Remembering 30 years ago today at 9:02 am Central-time

Today, April 19th at 9:02 am Central-time is the 30th Anniversary of the Bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

My friend, Ted L. Allen, was 48 at the time of the bombing of the Murrah Building. He worked on the 8th floor in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offices as an urban planner, writing state-by-state regulations for homeless housing programs. Ted's body was among the very last of the 168 victims recovered from the site in the days that followed the disaster.

Ted was father to six children ranging in age from 4 to 22 (at the time of his death); in fact usually his youngest would have been in the building's child care center, but that day his wife was taking their 4-year-old to the Dr. after having dropped Ted off just minutes before the blast.

Ted was active in sports with his own children and then spent many hours coaching youngsters in basketball and soccer. He was also an avid gardener; he took great pride in his lawn care and vegetable crops at his Norman home. Ted also loved trailer-camping, in fact one of the last 'good visits' I had with Ted not long before his death, was by sheer coincidence in which we had both stopped at the same 'rest area' along I-40 in Arkansas as he and his family were on their way back to Oklahoma from a camping trip.

Ted, an East Tennessee State University graduate, attended graduate school at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. While living in Norman, home of the Sooners, he loved Oklahoma sports except when OU played Tennessee, especially in basketball.

Ted served as a planner for local governments in Alabama and North Carolina before joining HUD in Dallas and then transferring to Oklahoma City in 1980. He left HUD in 1982 but rejoined the Oklahoma City office in 1991 after serving eight years as city planner in Moore. It was during his time at the City of Moore that we met and became close friends.

Ted, and 167 others, were taken from not only their families and loved ones that day, but all of us they served. But in the midst of the sorrow and tragedy, America and Oklahoma changed. We became stronger people with a greater sense of pride in those who serve us, no matter what their capacity, be that soldier, law enforcement personnel or even urban planners.

Even though this year, on the 30th Anniversary, even former President Bill Clinton returns for the observance, as he did in those first few days after the tragic event. The Oklahoma City Memorial,  standing on the site of the former building, shall forever symbolize the strength and hope of our community, state, and nation with a proud statement of "we will never forget.'" Please remember and recognize this day, and the events of April 19, 1995 in your own way, I have already remembered my friend by placing a small flag at his grave at 9:02 am as I said 'goodbye best friend' one more time.