Five senior-living communities in Tacoma are coming together again on Aug. 17 to offer a one-day tour of their facilities to help seniors find a community that fits their needs, desired  location and budget.
“This is the fourth time we have offered this tour,†said Christine Hall, director of marketing and public relations for Franke Tobey Jones, which is one of the participating communities. “It’s been a very popular event. Each time, our vans have been completely full.â€
Participants can start their tour at any of the following five communities and locations by taking one of the vans or driving their own car car:
Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community—apartment entrance, 1301 N. Highlands Parkway.
Weatherly Inn—main entrance, 6016 N. Highlands Parkway.
The day’s program, which will start at 10 a.m., will include a short presentation about senior living. Communities and about today’s activities. Tours will run from 11 to 3 p.m. Each van will will have a representative from that community to answer questions and will stop at all five locations.
“There will be quite a lot of walking, so wear comfortable shoes,†said Shane Fowler, outreach director at Narrows Glen.
The goal, Fowler added, is “to make sure you are well-informed about the options for senior-living communities in the Tacoma area.â€
To reserve a place on the tour and/or a van, RSVPs are requested by Aug. 12 at 253-284-7499.
Kristine Grant, community relations director at Tacoma Lutheran, said seniors “who are thinking about moving into a retirement community” can get answers on pricing, amenities and resources.
There are things we can control, things we can influence, and things we can’t control. As we age, our hair is all of these. The importance hair plays in our self-image is reflected in the thousands of hair products currently on the market.
In 1882, Fletcher Sutherland revolutionized the industry with his claim to cure baldness. Reverend Sutherland, a music composer, became known as the father of the “Seven Wonders.†His daughters were considered musical prodigies. Dora, Isabella, Victoria, Naomi, Grace, Sarah and Mary sang at the Atlanta Exposition in Georgia, traveled with the Colossal Shows and joined “Barnum and Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth” in 1884.
Surprisingly, when the Seven Sutherland Sisters became world famous, it was not for their musical talent, but for their hair. A New York paper reported, “Broadway gaped when the sisters trailed across the gas-lit stage and swung about to shake out their billowing tresses to a concerted gasp.” Blessed with crowning glories, these sisters had a collective hair length of 37 feet.
When Fletcher Sutherland realized his daughters’ long hair was a greater attraction than their musical ability, he created the Seven Sutherland Sisters’ Hair Grower. He reasoned if grain and grasses grew strong with fertilizers, why not hair? With his guarantee that the solution could cure baldness and produce thick, luxurious hair, it became one of the most successful snake oil tonics of all time.
A chemical analysis revealed the tonic contained 56 percent water of witch hazel, 44 percent bay rum, salt and hydrochloric acid, hardly capable of creating new hair growth. However, the sisters netted $90,000 the first year, selling the tonic for a dollar a bottle. Over a 38-year period, the Sutherland family brought in more than $2.75 million selling hair products.
The Sutherland sisters lived an elegant lifestyle in a mansion they built in New York, with personal maids to care for their hair. Their lives were entwined with their hair, weaving tales of success, heartbreak and poverty.
Sarah, the oldest sister, born in 1846, was considered the most sensible of the girls, and took over the business after her father’s death in 1888. She was often photographed seated so her three-foot long hair would appear longer. Although she was one of the wealthiest women at the time, she died of poor health and poverty at the age of 73.
The second sister, Victoria, had seven-foot long hair, the color of a “raven’s wing.†She was once offered $2,500 to cut her hair but refused. She later sold one strand to a jeweler who suspended it in his shop window with a seven carat diamond at the end. Considered to be the most beautiful of the sisters, Victoria horrified her family when at the age of 50; she married a 19-year-old man. She only lived another three years.
Isabella’s hair was six-feet long. It was rumored her mother was actually her father’s sister-in-law, as she was listed as “adopted” in the Census. At the age of 46, she married Frederick, a 27-year old man reportedly in love with her sister Dora. Known as a famous pistol shooter, he often sat on the veranda playing with his gun. One day as he was shooting out the spokes of a farmer’s buggy parked nearby, he turned the gun on himself and died instantly. It was reported that Isabella kept his body in the home for 10 days until she was forced to release it.
Naomi began singing with her sisters at the age of 12 and was sent to Europe to develop her marvelous bass voice. She met and married Henry Bailey while traveling with Barnum and Bailey’s Circus. They had four children before she died of an illness at 35.
Grace’s auburn hair was five-feet long. Although she never married, she raised Naomi’s children after her sister died. In 1924, Grace, Mary and Dora moved to California, where Dora was hit and killed by a car while crossing the street. Grace and Mary returned penniless to the Sutherland Mansion in 1930. Grace lived to be 92.
In their lifetime, people believed long, heavy hair robbed the brain of nourishment and led to insanity. Mary, the youngest of the sisters, was considered mentally ill. It was reported that her family locked her in the bedroom when she suffered “spells.†Mary lived in the Sutherland Mansion for most of her life but eventually was committed to the State Institution for the Insane, where she died at 93.
