Thirty-two years ago today the largest tornado ever recorded (IIRC) struck the town where I lived. Formed by three tornados that merged, and with a base a mile wide, this thing laid down a huge path of destruction right through the heart of this small city in Ohio (pop. 50k). It killed about 35 people, and injured 680. Thousands were left homeless.

My family's home, fortunately, was in a suburb to the west. I was at my after-school job at the front counter of a dry cleaning shop (all alone). I will never forget the ugly sky that evening.......the undersides of the clouds resembled cotton balls of a dirty pea-soup color. There was first a tornado watch on the radio, and then a tornado warning. I plotted a course of action: if I heard the freight train coming, I would go lie down in the pile of clothes waiting to be dry cleaned, where I might at least be safe from flying glass shards.

Lucky for me, but not so lucky for so many others, the tornado hit to the east. Our house was untouched. My high school was untouched, but te other HS in town was utterly destroyed, so those students had to pull the 3-11PM shift at my school for the rest of spring semester.

I understand there are parts of Xenia that have still not rebuilt.........vacant lots where homes once stood..........businesses gone and never reopened.......it was a beautiful place, full of huge trees and old Victorian homes, and will never be the same.

I'm giving Xenia a moment of silence in memory of those who died, and for those whose lives were forever changed.