How their lives have changed

A look at some of the important figures in the Oklahoma City bombing. <br><br><b>TIMOTHY McVEIGH: A former U.S. Army soldier from Pendleton</b>, N.Y., angry at the government for the seige at Waco, Texas,

Wednesday, April 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A look at some of the important figures in the Oklahoma City bombing.

TIMOTHY McVEIGH: A former U.S. Army soldier from Pendleton, N.Y., angry at the government for the seige at Waco, Texas, McVeigh was convicted of the April 19, 1995, bombing that killed 168 people. He is on death row at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., and is appealing his conviction, arguing ineffective counsel in his trial.

TERRY NICHOLS: Nichols sits in an Oklahoma County Jail cell just blocks from the bomb site, waiting for a state trial on 160counts of first-degree murder. Nichols has been sentenced to life in prison on federal convictions of conspiracy and eight counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of eight federal law enforcement officers. He is appealing his federal conviction.

MICHAEL FORTIER: Fortier, from Kingman, Ariz., is serving a 12-year federal sentence after pleading guilty in August 1995 to four charges. He admitted he had prior knowledge of the bombing scheme but did not alert authorities. He also admitted to lying to investigators, hiding evidence and trafficking in firearms the government said were stolen to finance the bombing. He is appealing his sentence as too long.

AREN ALMON-KOK: The mother of 1-year-old Baylee Almon, whose picture in the arms of firefighter Chris Fields became a lasting image of the attack, has become a spokeswoman for a private foundation urging the installation of shatterproof glass. She married in 1997 and has one daughter, Bella Almon Kok. She and her husband, Stan, are expecting their second child.

CHARLES PORTER IV: An amateur photographer, Porter won the Pulitzer Prize for his picture of Baylee Almon. He worked in a downtown bank at the time. Porter, who occasionally shoots weddings and other events, began taking college courses with an eye on a physical therapy degree. In March, he was accepted to a three-year physical therapy program at Hampton University in Virginia and plans to begin classes June 20.

CHRIS FIELDS: The firefighter in whose arms Baylee Almon was placed by Oklahoma City police Officer John Avera, Fields remains with the Oklahoma City Fire Department. He still loves his job and loves to go to work every day. Fields and his wife, Cheryl, have a 14-month-old son, Parker, and a 7-year-old son, Ryan.

EDYE SMITH STOWE: Four days after the bombing, Edye Smith sat at the nationally televised memorial service and clutched a teddy bear while mourning the loss of her sons, 2-year-old Colton and 3-year-old Chase. After reconciling briefly with her husband and undergoing a procedure to reverse a tubal ligation, she divorced in September 1996. She later met and married television engineer Paul Stowe. They have a son, Glenn. Mrs. Stowe plans to become a full-time cosmetologist in April.

JON HANSEN: As the spokesman for the Oklahoma City Fire Department, Hansen's was the face the world saw each day as he gave updates about rescue and recovery efforts in the weeks after the bombing. He retired in July 1999 to take a job at Oklahoma City Freightliner, where he is general manager of its emergency vehicles division in Oklahoma and Texas. The company supplies fire fighting equipment, mostly large fire trucks.