THE SENIOR TIMES OCTOBER 2025

A publication of The Senior Network

GOLDEN NUGGETS

 October is the month when we celebrate Oktoberfest.  This traditional German festival began on October 12, 1810, when Bavarian Crown Prince Louis, later King Louis I of Bavaria, married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. On the evening of October 12th Therese and Ludwig (Louis) married in the court chapel of Munich, which marked the first royal wedding in Munich since 1722. The kingdom of Bavaria was only 4 years old at that time and showcased its splendor during a 5-day wedding celebration. The Bavarian royalty invited the citizens of Munich to attend the festivities, held on the fields in front of the city gates. These famous public fields were named Theresienwiese—” Therese’s fields”—in honor of the crown princess; although locals have since abbreviated the name simply to the “Wies’n.”  The royal couple believed that by publicly sharing their marriage in such a joyous celebration it would ensure that their love would endure for their entire lives.  Whether or not having this great Oktoberfest helped their marriage to be a happy union, their marriage did last, and they had nine children.  However, there is a marriage that will truly last forever and a great celebration which will come. This is the marriage of Christ and His church.  In the Bible it states, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb (Christ) has come, and his Bride (his church) has made herself ready.”  Revelations 19:7.  An eternal marriage filled with happiness, joy and love is an occasion to celebrate.  When you hear the word Oktoberfest reflect on the perfect wedding feast that will someday take place with Jesus.  Will YOU be invited?

Words of Wisdom

“It’s funny how nobody notices what you do until you don’t do it.”                                                                                                                                                                                               Milton Berle

Brain Teaser

(answer at the end)

A man was driving his truck. His lights weren’t on. The moon was not out. There were no streetlights. Up ahead, a woman was crossing the street. Luckily, the truck driver stopped in time—how did he see her?

REMEMBER WHEN

In 1957, a chance meeting at a church in Liverpool would forever change the face of rock music. On July 6, The Quarrymen, a skiffle group led by singer and guitarist John Lennon, performed a gig at the Woolton Parish Church. Among those in attendance was a young musician named Paul McCartney. The two future Beatles were introduced by a mutual friend, and McCartney helped Lennon set up for the gig. Lennon was so impressed with McCartney's musical abilities that he invited him to join the group. The Quarrymen eventually became The Beatles, and the rest is music history

MILITARY SALUTE

Marine veteran Hershel “Woody” Williams was the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient.  Williams enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943. Two years later, he landed on Iwo Jima with the 21st Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. With the help of four other Marines, Williams engaged several Japanese pillboxes with his flamethrower during a fight that lasted more than four hours.  Williams fought the remainder of the Iwo Jima campaign before he was wounded on March 6, 1945, and removed from the battle. President Harry S. Truman awarded Williams the Medal of Honor in October 1945.  Williams died at the Huntington, West Virginia, Veterans Affairs hospital named in his honor. He was 98 years old.

GRANDMA’S COOKING CORNER

Frank Sinatra’s Fettuccine

October is Pasta Month

Ingredients:

· 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine

· 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

· 1 tablespoon olive oil

· 2 garlic cloves, minced

· 2 jars (15 ounces each) Alfredo sauce

· 2 cups frozen broccoli florets

· 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Directions: 

1.  Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

2.  Stir in the Alfredo sauce, broccoli and basil. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until heated through. Drain fettuccine. Add to skillet; toss to coat.

Who’d A Thunk

Do you recall that the 1959 Volkswagen Beetle had one unique option?  You could buy it with a coffee maker attached to the dashboard. It was the Hertella Auto Kaffeemachine, the first and only known dashboard-mounted coffee maker in the world. Manufactured specifically for the Volkswagen Beetle in the 1950’s, this automobile accessory has after 60 years from its introduction, almost vanished from existence. This coffee machine did have a few clever features. The porcelain cups that came with it had a metal disc on the bottom of them that allowed them to stick to the machine magnetically and the unit itself mounts to the dash with a simple bracket, allowing for the coffee pot to quickly be removed and cleaned when necessary. 

