(Charles) Mike Brake (Class of 1965)

                                                             

                                                                                      

                                      

Mike Brake (Class of 1965) was sports editor of the Pirate Log during his senior year and also served as a staff writer for the second edition of Pirate Hi-Lites. He has continued his writing career ever since.

After majoring in journalism at OU, he went to work for the Daily Oklahoman as a general assignment reporter. He later served for almost a decade as crime reporter for the Oklahoma Journal, and later worked in advertising and public relations. He also authored a 1975 history of the Oklahoma City Police Department, and later edited publications for the Oklahoma Department of Education. In 1995 he was named chief writer for Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, and in 2004 he joined the staff of Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin as special assistant and speechwriter. He was also Oklahoma press officer for President Ronald Reagan’s campaigns in 1980 and 1984.

Mike’s writing has appeared in Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, National Review Online, the FBI Law Enforcement Journal, Vital Speeches, Writer’s Digest and dozens of other national and regional newspapers and magazines. From 1990 through 1994 he wrote a popular humor column for the Oklahoma Gazette, and in 1995 he served as editor of IN THEIR NAME, the oral history of the Oklahoma City bombing published by Random House; the book became a national best-seller and raised more than $1 million for bombing relief efforts. His articles on the bombing and its aftermath are also included in OKLAHOMA TODAY’s official history of that event, and he has written extensively for the Oklahoma City National Memorial, including a history of the Memorial published in conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the bombing in 2005.

He also co-authored with First Lady Cathy Keating OUR GOVERNORS’ MANSIONS, a text and pictorial guide to the executive residences of the states.

 

 

OFFICE OF GOVERNOR FRANK KEATING

STATE OF OKLAHOMA
State Capitol Building
Oklahoma City, OK 73105 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: Dan Mahoney, 405-523-4219
August 11,1995

IN THEIR NAME NOW ON SALE
Oklahoma First Lady Cathy Keating to launch nationwide book tour

OKLAHOMA CITY--The official memorial volume on the victims, families and rescue workers of the Oklahoma City bombing is now on sale. In Their Name: Oklahoma City: The Official Commemorative Volume, is published by Random House under the auspices of The First Lady of Oklahoma, Cathy Keating with editorial cooperation of the Daily Oklahoman.

"I am so pleased to see this important project come to fruition. A lot of people have worked very hard on this labor of love, and it is now in bookstores nationwide thanks to an incredible team of volunteer editors in Oklahoma and with Random House, " Mrs. Keating said.

The volume consists of original text that will provide a moving context for the Murrah Building tragedy, including a portrait of Oklahoma City, a narrative construction of the victim's lives at the awful moment of the attack on April 19, and biographical stories of the victims. Memorial photographs accompany the biographies. It also includes a foreward by the Rev. Billy Graham, an epilogue by Governor and Mrs. Keating, and a special contribution by Tom Brokaw of NBC News.

The book was conceived when Random House was approached by Mrs. Keating. Random House Chairman and CEO Alberto Vitale and Random House Trade Group President and Publisher Harold Evans announced that the memorial volume would be published as a non-profit venture, with all profits going to Project Recovery OKC, Inc. to assist bombing victims and their families and meet other community needs. Conde Nast Publications donated office space for the rush production of the book.

"I can't say enough about the tremendous outpouring of support we have received in producing this book. Numerous vendors donated their labor and materials to cover most production costs. It shows the continuing generosity the corporate world has shown to Oklahoma during this terrible time for our state, " Cathy Keating said.

Mike Brake, Chief Writer for the Governor's Office, coordinated the oral history accounts in the book. "Nine Oklahoma writers volunteered to collect and edit the accounts of those affected by the bombing. We hoped for 400 personal accounts and received 1,200. In little more than two weeks, our volunteers interviewed or edited the stories of 540 people, some of whom were still recovering from their injuries, or the loss of a family member. They did a wonderful job with sensitivity and a devotion to telling the story right," Brake said.

Noted Author and Journalist Clive Irving agreed to be coordinating editor for In Their Name. He visited Oklahoma City in the weeks immediately following the bombing. "This book shows America at its best dealing with America at its worst. No other country would pull together so quickly in terms of the kind of heroic levels of assistance offered and received in Oklahoma City, " Irving said.

"The Daily Oklahoma is honored to be included in this tremendous project. Our community continues to try and heal from this tragic event. Being able to tell the stories of the victims through words and pictures and being able to honor the heroism of rescue workers will help in that healing process, " Ed Kelley, Managing Editor of The Daily Oklahoman said. Oklahoman reporter Anne DeFrange contributed a gripping reconstruction of how victims spent the early hours of April 19.

First Lady Cathy Keating will go on a nationwide book tour to promote In Their Name. She will make numerous media appearances and bookstore visits. "The entire world suffered with us on April 19. This book will help us all get a better perspective on how victims dealt with the tragedy and how ordinary people became heroes for us to honor forever, " Mrs. Keating said. The book tour will take her to New York, Washington D.C., Seattle , San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas and of course, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and other towns in her home state. American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, US Air, and Marriot Hotels have generously agreed to provide transportation and lodging for the book tour. While in New York, Mrs. Keating will appear on ABC's Good Morning America on Tuesday, August 15. On September 7, Governor and Mrs. Keating will appear at the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City for a special public book signing.