86-year-old veteran who plays piano at nursing home hopes to get new set of keys

By Kolby Terrell

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    NORMAN, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A veteran who visited a Norman nursing home to play the piano for its residents decided to take matters into his own hands to get a new one.

While visiting friends at the Norman Veterans Center, Jack Oak stumbled upon a set of keys. He made a habit of playing for the nursing home, but he said the facility needed a new piano.

“I asked them, I said, ‘Do you have a piano?’ They said, ‘Yes, we do.’ So, I say, ‘Well, I’ll play a tune or two if that’s OK,'” Oak said.

Oak is an 86-year-old Air Force veteran who has been taking the time to play to fellow veterans at the center.

“It’s a treat to get to listen to it,” Pearl Russell, a World War II nurse, said.

It is not just therapy for Oak after 80 years of playing, but when he looks at the people he plays for, he said it brings joy to the residents.

“The music seemed to bring some smiles,” Oak said. “Mental therapy is very important. It’s very vital. So, music, whether it be the piano or some other instrument, is part of what I consider to be maybe my own personal therapy but seems to be for other folks as well.”

He even made an instant connection with Russell, who turns 104 on Monday.

“I never could play very good, but I liked playing – trying to,” Russell said.

His time playing in Norman helped build that relationship with the residents.

“I played a little music for her, and we hit it off,” Oak said of Russell.

However, he said the current piano lacks a certain charm.

“I felt that they deserved a higher quality piano,” Oak said.

With the help of family, he has set up a GoFundMe to keep the residents listening to the tunes.

“Not only for me to play, but for other people to play,” Oak said.

He also wants to get music students to come and play for the nursing home in the future.

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