Pendelton Woods

Pendleton Woods, 82 years of age, is a combat veteran of World War II and was a prisoner of war in Germany after being captured on a reconnaissance patrol behind enemy lines during the German build-up for the Battle of the Bulge. He remained in the Army National Guard following the war, and served with the 45th Infantry Division in Korea during the Korean War. He has a long record of public service, including The Tree Bank Foundation, Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, Oklahoma City Beautiful, and other organizations, and last year he was honored by the American Ex-Prisoners of War as the nation’s Outstanding Ex-POW for the year 2005, based upon patriotic and public service.

He volunteers in many areas; however, he gives of himself to those with problems of health and aging, including volunteer service to the Veterans Hospital, the Epilepsy Association, the Senior Nutrition Program, and the Variety Health Center.

The Veteran’s Administration’s goal is to provide excellence in patient care, veterans' benefits and customer satisfaction. Over a 25 year period, Woods has given more than 6,000 volunteer hours to patients at the VA hospital. He can be seen coming to the hospital every Sunday morning, setting up equipment for sending chapel service to rooms, visiting and helping patients, often wheel-chairing patients to chapel, and filming services for the hospital's closed circuit channel.

The Epilepsy Association of Oklahoma’s mission is to provide support, information, for persons who are afflicted with epilepsy/seizure disorder, their friends, family, loved ones in the state of Oklahoma. Woods was one of the organizers, past president and a 25 plus year board member of the Epilepsy Association of Oklahoma. Each year he is a volunteer worker and counselor at the camp in Guthrie for epileptics and handicapped. The hours he has donated to this organization has impacted hundreds of persons directly as well as their families.

Woods has been a board member ten years and an officer five years in the Oklahoma County Senior Nutrition Program Development Foundation, serving the aging. He often gives programs at Senior Centers throughout the County. Woods is also a 52 year board member, past president and one of only two lifetime board members of the Variety Health Center, a United Way agency providing free or low cost medical assistance to impoverished or low-income expectant mothers and children.

Though he is no longer a Scoutmaster, some years ago, as a Scoutmaster, he brought boys from his troop to the Crippled Children's Hospital in Bethany to entertain bed-ridden children. His troop was recognized by Freedoms Foundation for this service. Woods giving knows no limits and he wants to serve even to death. More than 50 years ago, Woods willed his body upon his death to the University of Oklahoma Medical School for research to help others continue to live.