Murrah Building is still symbol of loss, resilience

By Jay F. Marks

Published: April 20, 2006

It took 11 minutes Wednesday for relatives to read the names of the 168 people who died as a result of the explosion that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

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Sons, daughters and a sister of those who died on April 19, 1995, called out every name as several hundred people gathered around the Survivor Tree to mark the 11th anniversary of the bombing.

Siblings Alice Denison and Mickey Paul Maroney clutched each other tightly as they called out the first dozen names, including their father, U.S. Secret Service agent Mickey B. Maroney.

They were followed by seven others who lost loved ones in the bombing, including Michael Reyes, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development employee who survived a four-story fall that day. His father, Tony, died.

Readers flawlessly navigated difficult-to-pronounce names, though their voices tended to crack when they reached the ones they knew best.

Reyes, involved in an anniversary ceremony for the first time, said he was afraid he would mess up one of the names on his list, rather than being overcome with emotion when he reached his father.

"I knew all of these people," he said. "I worked with them."

The reading marked the end of a 35-minute remembrance ceremony Wednesday at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

The former site of the Murrah Building is now a symbol of the community's resilience in overcoming that tragic day 11 years ago, said Gloria Griffin, chairman of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation.

She asked for 168 seconds of silence in honor of those who died in the bombing and its aftermath.

The only sounds that came in the two-plus minutes that followed were the rush of the wind and the singing of birds. The typical city noises seemed far away as the overflow crowd around the Survivor Tree remained motionless, most with their heads bowed in prayer or reflection.

Gov. Brad Henry said the ceremony fit with Oklahomans' vow never to forget what happened at the site, although the tragedy is not the most lasting part of its legacy.

"The legacy of April 19, 1995, is one of goodness overcoming evil," he said. "That is what we must remember."

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said the anniversary gathering preserves the memory of that day and how residents responded.

"No act of terrorism is going to tear us down," he said.

Relatives of those who died said the annual ceremony helps them heal.

Guy Lewis said memories of sister Charlotte Thomas' death return when he comes to the memorial, but he focuses on the good things about her. He wore a large button with Thomas' picture on it, as did several other relatives.

Carla Garrett, another veteran of the remembrance ceremonies, carried several packages of tissues with her.

She said she came to Wednesday's ceremony to support her sister, Helena, whose 15-month-old son Tevin died in the bombing.

Garrett said her sister seems to be getting better at dealing with Tevin's death, so it is easier for them to return to the site of the bombing.

The Oklahoma City bombing remains the worst act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history.

Timothy McVeigh was arrested within hours of the explosion. He was executed June 11, 2001, for bombing the building and killing eight federal agents.

Conspirator Terry Nichols is serving life in prison without parole after being convicted in state and federal court of murdering those who died in the bombing.