On May 16, the Baylor Line hosted author Jeanne Bishop for a conversation about her book “Grace from the Rubble” and the story of Cindy Campbell Brown, the only Baylor University graduate killed in the Oklahoma City bombing. Bishop, a public defender in Cook County, Illinois, wrote the book and an article about Brown to highlight stories of forgiveness that emerged from the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in United States history.
Jonathan Platt, chief executive officer of the Baylor Line—the independent alumni organization of Baylor University—interviewed Bishop during the “Book Talk” event.
In her writings and the interview, Bishop connected her own experience with violence and what some view as her seemingly incongruent opposition to the death penalty in the context of her stories about the bombing. In 1990, Bishop’s sister, Nancy, and Nancy’s husband, Richard, were murdered by a 16-year-old boy in a home invasion.
When asked to write about Brown, Bishop said she was immediately drawn to the story because of the similarities between Brown and Nancy. “Nancy was 25 years old, and Cindy was almost exactly the same age, and they looked almost exactly alike,” Bishop said. “That could have been my sister.”
In her research on Brown, Bishop discovered a courageous, curious and inspirational figure. “She was this incredibly brave woman who was not afraid to ask questions,” Bishop said. “As a Baylor student, she wanted to work with juvenile defenders.”
Years after Brown’s death, young people she had worked with wrote messages about how she helped them through the darkest periods of their lives. Bishop wants people to know that Brown’s love for her family and those she worked with still lives on.
Bishop is a strong proponent of telling the stories of victims of traumatic events like the Oklahoma City bombing. “I wanted to tell those stories because I didn’t want them to be forgotten,” she said. “I didn’t want Timothy McVeigh’s name to live and theirs to die.”
McVeigh, the mastermind of the bombing, plays a prominent role in Bishop’s book, “Grace from the Rubble: Two Fathers’ Road to Reconciliation After the Oklahoma City Bombing.” The book tells the story of the unlikely friendship between Bill McVeigh and Bud Welch, the father of one of McVeigh’s victims.
Welch, who initially wanted Timothy McVeigh to receive the death penalty for the horrors he committed, had a change of heart when he saw the anguish on Bill’s face during a television interview. Empathy washed over Welch when he realized Bill would soon lose his son to the justice system. Their shared pain and similar backgrounds as members of farming families led to a lifelong bond.
In the Book Talk interview, Platt asked Bishop what could be learned from studying such a friendship.
“Because there is so much healing in reaching out to that person,” Bishop said. “Don’t be afraid, if you have the impulse, to go and say, ‘I am so sorry.’ Follow that human impulse to reach out and connect, and to know that there is no evil beyond redemption. Evil will never have the last word. I believe this with all of my heart … love will always have the last word.”
Much of Bishop’s work and writing stems from her opposition to the death penalty. When reporters asked if she was disappointed that her sister’s 16-year-old killer couldn’t receive the death penalty, she responded that she doesn’t believe in it because, “You can’t kill to show that killing is wrong.”
In her conversation with Platt, Bishop also noted McVeigh’s death by lethal injection was exactly what he wanted—a “hero’s death,” according to McVeigh. She reminded the audience that McVeigh’s death healed no one.
“Grace from the Rubble” was published by Zondervan in 2020. Bishop is currently working on a new project about her experience as a public defender through the lens of her Christian faith. She plans to tell stories about the inherent dignity of incarcerated people and why they must not be forgotten.
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