January 2023: In celebration of friendship

IN THE PHOTO: A Sunday morning gathering about 15 years ago after the BSI dinner. Regina Stinson at left and Jacquelynn Morris at right. Posted in honor of the late Paul Churchill, at right foreground. We all miss you deeply, Paul. 

It’s risky to start acknowledging the giants on whose shoulders one has been given the chance to stand. It’s overwhelming, and you’re bound to forget one or two inadvertently, which gives those titans a chance to recall your unworthiness. 

Yet, now that the dust from last weekend’s Baker Street Irregulars annual Sherlock Holmes Birthday Weekend has settled, it’s time to express my gratitude to some specific BSI members whose guidance, support and — above all — treasured friendship have led to being granted an investiture (“Imperial Theatre”) into that unusual organization this past Jan. 6 — the celebrated Birthday itself — at the Yale Club in New York City.

It’s truly a lengthy story and many individuals beyond the BSI’s membership played vital roles. Here, it’s my joy to mention members who indeed played direct roles, however actively or tangentially. The story begins with the late Fred Page (“The Arcadia Mixture”) of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the late John Bennett Shaw (“The Hans Sloane of My Age”) of Santa Fe, New Mexico, whose initial guidance into the strange world of Sherlockiana was invaluable in the early 1980s. 

My fledgling efforts to bring Holmes to life in 1987 gained the bemused and occasionally enthusiastic support of such esteemed individuals as the late Susan Z. Diamond (“The Great Mogul”), the late Allan Devitt (“The Dancing Men”), the late Norm Davis (“The Grosvenor Square Furniture Van”) and most especially Regina Stinson (“A Little Ribston-Pippin”), who — along with her late husband Sam — made my efforts deeply worthwhile. Along the way, for reasons that had little to do with Holmes but remained wonderfully literary, I still gained an important boost through the kindness of the late Isaac Asimov (“The Remarkable Worm”).

More to the point, my subsequent travels in the Sherlockian world brought me into the knowledgable presence of more such great individuals, including one profoundly treasured friend whose importance in my life can’t be overstated. I speak of the late Paul Churchill (“Corot”), who was much more than a Watson to my Holmes. Paul and I became fast friends during my first sojourn on the U.S. East Coast and I’m not alone in the Sherlockian world in feeling cheated that his passing came so soon after his investiture.

Paul and his own Sherlockian mentor, the late Steve Clarkson (“Hudson”), had launched Watson’s Tin Box of Ellicott City, Maryland, and through that group I became acquainted — and eventually deeply involved in projects, parties and pleasantries — with such luminaries as Jacquelynn Bost Morris (“The Lion’s Mane”), Andrew Solberg (“Professor Coram”), Deborah Clark (“Mrs. Cecil Forrester”), Dennis Dobry (“A Single Large Airy Sitting-Room”) and the indomitable husband-and-wife team of Evelyn Herzog (“The Daintiest Thing Under a Bonnet”) and John Baesch (“The State and Merton County Railroad “). Through the auspices of WTB and other East Coast groups, I also gained wisdom from Sherlockian superstar Peter Blau ("Simpson"), Art Renkwitz ("The Bar of Gold") and my great friend Susan Dahlinger (“The Bruce-Partington Plans”), whose personal help and almost daily repartee in recent years has sustained not only myself but the hopes and dreams of The Friends of Gillette Castle State Park.

During the years that I found myself back home in the Midwest, I found more friendship and Sherlockian fun through the championship and mentorship of such great people as Chris Redmond (“Billy”), Scott Monty (“Corporal Henry Wood”), Christopher Music (“Wagner Night at Covent Garden”) and Roy Pilot (“Chemical Laboratory of St. Barts”). On my return a second time to the East Coast, I was welcomed wholeheartedly by a longtime friend from the WTB, Mike Berdan (“Henri Murger”) and co-leader of the Men on the Tor, Greg Darak (“The Engineer’s Thumb”), as well as that organization’s founders, Harold and Theodora Niver (“The Man on the Tor” and “Carina,” respectively), who not only are known also as Tyke and Teddie but also are broadly identified as “William and Helen Gillette.”

