Shawnee senior wins COEDD Spelling Bee

Shawnee resident Clara Hurst won first place April 23 in the Regional Senior Spelling Bee held by COEDD Area Agency on Aging at the Shawnee Senior Citizens Center. 
Other winners in the bee included Johnnie Wingo, second place, Holdenville; Dorothy Burton, third place, Maud; Pat Childers, fourth place, Konawa; and Celia Graham, fifth place, Meeker. 
As first and second place winners, Hurst and Wingo will now go on to compete in the state Senior Spelling Championship at the annual State Conference on Aging to be held May 21 at the Reed Conference Center in Midwest City. Third-place winner Burton will serve as the alternate.
The Regional COEDD Area Agency on Aging Spelling Bee is an annual event and is open to people 60 and older in the COEDD seven-county area, which includes Hughes, Lincoln, Okfuskee, Pawnee,  Payne, Pottawatomie and Seminole Counties. 
Eleven contestants participated this year, including Pat Childers of Konawa; Al Cooper of Seminole; Celia Graham of Meeker; Clara Hurst of Shawnee; Donna Jones of Konawa; Bonita Warren of Stillwater; Johnnie Wingo of Holdenville; Vincent Moreno of Shawnee; Dorothy Burton of Maud; Helen Valandingham of Shawnee; and Bonnie Swink of Shawnee. Event sponsor Humana Inc. provided trophies for the top five winners and refreshments, and the Shawnee Senior Citizens Center provided the facility. Along with trophies, the top five winners received prize packs, and all participants received goody bags and ribbons. Prizes were donated by Al Cooper, BancFirst of Shawnee, Avon Representative Theresa Beverage, Angie Mommas, Delta Café of Shawnee, Mays Home Health Services, Loving Care Home Health Services, Humana Inc., 4-A Farms of Cromwell, Just-Us-Books of Wewoka, Tonya Van Scoyoc and IBC Bank of Shawnee.
The pronouncer for the Spelling Bee this year was Cynthia Lincoln, COEDD AAA ombudsman. Serving as head judge was Kristi Tisher. Also serving as judges were Carol Tomlison and Pat Bell.
The rounds keeper for the event was Theresa Beverage, Aging Specialist at COEDD AAA.
The statewide spelling bee at the state conference always attracts a large audience. People 60 and older are invited to attend the bee as well as all entertainment and workshops for free on Senior Day at the conference on May 19. For a schedule of the day’s activities, call LaSumer Justus, COEDD AAA Information and Assistance Coordinator, at 273-6410 or 1-800-375-8255, extension 128.