One of Oklahoma's Finest Hours

     Twenty years ago on April 19, 1995, Oklahoma’s serene, easy-going life of innocence collapsed as the Alfred P. Murrah building crumbled, the result of the senseless detonation of a homemade truck bomb. As with any cataclysmic event, most people living at the time, especially in the Sooner state, can describe the moment the horrible news broke.
     That Wednesday, I was teaching third graders at Woodland Elementary School in Fairfax, Oklahoma, and had taken the class to their physical education class. A colleague and friend, Virginia Williams, who taught second graders, pulled me aside and discreetly, in a hushed tone, asked if I had heard about the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City. Of course, the news of this tragedy shocked me and questions filled my mind. But I had to teach third graders. Frightening them would have exacerbated an already horrific event that soon their little minds would be forced to absorbed. They were old enough to understand the impact of a bombing of this magnitude but young enough to realize their reliance on others for their safety and security. If this could happen to Oklahoma City kids’ parents, could it happen to their parents?
     The following morning in an effort to ensure correct information, I bought the morning copy of The Oklahoman for the latest news with maps and photographs. This practice of having the day’s newspaper available for the students’ perusing allowed the impetus for students who needed to discuss or question the carnage that had occurred in their state’s capital city. Each morning, for about a week, the latest copy of the newspaper could be found in the classroom.
     The resiliency of third graders always amazed me. Frequently, they moved to a point of acceptance and understanding in a quicker manner than I did. I think that is one reason I never tired of teaching them and drew courage and strength from their ability to reach closure and resolution in the midst of calamity. The argument can be made that their age negated their cognizance of the disaster’s enormity. I agree to an extent, but third graders’ attitudes of compassion and concern, coupled with the desire to reach out to those in adversity, provided a conduit for healing.
     Oklahoma City seemed so far from Osage County. Yet when the victims’ names were revealed, my father’s heart was saddened to see the name of the granddaughter of a couple he knew. Dad had done a home renovation for them. A couple who had been in the building that ill-fated morning was neighbors of my aunt. These personal connections to the manmade catastrophe deepened the pain, anguish, and anger due to the irrational, yet premeditated action that had unleashed overwhelming sorrow over the state and the nation.
     As we have approached the 20th year since the state-shattering explosion in Oklahoma City, I have heard repeatedly the phrase “Oklahoma Standard” mentioned in commemorative tributes. About six weeks after the bombing in 1995, I participated in a teaching trip to Russia. Since I was the only Oklahoman on the trip, I frequently heard admiration for how our state handled the devastating tragedy. Even some of the Russian educators expressed heartfelt sympathy and marveled at the courage of the Oklahoma people in the bombing's aftermath. Without exception, the Americans commented on the moving memorial service held on the Sunday following the bombing, always reflecting on the strength and faith of the citizens of Oklahoma. Oklahomans’ responses in their toughest, but finest hour became known worldwide as “the Oklahoma Standard.”

Third Graders of 1994-1995 Who Were in Our Classroom
Front Row: Karalea Corley, Jason Dilbeck, Josh Alexander, Cassi Koch, Jackie Kennedy, William
Fosnight. Middle Row: Amber Phillips, Tyler Hillsberg, Rhonda Brandt, Travis Sawyers, Cassidi
Pease, Bernadean Gates. Back Row: Brady Goad, William Gates, Aaron Cheves, Leslie Williams,
Lauren Goad, Scott Brown. I proudly displayed this photograph on the cover of my teacher's manual
 as I taught the Russian teachers.  (Photograph by Blunck's)

     A myriad of the postings of this blog have dealt with our ancestors experiencing tragedies, coping with pain and loss, and rising up with renewed strength and the will to go on. No matter where we find ourselves, may we vow to conduct our lives exemplifying the Oklahoma Standard and in turn, honor the legacy of the fellow Oklahomans lost on April 19, 1995.