Press Releases

NATIONAL MEMORIAL SUMMER PROGRAM INTRODUCES VISITORS TO ‘STORIES OF HOPE’

First-hand accounts of hope and healing provide insight to museum-goers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2006

OKLAHOMA CITY — Their stories are powerful examples of the hope and resilience this community showed the nation and the world following the April, 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. Each Friday this summer, Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum visitors can hear from some of the people who bore witness to the tragedy of that day and who have since transformed that tragedy into hope.

First Person– Stories of Hope allows family members, survivors and rescue workers to share their remarkable stories inside the Memorial Museum. Visitors to the museum can experience these special talks at 1:30 p.m., Fridays, May 26 – September 1 with their paid admission to the Memorial Museum.

“The strength, perseverance and triumph of the human spirit shown in the lives of the family members, survivors and rescue workers are incredible,” said Kari Watkins, Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum executive director. “We all have things we can learn about hope and resilience through listening to their stories.”

Each Friday throughout the summer will feature a different speaker. Battalion Chief of Operations Larry Hansen with the Oklahoma City Fire Department, a first responder, will be featured on May 26.

Hansen has been a member of the Oklahoma City Fire Department since 1987. On April 19, 1995, he was a lieutenant assigned to Rescue Squad 21 and had just come off a 24-hour shift. He was called back in to help with rescue efforts in the first hours after the attack.

An EMT-D, EMS Instructor, Hazmat Technician and Instructor, DEA Certified in Clandestine Lab Operations and member of the Critical Incident Stress Management Team, Hansen was named Battalion Chief of Operations in November 2004.
Hansen is currently an adjunct instructor for Oklahoma State University Fire Service Training, and a Weapons of Mass Destruction Instructor for Homeland Security at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Alabama. He likes to travel with his family and enjoys playing golf, tennis and ice hockey. An active member of First Christian Church, Hansen also volunteers in the community.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum was created to honor those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The Memorial and Museum are dedicated to educating visitors about the impact of violence, informing about events surrounding the bombing, and inspiring hope and healing through lessons learned by those affected.

The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is free of charge. The Memorial Museum is open Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Sunday, 1-6p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors (62+) and $6 for students (six years old - college with valid ID). Children under six are admitted free. Group rates and programs are available. Special exhibits are included in the cost of admission. Ticket sales end at 5 p.m. daily. The Museum is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

For more information on the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, call (888) 542-HOPE or visit www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org.
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Photos of First Person speakers are available to media outlets needing images. Please e-mail Nancy Coggins to request images for publication.

Schedule of Speakers:
May 26
Battalion Chief of Operations Larry Hansen, OKC Fire Dept., rescue worker

June 2
Dora Reyes Bearden and Delia Northup, family members

June 9
Richard Williams, survivor

June 16
Amy Petty, survivor

June 23
Melissa McLawhorn Houston, survivor

June 30
Carrie Hulsey Greene, media

July 7
Phillip Thompson, family member

July 14
Dianne Turner, family member

July 21
Mary Mowdy, survivor

July 28
Barry Black, rescue worker

August 4
Terri Watkins, media

August 11
Leroy Tatom, media

August 18
Joe Hight, media

August 25
Donna Weaver, family member

Sept. 1
Charlie Hanger, rescue worker

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