Nonprofit of the Month

The American Cancer Society was founded in 1913 by 10 doctors and five laypeople in New York City. It was originally called the American Society for the Control of Cancer (ASCC). At that time, a cancer diagnosis meant near-certain death. Rarely mentioned in public, this disease was steeped in fear and denial. Doctors sometimes did not even tell their patients they had cancer, and patients often did not tell their friends and families that they had been diagnosed with it.  The American Cancer Society’s founders knew they had to raise public awareness about cancer if progress was to be made against this disease. Despite the enormity of their task, the founders and their colleagues began writing articles for popular magazines and professional journals; publishing Campaign Notes, a monthly bulletin of cancer information; and recruiting doctors throughout the country to help educate the public.  It was in these early years that the American Cancer Society first used its now-iconic Sword of Hope symbol, which is still part of the organization’s logo today. The sword icon came from a 1928 nationwide poster contest sponsored by the ASCC and the New York City Cancer Committee. George E. Durant of Brooklyn won the contest, receiving a first prize of $500. He selected the sword to express the crusading spirit of the cancer control movement. The twin-serpent caduceus, which forms the handle of the sword, emphasizes the medical and scientific nature of the American Cancer Society’s work. Classically, twined serpents represent healing of the sick and creativity of the healthy.  Over the past 100 years, the logo has changed many times. The most updated logo offers a modernization and simplification of the sword and serpent combination but continues to represent an impactful and cohesive entity at its heart: thousands of workers, caregivers, and volunteers united under the goal of adding years to life and life to years.

In 1936, Marjorie G. Illig, an ASCC field representative and chair of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs Committee on Public Health, made an extraordinary suggestion. She proposed creating a legion of volunteers whose sole purpose was to wage war on cancer. The Women’s Field Army, as this organization came to be called, was an enormous success. Its recruits donned khaki uniforms, complete with insignia of rank and achievement, and went out into the streets to raise money and educate the public.  In 1935, there were 15,000 people active in cancer control throughout the United States. At the close of 1938, there was about 10 times that number. More than anything else, it was the Women’s Field Army that moved the American Cancer Society to the forefront of voluntary health organizations.  In 1945, the ASCC was reorganized as the American Cancer Society. It was the beginning of a new era for the organization. World War II was over – the single greatest threat to modern democracy had been defeated – and the nation could at last focus its attention on the public health enemy at home. Many believed it was time for another bold move.  In 1946, philanthropist Mary Lasker and her colleagues met this challenge, helping to raise more than $4 million for the Society – $1 million of which was used to establish and fund the American Cancer Society’s groundbreaking research program. With the aid and assistance of dedicated volunteers like Lasker and Elmer Bobst, the research program began to bear fruit. In 1947, it also began the famous Cancer Signals campaign, a public education effort about the signs and symptoms of cancer.  Around the same time the Cancer Signals campaign began, Dr. Sidney Farber, one of the American Cancer Society’s first research grantees, achieved the first temporary cancer remission in a child with acute leukemia using the drug aminopterin, thus opening the modern era of chemotherapy for cancer treatment. It was just the beginning of how scientists, early in their careers, supported by the American Cancer Society would go on to make great leaps in understanding and stopping cancer.   American Cancer Society-funded researchers have contributed to nearly every major cancer research breakthrough  since the organization's research program began more than 75 years ago. They’ve helped establish the link between cancer and smoking; demonstrated the effectiveness of the Pap test; developed cancer-fighting drugs and biological response modifiers such as interferon; dramatically increased the cure rate for childhood leukemia; proven the safety and effectiveness of mammography; and so much more. Since 1946, the American Cancer Society has invested more than $5 billion in research, recognizing and providing the funding for innovative researchers, 53 of whom went on to win the Nobel Prize for their groundbreaking work.  In the 1960s and 70s, the American Cancer Society began to expand its reach as an organization, working even harder to involve all sectors in its efforts to fight back against the disease.  In the 60s, they were instrumental in the development of the Surgeon General’s report on the link between smoking and cancer when early American Cancer Society-sponsored studies confirmed the connection. This upheaval in the perception of smoking laid the groundwork for tobacco control progress – and for the corresponding lives saved – that continues today.   Their advocacy later contributed to the passage of the National Cancer Act in 1971, which granted special funds and authority to expand the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and revolutionized the war on cancer. With the development of the NCI, the American Cancer Society also had to adapt to a new role – that of filling in the gaps of the federal government’s focus in areas such as cancer prevention and education.  Likewise, as National Institutes of Health funding for young investigators has diminished, the American Cancer Society has allocated more research grants to that generation, helping promising young medical researchers enter the cancer field. Today, the Society remains a global leader in the fight against cancer, with a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. The mission is to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support, to ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.  The American Cancer Society is proud to have contributed to the work that has resulted in a 33% drop in the overall cancer death rate in the United States. That drop equates to 3.8 million fewer cancer deaths between 1991 and 2023.