In more recent years, I’ve been overjoyed to get better acquainted — and to contribute to projects — with the vivacious Monica Schmidt (“Julia Stoner”), the all-knowing Burt Wolder (“The Third Pillar from the Left”), Dan Stashower (“Thurston”), Steve Mason (“The Fortescue Scholarship”), Greg Ruby (“Bull Dog Pin With Ruby Eyes”) and the new Baker Street Journal editor, Dan Andriacco (“St. Saviour’s Near King’s Cross”). Having been a longtime supporter of the Beacon Society, and now having made even more friends through recent Zoom sessions and the 2023 BSI dinner, I know that there will be much more to come!

I realize that this list is far from exhaustive, for my contacts within the BSI organization actually are more varied than I’ve suggested. I trust that memory will jog me out of a sound sleep and I’ll revise this message. In the meantime, allow me to doff a grateful deerstalker to these amazing friends. It’s wonderful to know that you don’t mind having me around.

Learn about the organization: The Baker Street Irregulars

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Neil McAleer: Friend and literary partner

I´m saddened to learn of the recent death of Neil McAleer, whose expertise on the subject of the late futurist Arthur C. Clarke led to his becoming Clarke’s official biographer. I’ve learned that Neil died at the University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, on Oct. 30, 2022. Neil was my friend and professional literary partner, having found me about 2004 through my own online efforts in praise of Clarke. Neil was seeking research-and-writing assistance to update his original 1992 biography of Clarke. Our joint effort ultimately became the final authorized biography of the late science/sci-fi writer, who passed in 2008. 

Although Neil and I worked chiefly by email, the collaboration led to an enthusiastic friendship aided by my East Coast presence; we frequently lunched in Baltimore and met for gatherings of the Clarke Foundation in Washington, D.C. On these latter occasions we both were thrilled to meet and chat with Walter Cronkite and other notables associated with Clarke - including a brief electronic exchange with Neil Armstrong. 

Over the course of our work, I became the manuscript’s editor and contributed a considerable amount of text, including one essential chapter. After publication of "Visionary: The Odyssey of Arthur C. Clarke” a decade ago, Neil and I shared friendly contacts for a few years, but those became less frequent. Our work was absorbing, occasionally exasperating but ultimately rewarding professionally and emotionally. I look back in it with pride and affection, knowing that my life was bettered by my having known this exceptional man.

Here is the link to Neil’s Baltimore Sun obituary - https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/baltimoresun/name/james-mcaleer-obituary?id=38289055

August 2022: Oaklawn combines medical services

~ During August 2022, MysteryVisits Communications provided this press release on behalf of Oaklawn. ~ 

 Oaklawn is combining endocrinology and diabetes care at Wright Medical Building

MARSHALL, Michigan — Patients who visit Oaklawn medical providers for issues focusing on diabetes and endocrinology are being directed to a combined, centrally situated office. 

Beginning Aug. 1, Oaklawn Medical Group — Endocrinology and Diabetes Care will be based in Suite 2A of the Wright Medical Building at 215 E. Mansion St. Appointments may be made by calling (269) 558-0710.

As part of the move, Oaklawn’s Outpatient Diabetes Self-Management Education Program will be incorporated at the new office, according to Oaklawn officials.

“The decision to combine our endocrinology and diabetes-care teams into one office was made to improve health outcomes for patients,” Dr. Summer Liston-Crandall, Oaklawn’s chief medical officer.

“Many endocrinology patients are diabetic and will benefit from the additional resources that our comprehensive diabetes team offers,” she said. “Patients will have access to our endocrinology staff along with nurse-educators, nutritionists and a pharmacist all in one office.”

The diabetes-care team includes nursing, nutrition and pharmacy staff who have been trained to provide care for Type I , Type II, pregnancy-related diabetes and pre-diabetes, Liston-Crandall explained. 

“Having a close collaboration between these services will assist in care-coordination efforts to achieve more effective care for our patients,” she said. 

Endocrinology services formerly had been based at Marshall Internal & Family Medicine at 720 N. US-27. Moving the services from that location will permit additional space for expansion of pediatrics services there, Oaklawn officials said. 

Oaklawn Medical Group – Endocrinology specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of hormone imbalances including diabetes, thyroid disease, metabolic disorders, bone and growth irregularities, menopause, obesity, hypertension and other ailments stemming from the over or under production of hormones. 

“The overall goal of treatment is to restore the body’s normal balance of hormones,” said Jeanette Sullivan, FNP-BC, a family nurse practitioner who is a member of the endocrinology staff. 

Oaklawn’s diabetes education program, which offers monthly diabetes education classes. is accredited by the American Association of Diabetes Educators and is certified through the State of Michigan’s Department of Community Health. 

