Our Mission
Centenarians of Oklahoma is a rapidly growing, not for profit, volunteer organization whose sole purpose is to honor citizens of Oklahoma who are 100 years of age or older.
Our Team
Left to Right: Leah, Peggy, Gloria, Connie, Sue, Ann and Terri
Not Pictured: Nancy and Ellen
Our Story
Every business has a beginning, and ours was founded in 1991, in Oklahoma City as Centenarian Club of Oklahoma, Inc.
Centenarians of Oklahoma is incorporated and a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The stated mission of the group has always been to recognize and honor Oklahomans as they reach 100 years of age and older. The Centenarian Club of Oklahoma, Inc. has operated under the name Centenarians of Oklahoma since late 2014.
In its early years, the organization operated under the auspices of a Board of Directors, received some grants from various sources, and compensated executive directors and volunteers who helped with the work. Two of the principals were Richard Amend and Mary Lou Bates.
The Oklahoma City area was the group focus in the beginning. As the organization grew, Tulsa volunteers took over the responsibility of honoring centenarians in the eastern part of the state.
Time passed, and the OKC group lost funding at the time when privacy laws became more stringent. OKC dropped off and Richard Ziglar and volunteers in the Tulsa area continued to honor those they could locate.
About 2014, Gloria Helmuth began serving with Richard Ziglar and volunteers in Tulsa; in late 2015 and early 2016 Sue Scott, Dorothy Griffin, Carole Minter joined the team. We welcomed Peggy Barnett and Connie Connely in 2018, Terri Callaway, Nancy Williams and Ann Attig in 2020, Shirley Brown and Leah Mathews in 2022 and Ellen Morehart in 2023. The inductee count went up with these additional people. Using their detective skills, we find, honor and remember our most senior individuals in the State of Oklahoma. All who work with the program are volunteers. We subsist due to the generosity of those who make donations to us.
Meet the Team
These great ladies are the board members, researchers, presenters and heart of this organization. They volunteer their time and resources to honor Oklahoma’s wonderful Centenarians.
Sue Scott
Board Chair
From the insurance world, Sue is a willing volunteer that brings invaluable business experience to the group.
Gloria Helmuth
Director
With extensive experience in business and travel, Gloria, the administrator of our program, keeps the group records and manages the workflow.
Carole Minter
Volunteer
A retired pastor, Carole looks at her work with Centenarians as an extension of her ministry.
Peggy Barnett
Board Member
With claims research experience at Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, Peggy is a welcome asset to our team where she does research, publicity and is in charge of archives.
Terri Callaway
Treasurer and Recording Secretary
Retired accountant, Terri is excited about celebrating birthdays with Centenarians.
Connie Connely
Volunteer
Retired from teaching special education for 39 years, Connie joined our team in 2018. She does special projects and mails out birthday and Christmas cards.
Nancy Williams
Volunteer
Retired Mid-Del teacher and CDR in the USNR, Nancy loves to volunteer with the Centenarians. She considers it an honor to meet those who have “lived the history of the state” and to honor many from military service as the Greatest Generation.
Ann Attig
Volunteer
Retired librarian enjoys hearing centenarian life stories, their words of wisdom and reasons for their longevity. Ann honors centenarians at events in the Oklahoma City area.
Leah Mathews
Volunteer
Leah is new to the Tulsa area and volunteers with the Centenarians because she loves a great birthday celebration. Honoring a Centenarian is delicious ‘icing on the cake’.
Ellen Morehart
Volunteer
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Our continued success is made possible with the support of our donors…
The work performed through the Centenarians of Oklahoma could not happen without generous supporters like you.
We operate by volunteers and donations only while providing this special honor to our “Golden Okies”.
Thank you for your continued support.