photography.
His donated prints brighten the
and keep helping as long as I can.”
Arkansas Hospice Matters
News in brief from around the state
Volunteer gets honor
second year in a row
Paula Coan, a volunteer for
Arkansas Hospice Russellville, was
named Volunteer of the Year — for the
second year in a row — by the Hospice
and Palliative Care Association of
Arkansas. Paula shares her musical
talents with nursing home patients
with nursing home patients in the
Morrilton area.
Russellville office wins
Hospice Honors Award
Celebrating its 10th anniversary
in the River Valley, Arkansas Hospice
Russellville was named as a recipient
of the Hospice Honors Award given by
Deyta, a data-gathering company that
partners with thousands of hospice,
home health, human services and
other healthcare organizations.
The award recognizes the top 100
hospice agencies that continuously
provide the highest level of satisfaction
through their care as measured from
the caregiver’s point of view.
To determine which organizations
received the award, Deyta used results
from an independent survey given
to the caregivers of hospice patients.
For Arkansas Hospice, the award was
given based on the combined scores
LucKEY Chance Raffle Grand Prize Winner Nancy Funderburg used her $20,000 credit
from the Arkansas Select Buick & GMC Dealers to buy a beautiful new Buick Verano!
Becky Messenger won the second place prize of $500, and David Robbins won the 3rd
place prize of $250. Our thanks again to the Arkansas Select Buick & GMC Dealers
for making the raffle possible; to U.S. Pizza, one of our Partners for Arkansas Hospice,
for helping sell tickets and hosting the drawing; and to Centennial Bank for posting fliers
throughout their locations.
of the Arkansas Hospice Russellville
homebased office and the Arkansas
Hospice River Valley Home.
Hot Springs awarded
Organization of Year
Arkansas Hospice Hot Springs
was named 2012 Organization of
the Year by the Greater Hot Springs
Chamber of Commerce. The honor
was presented at the Chamber’s
Community Service Awards dinner at
the Hot Springs Convention Center.
“I was especially touched as they
started to read our mission statement,”
said Kelli Hall, program director
for Arkansas Hospice Hot Springs,
“because I know that we all truly
believe in what we do.”
Our Locations Throughout Arkansas
AREA OFFICES
Arkansas Hospice Pine Bluff
800-596-6195
Arkansas Hospice Hot Springs
Inpatient Center
Mercy Hospital Hot Springs
501-622-4677
Arkansas Hospice Inc. (Central)
North Little Rock
877-257-3400
Arkansas Hospice Russellville
888-498-2050
Arkansas Hospice Batesville
877-794-1938
Arkansas Hospice Searcy
855-305-3650
Arkansas Hospice Conway
888-879-5401
INPATIENT CENTERS
Arkansas Hospice
River Valley Home
Russellville
479-964-4500
Arkansas Hospice
Ottenheimer Inpatient Center
St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center
Little Rock
501-552-2726
To obtain more information on our
locations around the state and to
see a map of our service area,
please visit our website,
www.arkansashospice.org.
Arkansas Hospice Hot Springs
888-818-9992
Arkansas Hospice Monticello
877-467-3212
3
Eat. Paint. Sip. party in Conway
unleashes inner artists in donors
DID YOU KNOW?
On Aug. 15, one of
the Arkansas Hospice
Foundation’s newest
board members, Vivian
Trickey Smith, hosted
a night of food, fun and
painting at Branch Out
in Conway.
The group was guided
through a step-by-step
process of creating their
very own masterpiece
(pictured) while enjoying
delicious food courtesy of
Taziki’s.
At the end of the
evening, everyone was
able to take home their very own canvased artwork to
enjoy for years to come!
All proceeds from the party benefitted Arkansas
Hospice, allowing us to care for all those in need of end-oflife care, regardless of ability to pay. For more information
on Branch Out, visit www.branchoutconway.com.
 In July 2013, Arkansas Hospice
reached its all-time highest average daily
census of 513 patients. Care is provided
at home, nursing homes, inpatient settings,
assisted living facilities or hospitals
throughout the state.
 We offer bereavement support for
anyone who feels they may benefit,
not just Arkansas Hospice families and
caregivers. For more information or to find
a Transitions Grief Support group near
you, call Barbara Ross at 501-748-3390
or visit arkansashospice.org.
 Arkansas Hospice is a partner in a
nation-wide program titled, “We Honor
Veterans.” Our goal is to provide the best
possible care for Veterans in the best
possible manner and setting.
 We provide a wide range of volunteer
opportunities, from caring for patients to
helping with special events to enrolling
your dog in our pet therapy program. If
you would like to help brighten someone’s
life, please call Harriet Hawkins at
501-748-3392 for more information or
visit arkansashospice.org.
volume 21
Our Partners
Our Partners for Arkansas Hospice program offers
companies the chance to express their compassionate
care for the community to thousands of Arkansans.
Special thanks to these fine businesses for generously
supporting Arkansas Hospice and the Arkansas
Hospice Foundation!
Our first corporate partner, Snell
has served Arkansans for more
than 100 years. With 11 offices
in the state, employees use the
latest technology while striving
to restore the highest level of
mobility and function possible to
patients. Snell is also known for
its community service work, which
averages upwards of 9,500 hours annually.
Founded in a burned-down
clock shop with room for only
eight tables, U.S. Pizza has
grown into an award-winning
restaurant with locations
throughout Arkansas. In addition
to its superb food, the company
is also known for its efforts
to better the lives of people
throughout the state — starting with its own employees.
