On Saturday, August 31st, our town, the town we love, was changed forever. It seemed like a normal day. The start of a 3-day weekend. A clear, hot day. Busy for families, workers, and anyone who calls the Permian Basin home. Some were at home, some were shopping, some were with friends. But it was normal, just like any other Saturday. And then we heard the sirens. First one, then two, then too many to count. Then we saw the texts, then we got the calls, then we turned on the news.
It felt like a dream. Is this really happening here? We see tragedies across the nation, even across the world, and they don’t really impact us. But this one did. Odessa is growing fast, but we’re still a small town. Lots of people know lots of people. Virtually everyone knows someone who was a victim, a family member, a witness, a first responder, a counselor or preacher delivering hope in the midst of chaos.
The Darville Company is Odessa born and Odessa proud, serving West Texans for more than 70 years. We love our city, and the people of the Permian Basin. We’re proud of the way that people are already coming together, and we’re reminded that life is precious. We appreciate being able to serve the people of Odessa and the Permian Basin and will do so for many years to come.
Within hours of the rampage ending, people across the globe knew about Odessa, Texas. But did they really know us? Odessa, Texas is a good place. With good people. It’s the city where we were born. It’s the city where many of us will die…some of us, too soon. We want the world to know that there’s more to this place than oil and tumbleweeds and jackrabbits, and much more than a terrible story that made worldwide headlines on the last day of August, 2019.