May 11, 2017 (Wednesday)
On this day, May 11, 64 years ago, an F5 tornado hit Waco, Texas. It killed 114 people and injured almost 600. Instant memories today are those of blocks of rubble that once were buildings, cars reduced to scrap metal two feet high, and a constant flow of funeral processions in the days that followed.
” />I was a student at Baylor University at the time, and graduated a few weeks after the tornado.
Wanda and I were not yet married, so I left town that afternoon and drove to Cleburne, where she lived and taught school. We went to a movie in Fort Worth, and I got back to Waco late that night. When I reached the city, I saw debris on the road, and wondered why it was there. As I got closer to the house on campus where my friends and I lived, I saw that the town was unusually dark. I reached the house, and found no one at home. Wondering what was happening, I drove toward the only light in the sky I could see, which turned out to be the glow of emergency lighting downtown where my friends had joined others in rescue efforts. I was stopped by a National Guardsman, carrying a weapon, and was told about the tornado. That was the first I knew about it.
If you would like to read more and see pictures of the damage, just “Google” the subject and you will find much information on the web.
Around the nation, Waco’s reputation is mixed. It has had its share of troubles that can happen anywhere. Some know only of the tornado, David Koresh, and the Biker skirmish at a local restaurant. But Waco is a great place to live. It should be rated high on a list of pleasant places because it has no crowded freeways. It has everything a person could want in the way of shopping malls, museums and parks. It is home to a great university. If you like ranches, you can find them in any direction. If you prefer big cities, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin are all an easy drive away. I say again, Waco is a great place to live.
