Heartland Plaza is a garden area on the north side of Mitchell Hall. Numerous trees indigenous to Oklahoma are planted here, with plaques to identify them. A walkway encircles the area. Four concrete markers with bronze plaques tell the story of those we lost, and how they should be remembered.
Plaque 1: "THE HEALING CONTINUES / Heartland Plaza is dedicated in memory of those 168 individuals who perished, with hopes and prayers for the hundreds who were injured, with admiration for those thousands who came to their aid, and with empathy for the millions who were changed forever by the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995.
"The notations on the four monuments located along this walk are from remarks made by leaders of our nation and state at a prayer service held on April 23, 1995 to start the healing. The service was held at the Oklahoma State Fair Arena. Plaque 1 of 4"
Plaque 2 : "HEARTLAND PLAZA / The anger you feel is valid, but you must not allow yourself to be consumed by it. The hurt you feel must not be allowed to turn into hate, but instead into search for justice. The loss you feel must not paralyze your own life. Instead, you must try to pay tribute to your loved ones by continuing to do all the things they left undone, thus ensuring they did not die in vain." (From a letter to President Clinton from the wife of one of the victims of the Pan Am 103 explosion).
"Purge yourselves of the dark forces which give rise to this evil. They are forces that threaten our common peace, our freedom, our way of life. Let us teach our children that the God of comfort is also the God of righteousness. Those who trouble their own house will inherit the wind. Justice will prevail."
"Let us let our own children know that we will stand against the forces of fear. When there is talk of hatred, let us stand up and talk against it. When there is talk of violence, let us stand up and talk against it. In the face of death, let us honor life. As St. Paul admonished us, 'Let us not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.'" (President William Clinton) Plaque 2 of 4
Plaque 3
"Our tears mingle with yours...no matter how hard we try, the words cannot express the horror, the shock, and the revulsion we all feel over what took place in this city last Wednesday (April 19, 1995). That terrible and senseless tragedy runs against the grain of every standard, every belief and every custom we hold as a civilized society in the United States. The images of devastation and human suffering we have seen here has been indelibly imprinted on each one of our minds and hearts as long as we live. That last was like a violent explosion ripping at the heart of America. Long after the rubble is cleared and the rebuilding begins, the soars [sic] of this senseless and evil outrage will remain. We come together, not only to pray, to forgive, and to love, but to say to those who masterminded this cruel plot and those who carried it out, that the spirit of this city and nation will not be defeated. Psalms 147:3 says, 'He heals the brokenhearted. He binds up the wounds.' We stand here together to say LET THE HEALING BEGIN...God bless Oklahoma." (Rev. Billy Graham) Plaque 3 of 4
Plaque 4
"HEARTLAND PLAZA / If anybody thinks that Americans are mostly meek and selfish, they ought to come to Oklahoma. If anybody thinks Americans have lost the capacity for love and caring and courage, they ought to come to Oklahoma." (Gov. Frank Keating).
"UCO President George Nigh presided over a groundbreaking for this park on April 10, 1997, the second anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. THE HEALING CONTINUES
May the benches and the Oklahoma landscape provide an area of rest and contemplation. Plaque 4 of 4"