FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2008

COVENANT HEALTH HONORS OUTSTANDING SENIORS AND SENIOR ADVOCATE

These are the people you want to be like when you grow up.

That was the sentiment expressed by Covenant Platinum Awards judge Sam Venable of the News Sentinel as he described this year’s group of Platinum Awards winners and nominees. With a round of applause, the crowd at the award gala unanimously agreed.

Recipients of the 2008 Covenant Platinum Awards Ruth Martin, Roger Frey, Bob Hayes, Shigeko Uppuluri and Senior Advocate Award winner Libba Jaco were honored at the Platinum Awards gala luncheon at the Knoxville Convention Center on Aug. 7, 2008. These outstanding seniors and senior advocate aptly represented this year's Platinum Awards theme, "Celebrating a New Generation of Role Models."

The 2008 Covenant Platinum Award winners’ extraordinary lives are living proof of the vital roles seniors play in our community. The winners were announced at the eighth annual gala awards luncheon today at the Knoxville Convention Center.

The Covenant Platinum Awards are presented by Covenant Health to recognize active and involved East Tennesseans over age 65 who demonstrate the spirit of positive aging through health and fitness, volunteerism, education, the arts and community service. The Covenant Senior Advocate Award honors a person of any age whose work or volunteer efforts support positive aging in the community.

President and CEO Tony Spezia said the awards program helps fulfill Covenant Health’s mission of serving the community by improving the quality of life through better health.

“This year, our Platinum Awards theme is ‘Celebrating a New Generation of Role Models,’” Spezia said. “As in years past, today’s awards will honor a special group of people who are inspirational role models for those around them.”

More than 130 Covenant Platinum Award nominees and five inspirational winners were honored.

After opening remarks from Missy Kane, health promotions coordinator for Covenant Health, The Four Lads led the entertainment lineup at the luncheon.

Much to the audience’s delight, the Lads performed their hits from the 1950s: “Istanbul,” “Moments to Remember,” “No, Not Much,” “Standin’ on the Corner” and “Who Needs You?”, as well as a tribute to Irving Berlin. East Tennessee’s own Tellico Tappers opened for the Four Lads.

Following the entertainment, Venable introduced Bill Williams, anchor emeritus at WBIR-TV 10, who presented Covenant Platinum Awards to the winners.

Roger M. Frey, 84, professor emeritus with the University of Tennessee, is a true Renaissance man. His many interests include clay sculpting, photography, beekeeping, square dancing, woodcarving, photography, church activities, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, singing, overseas work and gardening. Frey shares his love of life through “The Elderly Brothers,” a senior musical group that performs for nursing home residents, hospitals, churches and at events. Perhaps his most impressive accomplishments have come with his work in the Friendship Force and Tennessee Partners of the Americas, organizations that work to foster better relations with people in other countries. Frey has served as exchange director for outbound exchanges to Pau, France and Krems, Austria; traveled to Brazil twice; and often opens his home to visitors from other countries.

Bob Hayes, 74, is known to his hiking companions as “Bullet Bob” because of his speed on hiking trails. This retired Methodist minister hikes an average of more than 500 miles per year in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He also has ice-climbed frozen waterfalls in New Hampshire and participated in a dogsled expedition in Minnesota – after reaching the age of 65. After “retiring” from full-time ministry, Hayes became chaplain at Asbury Place in Maryville, where he also volunteered his services at the organ and piano and participated in all of the Asbury Players theatrical productions. Hayes now serves as a volunteer at Camp Wesley Woods in Walland, leading hikes, teaching and helping maintain the grounds and facilities. He also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, is an active member of the Kiwanis Club and takes computer classes.

Ruth Martin, 86, is 20 years past official retirement age but only officially retired this year. In her position with Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee’s Office on Aging, White was instrumental in Project LIVE (Living Independently through Volunteers Efforts), helping seniors remain independent in their own homes. She also is founding member of a group that supports seniors with sight impairments; works with students at Lonsdale Elementary School; has mentored hundreds of undergraduate and master’s level social work student interns; has made two mission trips to Nicaragua and Guatemala; and is active in her church.

Shigeko Uppuluri, 77, born in Japan and now living in Oak Ridge, is a champion for peace and goodwill among nations. Following retirement, she spent three years in India helping young professionals prepare for careers with Japanese software companies. Uppuluri may be best known in Oak Ridge for her efforts to create an International Friendship Bell to commemorate the Secret City’s 50th anniversary. The bell, first proposed by Uppuluri and her late husband, is a public monument to world peace and a tribute to the Manhattan Project workers whose efforts helped bring an end to World War II. She also planned and maintains the gardens surrounding the Friendship Bell. Uppuluri founded the Sister City Support Organization, through which she has helped prepare middle school students from Oak Ridge for a visit to Naka, Japan, this summer. She also volunteers with Girl Scouts, the Children’s Museum and the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association Guild, and she provides creative flower arrangements for her church.

The Covenant Senior Advocate Award was given to Libba Jaco, who herself is a senior at age 80. She has been a Mobile Meals volunteer since the program made its first deliveries in Knoxville in 1971. Just since turning 65, 26,000 Mobile Meals have passed through her hands. She has been instrumental in mobilizing a fundraising campaign to expand the program and organizing an effort to deliver meals on weekends, including securing a $10,000 grant from the Knoxville Leadership Foundation. Jaco has been a part of Fountain City Ministries, a 10-church consortium addressing social needs, since its inception, and currently serves on the Special Needs Committee, helping impoverished elderly and families who have lost jobs or cannot work for other reasons. Jaco also volunteered for many years with the CONTACT Helpline crisis call center.

Covenant Health created the awards program to promote the positive aspects of aging by spotlighting seniors who are enjoying longer, healthy and vibrant lives.

Winners were selected by a panel of three judges: Dr. Robert H. Harvey, interim president of Knoxville College; Dr. Sandra McGuire, chair of the master’s degree program at the University of Tennessee College of Nursing; and Sam Venable, News Sentinel columnist.

Other Covenant Platinum Awards sponsors include Comcast, the News Sentinel, Life88.3, NHC Healthcare, Cariten Senior Health and Covenant Passport.

Covenant Health is a community-owned health system providing comprehensive health services throughout East Tennessee. Headquartered in Knoxville, Covenant Health includes five acute care hospitals with a total of more than 1,500 licensed beds, as well as numerous outpatient services. The health system also includes specialty providers of behavioral, oncology and rehabilitation services, along with home care, physician clinics, community wellness programs and managed care products and services. Covenant Health has more than 1,000 affiliated physicians and 8,000 employees.

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