 Grandpa’s Sports Stories

The Game of the Century was a chess game that was won by the 13-year-old future world champion Bobby Fischer against Donald Byrne in the Rosenwald Memorial Tournament at the Marshall Chess Club in New York City on October 17, 1956. In Chess Review, Hans Kmoch dubbed it "The Game of the Century" and wrote: "The following game, a stunning masterpiece of combination play performed by a boy of 13 against a formidable opponent, matches the finest on record in the history of chess prodigies.”

HUMOR ME

Dave bragged to his boss one day: “I tell you, I know everybody who needs to be known.  You name one, anyone, I know him.” 

His boss got tired of his bragging and decided to call his bluff. 

“Okay, Dave, how about Elon Musk?”  “Oh, Elon and I go way back, and I can prove it.”  So, Dave and his boss fly to Florida and knock on Elon Musk’s door and Elon yells, “Dave! What’s up? Good to see you! Come on in and grab a seat!”  Dave’s boss is impressed, but still skeptical. After leaving Musk’s house, he tells Dave that he thinks it was just a chance to meet Elon.  Dave says, “No, no, name someone else.”  “Bill Gates,” his boss immediately replies.  “Yes,” says Dave, “Bill and I are old friends. Let’s fly to California,” and off they go.  At the Microsoft offices, Bill Gates sees Dave and calls him and his boss over and says, “Dave, what a surprise, I was just on my way to a meeting, but come on in with your friend, let’s have a cup of coffee and catch up.”  The boss is now very shaken, but still not completely convinced. After leaving the Microsoft offices, he expresses his doubts to Dave, who again asks him to name someone else.  “Pope Leo,” his boss replies.  “Of course!” says Dave. “I’ve known the Pope for years.” So, they fly to Rome. As Dave and his boss mingle with the crowd in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Dave says, “This is never going to work. I can’t get the pope’s attention with all these people. I tell you what, I know all the guards, so I’m going to go upstairs and get on the balcony with the Pope.” He disappears into the crowd towards the Vatican. Half an hour later, Dave appears on the balcony with the Pope, but when Dave returns, he sees that his boss has had a heart attack and is surrounded by paramedics.  Dave goes up to his boss and asks him, “What happened?”  His boss looks up and says, “It was the last straw. You and the Pope went out on the balcony and the guy next to me said, ‘Who’s that on the balcony with Dave?”

SENIOR OF THE MONTH 

October 2025

Mike Khalil

Mike was born in Cairo, Egypt, to a wonderful Christian family.  However, Christians were persecuted in Egypt; and soon Mike’s father moved the family to the United States.

            Mike started school in the States.  After attending North Carolina State, he opened a shop in Raleigh.  He then opened a shop in Rolesville and has been in business there for thirty-five years.

            Mike has three children – two boys in college studying law and a daughter attending a local  Christian High School.

            Always a hard worker, Mike has even learned to cook foor his children – nothing gourmet, he says, but they do love his salmon and steaks.

            The family loves bike riding, boating and trips to the mountains.

            Mike is very involved in his church, St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Raleigh. He is very community-minded and loves to help people.  He has given of his time to The Senior Network; and has stated that if there were seniors out there looking for a good used car, he would help them.

            His local business, EXPERT AUTO SERVICE, is located on  Main Street in Rolesville. He specializes in repairs and towing.  Please check out his blog.

Answer to Brain Teaser

It was daytime.