by Mary Wilson
What likely began as an ordinary evening on May 20 back in
1957 quickly turned deadly as an F-5 tornado tore a 71-mile path of
destruction, beginning in Spring Hill, KS, and bouncing through Ottawa, KS,
Grandview, Hickman Mills, Martin City, Knob Town and Ruskin Heights.
May 20th marked the 60-year anniversary of the tornado that
thrashed through the area. Ruskin High School suffered extensive damage,
including the almost complete destruction of the gymnasium that was supposed to
house the high school’s graduation ceremony the very next evening. All that
remained on the sign for the gym was a few haunting letters: RU IN.
The 1957 tornado, deemed the Ruskin Heights Tornado, took
the lives of 39 people, with more than 500 injured. Roughly 400 homes were damaged
or destroyed.
In the last few years, survivors, many of whom were young
children at the time, have found solace and comfort through a social media
group created on Facebook. With 673 members, “1957 Ruskin Heights Tornado
Survivors CAUGHT EVER AFTER” is dedicated to providing an outlet for shared
memories and a bond that has lasted a lifetime.
Dave May, who would later graduate from Ruskin High School,
recalled that the horrific night brought the community closer.
“As I sit in the
comfort of my living room, I can't help but think about the tornado tragedy
that happened in my childhood stomping grounds 60 years ago tonight, and the
lives it took and changed and the people that were scarred for life,” May said
in the Facebook group over the weekend. “I wasn't in the tornado, but lived in
Ruskin then, and growing up I have heard many stories that were tragic and some
that were a miracle. My heart truly goes out to the victims who suffered along
the 71 miles the tornado was on the ground. After the tornado, it seemed to make
Ruskin a little tighter, and neighbors knew neighbors.”
Diana Leonard’s family home sat just south of the tornado
path, and while her family didn’t see extensive destruction to their property,
the storm left a lasting impact on their lives.
“I was not quite six years old in 1957, and I well recall
the events of that day,” said Leonard. “Our home was on the east side of the
Kansas City Southern railroad and south of Ruskin, and was okay, other than a
2x4 stuck in our roof like a birthday candle, and the horrible debris scattered
across our yard. 20 years later, my younger sister was set to graduate from
Ruskin on May 20. We shared our girlhood room the night before and she was up
and down all night and nervous as a cat. She said she had heard these things
happen on a 20-year cycle and she was sure we were going to have another
tornado. I tried to reassure her that we would be fine, but, wouldn't you know
it, the early afternoon of May 20, 1977, a straight-line wind came through and
toppled our dear old elm tree in the front yard, landing it squarely on top of
my car! That will teach me to laugh at old wives' tales!”
Ellen Robinson, then a newly-advanced kindergartner from
Tower School, took to the Facebook group to express her gratitude to other
survivors of the Ruskin Heights Tornado.
“I graduated from the Tower School kindergarten 60 years ago
today, and by that night it was obliterated into dust, leaving no trace,” said
Robinson. “I'm friends with a few survivors, and I feel an unspoken kinship
with them unlike any other of my friends. I'm grateful for them every day, and
very thankful for this Facebook group, because I know there's a wound hidden in
each of us. You think all trace of its trauma is gone, then there will be a
particular chartreuse or pink in the sky, a scent of earth or electricity in
the air, a news story, and instantly you hurt again.”
The memories from the Ruskin Heights Tornado of 1957 are
everlasting, with the impact and the loss much greater than homes being
destroyed. Loved ones were lost and the lives of the survivors were forever
changed. Each year, the anniversary of the tornado is commemorated with the
laying of wreaths at the site of the memorial in front of Ruskin High School.
For 60 years, the Ruskin community has mourned the ruin and the devastation,
but despite the tornado’s impact, the survivors continue to share their stories
with each other and with the next generations.
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