Reporter

Marching Orders. More than 2,000 people gathered last year in downtown Tulsa at an planned to coincide with the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the controversial Supreme Court decision on abortion.

Organizers are hoping twice as many pro-life supporters attend this year's Tulsa March for Life, which stages Saturday, Jan. 22.

The event starts at 11:30am at the Holy Family Cathedral, 122 W. 8th St., where supporters will gather and march to the H.A. Centennial Green near 6th Street and Main Street for a rally and speech.

For more information, visit tulsamarchforlife.org.

Tick-Tock. "The job opportunities are fantastic! There is a great demand out there, and I foresee this outlook will continue into the future." Welcome words for college graduates in these tough economic times, and that was the enthusiastic observation of Heinz Leuenberger, Director of Technical Field Services for Rolex U.S.A., who recently helped honor graduates of the watchmaking program at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (OSUIT) in Okmulgee.

The six graduates are an increase from the number of students who graduated from the inaugural program last year. For the luxury watch and retail jewelers' industry, more watch service professionals entering the job market will be pleasing news.

"We are getting inquiries from luxury watch service centers and jewelers who either want to expand or are experiencing a number of retirements," Leuenberger said.

The OSUIT watch-making program has undergone significant upgrades since its beginning back in 1946, when the college was opened to serve military veterans re-entering the workforce. The current graduates are the product of a new Rolex-funded watchmaker training program pioneered at OSUIT. In its second year, SAWTA (The Swiss American Watchmakers Training Alliance) is a national educational and certification program designed to create watchmaking professionals who set a high standard of service within the luxury watch market in the United States.

Healthy Perspective. Flash Focus is looking for Tulsa-area high school juniors and seniors to participate in this one of a kind photo-documentation project to photograph their perspective of healthy and unhealthy images in their community. The application form contains detailed information about the project and can be obtained from Lamar Brown at 918-595-4455 or lbrown@tulsa-health.org. The application deadline is Jan. 31.

The Community Health Foundation (CHF) invites Tulsans to join in supporting Flash Focus: A Photo-Documentation Project about Health from the Perspective of Tulsa Youth. This unique project will send youth from all over Tulsa into their community to photograph their perspective of what is healthy and unhealthy about living in Tulsa. CHF is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization affiliated with the Tulsa City-County Health Department. CHF is committed to creating a healthier Tulsa by raising community awareness of current health issues.

This project will focus on the lives of 20 juniors and seniors in Tulsa, five from each quadrant (north, south, east and west). The students will serve as lay epidemiologists identifying and documenting their daily routine and community environment as it relates to health through photographs.

After the exhibit, the photographs will become a traveling education display to educate people about how health is impacted by where we live, learn, work and play.

At the conclusion of the educational tour, select photos will be donated and archived at the Tulsa Historical Society for future generations to reflect on the images captured by today's youth.

In association with the OSU Center for Family Risk and Resilience, the photographs will also be used to conduct a photo-elicitation research study to identify why and how different urban neighborhoods produce varying rates of death, disability and disease in Tulsa.

The youth will be required to attend a 90 minute training session about how where people live, learn, work and play shapes their health. As well as ethics and privacy issues related to photographing things and people in the community. Deadline for sponsorship is March 18.

Inagural Invitation. The Rt. Rev. Lawrence Stasyszen, O.S.B., Chancellor of St. Gregory's University and Abbot of St. Gregory's Abbey, was invited to offer the benediction at the Jan. 10 inauguration of Gov. Mary Fallin, the first female to serve as governor of Oklahoma.

"Today we come before you with special gratitude as we celebrate this momentous day in our common history," Stasyszen said in his benediction. "Father, we are never beyond the gaze of your watchful eye, the ear of your loving heart, or the reach of your guiding hand. Knowing this, we ask you now for your blessing upon us all as we celebrate the inauguration of Governor Mary Fallin in her service to the People of Oklahoma."

Like Fallin, Stasyszen is from Tecumseh. As Lieutenant Governor, Fallin spoke on behalf of the state of Oklahoma at Lawrence's inauguration as president of SGU in 2000.

"It is a great honor to participate in the inauguration ceremonies in this way, giving voice to the prayers and hopes of all Oklahomans as Governor Fallin begins her tenure in office," Stasyszen said. "She and I both share a love for our hometown of Tecumseh, and I am pleased that she involved people from Tecumseh and Pottawatomie County in this historic event."

Stasyszen was elected the 10th abbot of St. Gregory's Abbey in 2006 and served as the university's president from 2000 to 2007. He graduated from St. Gregory's in 1984, entering the novitiate at St. Gregory's Abbey shortly after. Stasyszen was ordained to the priesthood in 1994 and has since served the university and abbey in a variety of ways.