Fletcher Sutherland died in 1888, and two of his daughters, Naomi and Victoria, were deceased by 1912. That, however, did not stop the sales of the Seven Sutherland Sisters Hair Grower. The remaining five daughters and Henry Bailey recruited two “sisters” and continued traveling and selling their products. The tonic was still being advertised in 1930, although the business was declining.
Reverend Sutherland would be amazed at the volume of hair products on the market today. One hundred and thirty-three years have passed since Fletcher claimed to have solved all hair problems; however, hair loss continues to be a major concern. Men spend more than $800 million a year for hair transplants. And medical therapies (including Rogaine, Propecia and other brands) add up to $225 million annually.
The Sutherland Sisters might be pleased to know the sale of hair products in the United States rose to $11.6 billion in 2014, and the average woman spends up to $44,300 for hair products in her lifetime. Advertisers continue to seduce and sell the dream of thick, luxurious hair while consumers still seek products to control and influence their hair.
Jan Rich is a freelance writer from Lakewood. She has written previously for Senior Scene.
The Sutherland sisters, known in the 1880s as the “Seven Wonders” for their musical talents, ultimately became world-famous for their combined 37 feet of hair and the family’s baldness “cure” that did nearly $3 million in sales.
Hallmark Manor, a skilled-nursing and rehab center in Federal Way, has named Karen Rose as its executive director.
Rose has been a nursing home administrator in the Olympia area for the past five years. She started her career in skilled nursing as a certified nursing assistant and has worked in roles from unit clerk to
“I enjoy seeing the residents smile and laugh,†said Rose. “I like knowing I’m making a difference. When a resident’s having a bad day and I talk to them and help them feel better, that means a lot to me.â€
Originally from Susanville, Calif., Rose has a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in health care administration. She now lives in Yelm.
“Karen brings more than 15 years of skilled-nursing experience to her new position,†said Stephanie Bonanzino, vice president of Life Care Centers of America’s Cascades Region. “With this background, she provides the center an elevated level of leadership and support to maintain the quality care and standards Life Care has. Her positive outlook, team approach and dedication are a perfect match for us.â€
Hallmark Manor is one of 16 facilities in Washington operated or managed by Life Care Centers of America.
When it comes to vinyl records, the best selection of LPs in the South Sound can be found at Turntable Treasures House of Records, according to store owner Pete VanRosendael.
A sign right by the front door states emphatically, “AUDIO Yes. VIDEO No.â€
“People still buy a lot of records,†said VanRosendael, pointing to the over 120,000 LPS and 5,000 sealed LPs stacked neatly throughout the store.
“This didn’t happen overnight. I accumulated it over the years,†he said of his stock, adding that the vast majority of vinyls in the store sell for under $10.
VanRosendael said that a lot of his inventory comes through the front door of the Tacoma store. “I used to go to estate sales and yard sales, but now I buy directly from customers,†he said.
Turntable Treasures has regular customers and a jam-packed inventory just about floor to ceiling, and walking through the door is like walking back in time.
LPs are a passion for VanRosendael. Retired from the Air Force, he purchased House of Records on Sixth Avenue in 2000 and moved right around the corner seven years ago.
“We had two separate locations and then combined the two. House of Records started in 1988 and Turntable Treasures in 1996. I’ve been in business just about 20 years now,†he said.
He knew he wasn’t going to spend his retirement playing golf, and acknowledges that retirees need something productive and fun to do.
“I consider this my second career that I can ride off into the sunset on,†said VanRosendael.
The business has regular customers who appreciate the world of vinyl. “Anyone who is into this scene knows we are one of the biggest and the best,†said VanRosendael, adding that Turntable Treasures stocks vinyl and equipment only.
The shelves host a wide variety of turntables and speakers, priced affordably.
VanRosendael grew up in New York with a love of music. “My favorites in the ‘60s were Jefferson Airplane, the Byrds, Bob Dylan. Now my favorite music is classical. I want to discover something new,†he said.
He gives out free audio advice, too. “Move your speakers around, try different placements of your main speakers as described in your manual, and the results can be staggering,†he said.
Turntables start at about $100. VanRosendael said for $200, he can get an entire system up and ready for customers.
“Come on down,†he said. “We’ll sell you merchandise or good advice. Free advice is always here.â€
VanRosendael acknowledges that his operation isn’t really a viable business model if you want to make money, but added, “This is my retirement and it is a labor of love. My advice is to find a passion that you love, and if it is at nobody else’s expense, go for it.â€
Turntable Treasures is located at 608 N. Prospect in Tacoma. Hours are Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday 12 to 5 pm. The website is turntabletreasures.com, and the phone number is 253-272-9229.
Joan Cronk, who wrote this article, is a freelance writer from Puyallup.
Pete VanRosendael, who believes retirees need to be productive and have fun, says owning Turntable Treasures has been his passion since leaving the Air Force. (Joan Cronk/for Senior Scene)