Oaklawn’s diabetes educators work in coordination with the patient as well as the patient’s endocrinologist and primary-care physician to develop a program that will help the patient manage his or her life with diabetes.

Group classes are offered monthly. Those interested in registering for classes or obtaining more information may call (269) 558-0710. 

Individual education sessions are available based on specific needs for instruction on insulin injection, blood glucose monitoring and meal planning.

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August 2022: Kaitlyn Hite, M.D., joins Oaklawn

During August 2022, MysteryVisits Communications provided this press release on behalf of Oaklawn. 

~ Family medicine with obstetrics physician Kaitlyn Hite, M.D., joins Oaklawn ~ 

MARSHALL — One day when Kaitlyn Hite was 6 years old, she drew a picture of herself as a doctor. That youthful artistic exercise turned out to have been insightful — even prophetic.

Today Hite is a physician, focusing on family medicine with obstetrics. In that role, she has joined the Oaklawn Medical Group, and is working at Oaklawn Medical Group-Marshall Primary Care as well as at Oaklawn Medical Group-Tekonsha. 

Marshall Primary Care is based in Suite 1E of the Wright Medical Building at 215 E. Mansion St. Appointments there may be made by calling (269) 781-3938. The Tekonsha office is at 2218 Old US 27 North. Appointments there may be made by calling (517) 767-4038

Hite admitted that her early interest in medicine must have come as something out of the blue as she grew up in rural Birmingham, Alabama.

"No one in my family was in medicine, and I really didn’t think about going to medical school until about halfway through college, but I always wanted to go into a field with a caring capacity to it. In fact, in high school I thought I would become a veterinarian or a medical examiner.”

While studying biology and chemistry in college, Hite’s long-standing interest in science and corresponding drive to help people led her to volunteer at a community hospital in rural Florida. There, she saw firsthand the widespread need for professionalism in health care.

"There never were enough clinicians for the number of people sitting in the emergency room,” she said. “I just thought that I wanted to help fill that void.”

Once she’d made up her mind, Hite got plenty of encouragement from her father, an information-technology specialist, and her mother, a financial planner.

“They’ve always been my cheerleaders,” she said. 

Hite earned a bachelor of science degree in biology from Saint Leo University in St. Leo, Florida, in 2015. She received her degree as a doctor of medicine from the Orlando-based University of Central Florida College of Medicine in 2019.

In 2016, Hite also participated in a medical student mission to Myanmar with a team of 20-member team. There, the group provided medical care at three clinic locations in Yangon and the Chin Hills.

Earlier this year, Hite completed St. Michael Medical Center’s residency program in family medicine in Bremerton, Washington. Hite is certified in basic life support, advanced cardiac life support, pediatric advanced life support and neonatal resuscitation. 

During her studies, Hite settled on family medicine as her specialty because “that gives you the best platform in medicine.”

The goal of that approach is “to care for a whole family holistically, considering the patient’s socio-economic situation and interactions at home,” she said. “Family medicine gives you a chance to look at all those components to better care for people.”

As a physician, Hite’s focus on obstetrics is another reason why Marshall’s Oaklawn Medical Group was attractive to her.

“It’s not something that’s done everywhere,” she said. “I was very impressed by the staff, and I felt that I would be supported well as a new provider coming out of residency.”

In her spare time, Hite — a former competitive swimmer — enjoys scuba diving and camping. She is proficient in playing the oboe and enjoys gardening, reading “anything and everything” including the Harry Potter books and other works of fantasy, 

Hite is engaged to be married to Mac Lowry of Ann Arbor, who has other family in Michigan. The couple now are living in Marshall with her female cat, Ted.

“I like living in a small town,” Hite said. “I see us being here for quite some time. While we were being taken around the town during a visit, three people on Main Street waved at us for no reason. That struck me as very friendly. I’m excited to meet more of the people.”

August 2022: Rick Arias joins Oaklawn

During August 2022, MysteryVisits Communications provided this press release on behalf of Oaklawn. 

~ Family medicine physician Rick Arias joins Oaklawn’s Michigan Avenue Primary Care ~

MARSHALL, Michigan – Even at an early age, Rick Arias seemed surrounded by the world of science and medicine. It’s really no wonder that, when the time came to select a career, he found himself already on a path toward becoming a physician. 

“My maternal grandparents are both physicians and I enjoyed hanging out with them,” he said. “Both worked with the National Institutes of Health as clinicians and researchers, and I would spend my summers in their laboratory.”