Wise Hospice Options is
dedicated to providing
hospice organizations with
excellent, cost-effective
systems. Their clients range
from hospice programs
serving only 30 patients to
multi-site programs with average daily censuses of more
than 2,000 patients per day.
Owned by the Smith
Family, North Little Rock
Funeral Home has helped
families honor their loved ones since 1955. In addition,
they have generously provided many meals for families
at our Ottenheimer Inpatient Center.
Based in Arkansas, Home I.V.
Specialists employs a highly
trained team to deliver home
infusion therapy, which enables
patients to return to their homes, workplaces or schools
while continuing to receive treatment.
To learn more about Partners for Arkansas Hospice,
please contact Peggy Roberson at 501-748-3306
or at [email protected].
4
BOMBER
 continued from page 1
required to become a bombardier, Sarah took her new
responsibilities very seriously.
“She told me that one time her commanding officer
drilled her on wind velocity, trajectory, speed, altitude
– all the things a true bomber would know,” Jerry said.
“She said she had studied it extensively and answered
all his questions accurately. She felt that if she had given
even one wrong answer, he would have had reason to
discharge her from the unit.”
Wind velocity and altitude weren’t the only topics
Sarah and her fellow bombardiers-in-training studied.
A large part of their instruction focused on a device so
secretive that they were required to take a special oath,
promising to protect it with their own lives rather than
risk letting it fall into enemy hands.
THE NORDEN BOMBSIGHT
What was this mysterious tool that Sarah and so
many others were sworn to protect, and why was it so
important? A 1990 article from Air Force Magazine
explains it with these words: “In World War II, the
concept of strategic airpower hinged on putting one man
over a target long enough to operate a device that looked
more like a sewing machine than like a weapon. That
man was the bombardier, and the device was the Norden
bombsight.”
Originally designed by Carl Norden, a Dutch engineer
who immigrated to the United States, the Norden
bombsight was used to accurately drop bombs from
an aircraft onto an intended target. The bombardier,
working closely with the aircraft’s pilot, would enter
the necessary information into a mechanical, analog
computer, and the bombsight would calculate the
trajectory of the bomb being dropped. The device was
said to allow bombardiers to drop their bombs within a
100-foot circle from an altitude of well over 20,000 feet.
“It took a little time,” explained Sarah, “but I studied it
out and I knew just about everything there was to know
about it.”
She vividly remembered the day that a colonel showed
up, asking her and her colleagues, “Can someone tell me
the theory of the bombsight?”
“It went dead silent,” Sarah recalled. “I said, ‘I can,
sir.’ I spoke up and told all about the theories of the
bombsight. They breathed a sigh of relief … and I became
a member of the club right away.”
This newfound group dynamic strengthened Sarah
throughout her military service. When asked if she ever
felt that she was in danger, she replied, “A little bit, but
I never thought about that at all because I was part of a
group and we were ‘one for all and all for one.’”
Still, the reality and responsibility of her situation
was something that Sarah never took lightly.
“I think when you’re working on bombs that are going
to be dropped, it’s very frightening,” she said. “I prayed
constantly.”
5
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A LIFE WELL LIVED
Sarah’s experiences as a bombardier stayed with her
throughout the rest of her life – and they were likely a topic
of great discussion during her 48-year marriage to Robert
Kemper.
“By some uncanny coincidence, my husband was a
bombardier, too, but we didn’t know each other then,”
Sarah explained.
Sarah went on to work as a legal assistant, and Robert
worked as an intelligence analyst with the Department of
Defense before passing away in December 2000.
While some, like Jerry England, might consider Sarah
to be a ground-breaking hero, he says that she never
seemed to think that way about herself.
“She was very modest about her military career,” Jerry
said. “They say a true American soldier never brags about
his or her accomplishments.”
As much as Jerry admires Sarah’s military service, he
can’t help but think back on her sense of good humor. He
remembers a day when Sarah asked him to help find the
title for her vehicle and asked him to look for it under the
car seat. He found “nothing but dust.”
“After I went back in the apartment, she asked if I
found the title. I told her, ‘No, but there are two bottles
of whiskey under there and two cases in the trunk.’ She
waved her hand and said, ‘Oh, get outta here!’”
Despite the jokes, Jerry and Sarah’s visits still had a
serious side; she was keenly aware that she was a hospice
patient. Sarah died in Russellville under Arkansas
Hospice’s care on January 12, 2013, at the age of 89. She
was buried at the Fort Smith National Cemetery, where
Jerry accepted her flag, with the permission of Sarah’s
family.
“She talked freely about her own mortality,” Jerry
said. “There was never any pretense with Ms. Sarah. Yet
our visits were always upbeat, and we always had a few
laughs. ... Ms. Sarah never failed, on every visit I made, to
tell me to be careful out there and that ‘I will pray for your
safe travel and return.’ She was always glad to see me.”
Arkansas Hospice Matters
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
Our Mission
The mission of Arkansas
Hospice is to enhance the
quality of life for those
facing terminal illness and
grief by surrounding them
with love and embracing
them with the best in
physical, emotional and
spiritual care.
Arkansas Hospice
Foundation
PAID
Little Rock, AR
Permit No. 414
14 Parkstone Circle
North Little Rock, AR 72116
To learn more about our
mission, please visit our
website, arkansashospice.org
Find us on Facebook by
visiting facebook.com/
ArkansasHospice
p
Follow us on Twitter by
visiting @ARHospice or
twitter.com/ARHospice
Sweetheart
Saturday!
Saturday, February 8, 2014
1 to 3 p.m.
Hughes Community Center
(1000 East Parkway Drive, Russellville)
Tickets $10 per person