When terror strikes.

At 9:02 A.M. April 19, Patrick B. McGuigan was n an elevator. The editorial page editor for The Daily Oklahoman was en route from his office on the ninth floor to the coffee shop for the daily discussion of content for the next day's edition. He was one of few individuals in Oklahoma City and the surrounding area who did not hear or feel the bomb blast which destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and killed 167 men, women, and children.

Upon joining his colleagues gathered around a television monitor watching the first reports of the explosion nine miles away, McGuigan sensed the drama of the worst act of terrorism in the history of the United States. Thus began a chain of decisions about how to handle the momentous event on an editorial page that is more attuned to afflicting the comfortable than comforting the afflicted.

The Oklahoman, under publisher Edward L. Gaylord, is one of the most conservative newspapers in the country. It has a reputation for hard-hitting editorials, and few, if any, topics are taboo. As the state's largest newspaper, the Oklahoman is recognized as a source of wide influence through its commentary on local, state, national, and international issues.

Oklahoma is a state that places a premium on rugged individualism, and our readers for the most part have a heritage of strong moral and spiritual values.

Matching the views of most Oklahomans, we have taken strong editorial stands against international terrorism and for states' rights and more individual freedoms. We have opposed gun controls and supported tough law enforcement. Issues such as these came into focus as the bombing case unfolded and entered the arena of public debate.

The numbing shock of the tragedy, which had such a great impact on so many lives, combined with the overwhelming response of local citizens, defined the character of the first editorial. "One minute, tranquility - Wednesday in downtown Oklahoma City," it began. "Federal employees were one hour into their shift and, perhaps, thinking ahead toward lunch.

"The next minute, cataclysm. In a moment, lives are shattered. Families torn apart, fears instilled that will not soon go away.

"In character, countless thousands of Oklahomans responded, lining up for blocks to donate blood, taking the survivors to hospitals, rescuing those trapped or confused by the tragedy." The editorial urged readers to go "beyond intercessory prayer" and contact some listed organizations to "help neighbors in need."

In the days to follow, McGuigan and editorial writer J.E. McReynolds continued a theme of prayerful sorrow and praise for "acts of heroism, sacrifice, compassion, and dedication" that "exemplified the spirit of people who never will be cowed because of unspeakable acts by evil terrorists," as one editorial put it. From my station in the Washington bureau, gratifying reaction from around the world was duly noted, and the lead editorial for Sunday, the day of President Clinton's visit, handed a rare compliment to his administration for its "swift and reassuring" response.

Cartoonist Jim Lange usually takes a light approach in needling public figures and policies, but in the aftermath of the bombing his daily offerings turned more serious. One memorable cartoon was a grim silhouette of a rescue worker with a dog searching for bodies in the pit of the wreckage. It carried a biblical quotation: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. . . ."

Although the "terror in the heartland" dominated the editorial columns, other subjects were not ignored. Retired but still active editorial writers Deacon New and Leonard Jackson contributed items on environmental zealots, federal taxes, and a proposed state law legalizing "casino nights" for charitable organizations. But for weeks after the incident hardly a day passed without at least a brief reference to some aspect of the bombing - "lest we forget." Editorials warned against unjust speculation about perpetrators of the crime, praised rescuers who came from out of state, and dealt with the trauma associated with the large number of children in a day care center. We criticized President Clinton for overly broad remarks about conservative talk show hosts and saluted "proud Okie" Reba McEntire for dedicating a country music award to the people of her home state.

Selection criteria for printing of letters to the editor were broadened to include messages of sympathy and praise, hope, and encouragement from other states and countries, as well as many Oklahoman readers complimentary of the news coverage. McReynolds said that in the three weeks following the explosion, about 2,000 letters arrived (compared to 250 for an average three-week period). They came from every continent except Africa and Antarctica, and from each of the 50 states.

On April 26, a week after the bombing, the Reverend Jesse Jackson was in Oklahoma City and met with the Oklahoman editorial staff. After a lively half-hour exchange, McGuigan glanced at his watch and noticed it was 9:02 a.m. The group stood for a moment of silence, as Gov. Frank Keating had requested for Oklahomans, and McGuigan asked Jackson to say a prayer. Jackson's eloquent call for healing and hope was made available to callers on the Oklahoman's Access Line.

The newspaper's management faced a delicate editorial decision almost before the dust settled at the downtown site. For months a special supplement - "Countdown 2000" - had been in preparation. Presenting an optimistic outlook on life for Oklahomans in the 21st century, it had been scheduled to run on Sunday, April 23. Despite the pall that lay over the city, it was decided to proceed as planned, with a brief front-page editorial titled "Oklahoma Looks Forward," which stressed the importance of remembering "the positive things that happened all around us as a result of the remarkable outpouring of care, concern, and volunteerism."

McGuigan's predecessor, Jim Standard, now retired but still writing a Sunday column, further observed that Oklahoma had survived disastrous events before.

"Tornadoes have wreaked havoc on scores of Oklahoma cities and towns," he wrote. "All have rebuilt from the rubble.

"A catastrophic drought drove thousands of Oklahomans to California or suicide during the Dust Bowl.

"Oklahomans have built a rich, multicultural state from people as varied as Indians driven from their homes, homesteaders who gambled all on the future, the sons and daughters of slaves, and ethnic groups that escaped poverty and oppression in Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

"We shall all remember the horrors of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. And grieve we must.

"But our march toward the new century will continue. Our help in ages past will enable us to persevere again."

A comment often heard is that Oklahoma, and perhaps the nation, will never be the same again after the shocking and senseless tragedy of April 19. Will that be true of the editorial page of The Daily Oklahoman? Pat McGuigan told a Washington Post reporter that he would campaign, through the pages of the newspaper, to sustain the generosity and consideration of the immediate period after the bombing, especially in state politics. "Everybody seems kind of close to a kind of unity we've never seen before, and that's what we're trying to put our arms around and sustain," McGuigan said.

As for Oklahomans themselves, "I think we'll remain conservative, but maybe kinder to one another," he said.

NCEW member Robert L. Haught recently retired as senior editorial writer for The Daily Oklahoman.