Following in such family footsteps, the Milford native is joining Oaklawn as a family medicine physician.

Arias will be based at the Oaklawn Medical Group’s Michigan Avenue Primary Care, where he will work alongside Melissa Gates, D.O. and other Oaklawn providers and staff. The office is in Suite A at 1174 W. Michigan Ave., and appointments may be made by calling (269) 558-0700. 

“I remember being 8 years old and looking at cell structures,” Arias recalled. “It was over my head then and probably still is over my head. But I was learning about the beauty of nature and about what we’re capable of doing with our medical technology.”

Arias attended Milford High School, where his favorite classes focused on biology, chemistry and anatomy. While volunteering at local hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts, Arias earned a bachelor of science degree in 2015 from Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation at Boston University, majoring in human physiology. 

He went on to earn his degree as a doctor of medicine in 2019 from Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica, West Indies. Earlier this year, Arias completed his residency in family medicine with Winter Park, Florida-based AdventHealth Winter Park Family Medicine and Phoenix, Arizona-based Abrazo Family Medicine. 

Arias now comes to Marshall after gaining volunteer and professional medical experience in a variety of settings overseas as well as in the United States, most recently in the regional of Orlando, Florida, where he worked as a sports medicine consultant and as a clinic provider. 

“I've enjoyed working with patients from every walk of life and every aspect of human physiology,” Arias observed. As a result, instead of choosing a medical specialty, he has preferred to find ways to apply a broad array of skills and knowledge.

“Family medicine gives you the chance to build relationships and be part of a community,” he said. “There’s a greater focus on preventative care, and through that process we can make our community healthier and happier.”

Arias is certified in basic life support, pediatrics advanced life support, advanced cardiovascular life support and neonatal resuscitation. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Florida Academy of Family Physicians. 

Arias said his relationship with partner of five years, Heidi Lentz, initially brought him back to Michigan. She is an emergency medicine resident at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, where the couple reside. 

In addition to a love for cooking, Arias is an avid exerciser, working with weights, Pilates, running, hiking and cycling. Often he is accompanied by his dog Nya, an Australian shepherd. 

Arias also describes himself as “an adventurous traveler” who enjoys scuba diving, skiing and singling out remote places to visit. Past travels have taken him to Europe, southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South America, frequently involving volunteer medical work. He even hopes to join an expedition on Mt. Everest in the near future.

“I like to get to know the local people and get a taste of their culture,” he said of such excursions. “It gives you perspective and understanding. Getting lost in a new city is a dream, not a nightmare.” 

It’s a view of life that extends to his career as well.

“My favorite part of medicine is working with people at moments when they need help the most — connecting with people and being part of their lives,” he said. He hopes to extend that attitude to his experience with patients in the communities Oaklawn serves. 

“I’ve been living in cities for a long time,” he said. “I wanted the chance to life in a smaller community and apply the skills I have to help the community and to be in a position where I can use my knowledge to help people.” 

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August 2022: Oaklawn earns top federal ranking

                                     

During August 2022, MysteryVisits Communications provided this press release on behalf of Oaklawn. 

~ Oaklawn among 21 Michigan hospitals to receive highest federal ranking ~ 

MARSHALL, Michigan – Oaklawn is one of 21 hospitals and health systems in Michigan and 455 suh institutions nationwide to earn five stars – the highest possible – in the latest ranking from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). 

This is the second year in a row that Oaklawn has received the distinction, which was first awarded to Oaklawn in 2016 when the federal agency initiated the star-rating system.  

Under the current ranking system, the single composite grade reflects a broad range of measures of quality in five categories – patient experience, readmission rates, safety of care, mortality and timely and effective care, said Irene Johnston, Oaklawn's director of quality, safety and risk. 

The new ranking is the first star-ratings update since January 2020, showing results for 3,355 hospitals and health systems nationwide, she said. 

Of those, 455 received a five-star rating, 988 received a four-star rating, 1,018 received a three-star rating, 690 received a two-star rating and 204 received a one-star rating. More than 4,500 U.S. hospitals were examined in all, and many did not receive star ratings. 

Hospitals report data to the agency through the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program, Hospital Readmission Reduction Program, Hospital-Acquired Condition (Reduction Program and Hospital Value-Based Purchasing  Program, Johnston said.

 

The public may view overall hospital ratings at Medicare's Hospital Compare website, found at www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare. 

