I just discovered that the last principal I had in Oklahoma City passed from life, last spring. Gary Blevins was the principal at Buchanan Elementary School in Oklahoma City, when I was there, ending in 1995 - the year of the Oklahoma City bombing.
Gary is the person who gave me more responsibility at the school, even naming me as lead teacher for my last two years there. He gave me decision-making authority, resulting in me being the person in charge of the school on April 19, 1995 - the person responsible for locking down the school when Timothy McVeigh detonated the bomb that killed 168 people.
Gary is the person who gave me more responsibility at the school, even naming me as lead teacher for my last two years there. He gave me decision-making authority, resulting in me being the person in charge of the school on April 19, 1995 - the person responsible for locking down the school when Timothy McVeigh detonated the bomb that killed 168 people.
Gary Lee Blevins, 70, of Tuttle, died Wednesday, May 3, 2017, at his home. The son of Carl Frank Blevins and Ramona (McNeil) Blevins, he was born July 18, 1946 in Hollis, Oklahoma. |  |
The first thing Gary did when coming to our school was to repaint one wall of his office - John Deere green - and put pictures of tractors up. The office looked terrific. We had long, candid conversations in there and elsewhere about the school.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his infant twin sister, Sharon Gwen Blevins; and a grandson, Logan Hodge.
Gary is survived by his wife, Becky Blevins, of Tuttle; one daughter, Michelle Kemery and her husband, Mike, of Norman; one granddaughter, Carly Hodge, of Blanchard; and many other loved ones and friends.
1995 Gary was not only an educator, but also a farmer, a deputy sheriff, and an auctioneer. It was his family that made him the most proud. I certainly came to appreciate Gary's worth ethic and his dedication to his wife. He frequently told me that he could not live without her. I hope that Mrs. Blevins is able overcome such a concept as she is now without her long-time husband.
In 1995, my wife and I moved to Joplin, Missouri, and I had to say goodbye to Mr. Blevins. The last time I saw the man, the school had just received an irregularly-shaped piece of marble from the Murrah Building. Gary used the heal of his cowboy boot to knock off a small piece of the marble to give me. "You were the one who protected the school that day," he said. "You deserve a part of this."
I've missed Gary for a long time, but his passing makes me miss him in an entirely different way.
In 1995, my wife and I moved to Joplin, Missouri, and I had to say goodbye to Mr. Blevins. The last time I saw the man, the school had just received an irregularly-shaped piece of marble from the Murrah Building. Gary used the heal of his cowboy boot to knock off a small piece of the marble to give me. "You were the one who protected the school that day," he said. "You deserve a part of this."
I've missed Gary for a long time, but his passing makes me miss him in an entirely different way.
