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After three years as supervisor of the Delaware Tribe’s Elder Nutrition Program, Judy Dull has announced that she will retire on May 23. Her sister,
Arleena Whittenburg, who volunteers at the program, will also hang up her apron on May 23. Explaining the journey to this point, Dull said, “We started here together when the Cherokee Nation ran the program.” When the previous supervisor was out for an extended period, Dull and her sister, who are Cherokee, began volunteering as a way of helping out. Later, when the supervisor learned that she could not return for an extended period of time, Dull decided to apply.

Since the program was administered by the Cherokee Nation, Dull went to Tahlequah to apply. She started the job in 2009 and worked in that capacity for two years. The Delaware Tribe applied and was awarded direct funding for the Nutrition Program in 2011. Dull reapplied and was hired. Since then, she has been working diligently to serve the elders who come to the program, Native Americans 55 years and older and their guests. When she started, the six-table dining room was in a smaller room now used as office space. Over the years, Dull has worked to double the number of tables, which now stands at 12, serving 45-50 seniors each day, Mon–Fri from noon-2:30 pm, she said.

Meals are planned a month in advance by Dull, who calls herself a “working supervisor,” helping out wherever she is needed. “I usually sit down and start with a pencil and I erase until we get what we want,” Dull said. Lunch usually consists of: an entrée, two sides, a salad/fruit bar, coffee/iced tea, milk or water, dessert and soft serve ice cream. Occasionally, a simpler menu of: soup/chili, sandwich and fruit, is offered. After lunch on movie day, popcorn and packaged snacks are available to attendees.

“One of the most favorite meals we do is the Indian taco,” Dull said. However, mindful of the needs of diabetics, she added, “we usually only have fry bread once a month.”

Another monthly tradition is birthdays. “We have cake, ice cream, balloons, hamburgers and fries. And we give them a birthday card with a Delaware dollar in it.” (This dollar, from the U.S. Mint, has the Delaware clans on one side depicting the Delaware symbols: the wolf, turkey and turtle.) The coin commemorates the historical event when the Delaware Tribe signed the first Indian treaty with the U.S. at Fort Pitt and approved by Congress on September 17, 1778.

“We do anniversaries the same way. Charles and Mary Randall do all of this work. They are elders who volunteer. They put up the birthday decorations and hand out the cards. Mary Randall usually does the cakes,” Dull ex-plained.

Looking forward, Dull expects some things will change and some things will remain the same at the Nutrition Program. The current staff of cook Archie Elvington and dish-washer Nancy Sumpter will remain.

“They may also hire a dietician under the new grant,” Dull explained.

In April, the Delaware Tribe’s senior nutrition pro-gram grant, written by Jenifer Pechonick, was renewed, assuring the program’s continuation for another three years.

Dull is grateful to the support she has received from the Delaware Tribe. “We have a good boss and we get along with the Chief. Jan Brown started this [program],” she said.

Born and raised in Bartlesville, the sisters grew up do-ing restaurant work starting at age 12. “We car hopped,” Whittenburg said.

Dull added, “I started out as a bus girl and then went to car hopping at Brooks Drive-in on old Hwy. 123 and then Walkers on Hwy. 123. Brooks had an inside dining room and a drive-in and was one of the finest dining places in those days.”

The sisters spoke highly of their parents, who raised five children and taught them good work ethics. Their father, who was Cherokee, had worked at National Zinc Company for many years, and their mother had worked weeknights for 32 years as a janitor for Phillips Petroleum.

“Our dad would take us to the movies on Friday nights while our mom was working. We saw Western serials,” Dull said reminiscing.

“Our mom worked Mon.–Fri. from 6 p.m.–2 a.m. cleaning offices at Phillips. Both of our parents worked very hard to provide for the family and to set an example for us,” Dull said. In addition to her job, their mother was an excellent homemaker.

“My mom always had a starched dress ready anytime my aunt picked us up to go out,” Dull said with pride. These high standards have served the sisters well over the years in all of the jobs they have held.

Reflecting on her favorite aspects of her job as supervi-sor of the Nutrition Program, Dull said, “being here is mainly about working with the older people out there and seeing them happy. That’s why I’m here—to see them happy.

“We celebrate all the holidays. At Easter we had an Easter egg hunt with jelly beans in them. Four of the eggs had $5 bills in them, so they were really scrounging to find them. We helped if they couldn’t bend down,” Dull said with a smile.

“I’ve been at some of the nutrition sites and this is one of the finest dining rooms I’ve seen. The atmosphere sets it apart–homey, like eating with family,” Dull said. Whittenburg chimed in, “We’re friendly with them. They look forward to the meal—to seeing their friends; and you know you eat better than you would eat at home.”

“We check to see if their dinners are okay or if they need anything. If they want a second helping, we don’t mind. That’s what makes it more like home.”

As this next chapter unfolds, Whittenburg says she plans to go fishing more often.

Dull is not certain what she’ll do with her free time, but she plans to spend it with her husband, who has also retired recently.

We thank them for their contribution in improving the lives of those they have served and invite them to stay in touch and visit often.

2014May1_Newsletter-Issue 1