“Receiving this ranking is a validation of our work over a long period of time,” said Oaklawn President and CEO Gregg Beeg. “It's very gratifying that those efforts are noticed in this way, because every day we do whatever is necessary to make things even better.” 

“Oaklawn employees have pride and every one of them does what he or she can to help our mission come to fruition – that is, striving for perfect care every time,” Johnston said.

“Throughout the past year, we have had challenges as many others also experienced,” she added, “but our community helped hold us up and keep us strong to keep fighting the pandemic and challenges head-on. 

“As a result, we can continue to be here and exceed our mission to provide personal, accessible and high-quality care to improve the health and well being of the communities we serve,” Johnston said.

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July 2022: Certified nurse midwife joins Oaklawn

 The following press release was issued during July 2022 by MysteryVisits Communications on behalf of Oaklawn.

~ Certified nurse midwife GiGi Sutton joins Oaklawn Obstetrics & Gynecology ~ 

MARSHALL, Michigan – As Jennifer “GiGi” Swart grew up in the Flint-area community of Davison, she discovered that a future medical career seemed destined for her. In fact, it seemed almost part of her DNA. 

“I grew up in a family of nurses,” she said. “My mom was a labor and delivery nurse, and so were her two sisters. My maternal grandmother also was a nurse. I grew up listening to them talking about babies and birth stories for as long as I can remember.” 

As an adult with the married name GiGi Sutton, that same young woman now has served for more than a decade as a registered nurse and is applying her family-inspired interests and professional skills to service as a certified nurse midwife with Oaklawn Medical Group — Obstetrics & Gynecology. 

That office is in Suite 3D of the Wright Medical Building at 215 E. Mansion St. Appointments may be made by calling (269) 558-0702. 

“I was 16 and 19 when I had my first two children, and that experience blended with having heard those discussions by my family members,” she said. It wasn’t long before GiGi buckled down to become financially independent to support her family. 

“Medicine was a doorway to achieving that,” she said. “I already had been interested in going that route, but by the time I was in my early 20s I had decided to work toward that goal.” 

She earned an associate of applied science degree in nursing from Monroe County Community College in 2010, then went on to work as a registered nurse for Monroe-based Mercy Memorial Hospital;  Michigan Medicine, formerly the University of Michigan Health System;  Ann Arbor-based Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital; and Lansing-based Sparrow Hospital. 

Meanwhile, Sutton pursued additional studies, earning a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Eastern Michigan University in 2017, and in 2021 a master of science degree in nursing from the University of Michigan, focusing on nurse midwifery. 

A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns at the time of childbirth. A midwife also can take care of the full range of women’s health needs, from menarche through menopause and beyond, Sutton said. 

That specialty had struck Sutton as particularly attractive as she went through obstetrical rotations as a nurse. 

“It sealed the deal for me to go into that particular specialty,” she said. “There’s something about being present at the first moment when that new life comes into the world. The family is welcoming its new member and seeing the child for the first time. 

“Teaching them what to expect and what to do is deeply humbling,” she said. “It’s a huge honor to be there for that moment because it’s such a huge moment in people’s lives.

“One of my passions in my practice is to educate my patients and partner with them to help them make the best decisions for their individual needs,” Sutton said. 

Sutton is a member of the Michigan Nurses Association, the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, the American College of Nurse-Midwives and Nurses for Sexual & Reproductive Health. 

She is certified in basic life support for health-care providers and holds certifications in the Neonatal Resuscitation Program and Nexplanon clinical training. 

In her spare time, Sutton enjoys reading murder mystery and suspense novels and engaging in the outdoor recreational activity known as geocaching.

“We love puzzles,” she said. “We also have four cats and spend a lot of time spoiling them.” 

Married since early 2021 to Lisa Sutton, she resides in East Lansing with a combined family that includes young as well as adult children. Her own children are Alyssa, 26; Hunter, 23; Isaac, 15; and Abigail, 10. Lisa’s children are Sam, 20; and twins Keegan and Harper, both 10.

Gigi Sutton said a residential move to Marshall is possible at some future time. Meanwhile, she’s looking forward to her new work at Oaklawn.

“As I’ve looked for this first position as a midwife, I’ve been drawn to the small community hospitals,” she said. “Oaklawn has a real family feel to it. Everyone seems to really care about the place and what they do there. Everyone seems to do more than their fair share — and that is really appealing.” 

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