Setting the Oklahoma Standard: Refuge after the Murrah federal bombing

APRIL 19, 1995

30 years ago, on April 19th, day two of the 58th annual Oklahoma Restaurant Association's convention was just beginning at the old Myriad Convention Center.

430 booths packed the Myriad, showcasing the latest and greatest the hospitality industry had to offer, from equipment to food samples.

It brought in primarily restaurateurs and hoteliers from across the state, and up to 12,000 people every year.

Then at 9:02 a.m., everything changed.

"All of a sudden, the building just jumped, "said Debra Bailey, Deputy Director of the Oklahoma Restaurant Assoc. "We figured somebody had hit the building."

It wasn't until the ORA got a call from the then-fire chief, Gary Marrs, that they found out a bomb had gone off at the Murrah Federal Building, just blocks away.

RESPONSE

Bailey and trade show Chairman Ned Shadid made the call to cancel the convention.

Instead, they transformed it into an operation to feed rescue workers and give them a place to rest.

"We gathered up all of our members on the floor that day that were getting ready to prepare for the show and we said, ‘what do you want to do?’" Bailey said. "Like any other Oklahomans, our hearts were broken, and we just wanted to give back in any way we could."

"Within a day, we had a full kitchen operation," said Shadid.

And with that, the Oklahoma Standard was born.

The Myriad would become a haven for first responders coming in from across the country to help with the search and rescue at the Murrah Building.

Bailey said, "We made sure they had hot food 24/7, and we did that until the relief effort was over."

Organizers chose the menus daily. But we're not just talking about snacks and sandwiches.

"An executive of the Red Lobster shut down and gave us their daytime kitchen staff," Shadid said. "They did their cheddar biscuits, they did salmon, steaks."

People waited hours just to volunteer.

The kitchen at the Myriad was staffed with around 20 people around the clock, serving up 1500 meals every day.

"You had the best talent in the world in one room cooking for the best cause you could think of," said Shadid.

REFUGE FOR RESCUERS

A hot meal was only the beginning of the resources that rescue workers could find at the Myriad.

Anything they needed was provided under one roof.

"There was actually a pharmacy set up that could refill any and all of their prescriptions. We had an optometrist," said Shadid. "Whatever they needed. A barbershop. All these people are volunteer barbers that would come in and give them haircuts. One time, one of them said, 'God, I could use a massage.'" Well, before you know, you've got 10 massage tables and volunteer masseuse."

Cots lined the empty rooms so the first responders could rest, and phones were provided so they could call home.

"It was so easy to make a call on things because nobody said no," said Bailey.

The operation lasted 10 days straight. Organizers say by the end, they were just running on adrenaline.

"I'm so proud of our association," Shadid said. "We were here at the right time with the right people that knew what to do. You couldn't find a group of people or a city or a state that could be better at doing what we did."

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