Milford chronicle., 1957-05-31

" demolished. a new $4,000, 900
brick and steel school gone, a
shopping center where many
sought shelter, was obliterated and
of course the Presbyterian Church
was just swept away. Bonnie re-
ceived a cut on her foot and the
Bennetts were most grateful for
that minor injury A young child
near them was bleeding profusely
and Tom, with others, tried to use
the scouts tourniquets to control
it, but il seemed to be internal and
that child died.
{ asked Tom if he could see his
house from the Church after the
storm passed. He laughed and said.
"He could see even past it,.
When we saw their street and
where their house had been two
days before it seemed to be part of
nwsreel of the bombings in Eu-
rope. It was Just unbelievable.
There was nothing in sight. from
where we stood in their front yard,
but rubbIe.
Those of you who know Tom.
know how funny he is and how
interesting he. can make any story.
They leave for tomorrow. and IL
you get the opportunity let him tell
you his side of this narrowing ex-
perienee. They were. left with moth
ing and yet, he and all his neigli-
bors saw how lucky they were to
have survived.
Martial-law has been in effect
ever since Monday night Tom and
his family didn't get any sleep
that night and helped with the hum
dreds of casualties. The following
morning Toms neighbor came over
| to his yard and asked if he might
have seen his pair of brown pants
! blow by Tom answered negative
ly and the neighbor said they con-
tanned his last $500. Another
neighbor fused with Tom for hav-
ing all his trash" on his flower
garden.
Doris had been house cleaning
the past week and i'm doing so had
taken off her wedding and engage
p1ent rings and had put them IN
| the medicine cabinet AS she left
for the church cellar she thought
of going back after therI, but knew
she could get them later. The fol-
/ lowing day in the wreckage of their
home they found the engagement
ring, hut not the wedding band.
One rubber garment bag containing
some suits they salvaged from the
1 debris, one pair of BObbv's shoes,
two of the children's bikes. a golf
bag, two of Toms shirts, some lug
gage and their car, that's all And
the car is another story. Three
weeks ago a blow out in their for
mer, car turned them end over end
three times and demolished that
car. Their new car less than 500
miles on it was still in the defunct
garage, minus all the glass win
dows and was scratched and dent
led.
If ever good ole Milford wanted
to do a good deed they certainly
could with a Tom Bennett Tornado
i Fund Drive. The BENEFITS had in
surance. but what can il cover when
you lose every possession you ever
owned? That chair you're sitting
on as you read this-they don't
have. That living room rug undSt
your feet-they found theirs eight
houses down torn and worn. They
had just bought the rug one week
ago. The Zillions of things we use
without thinking every second of
the day-they don't have can tell
you it was shocking sight to see.
Tom and Doris told us In case
of a tornado warning never, never
hesitate to seek shelter. Below
ground is the only safe place to be.
The brick school they considered
entering was in shambles and the
school nurse, the janitOr and three
girls preparing for commencement
were found dead in the building
the next morning.
i / left the Benefits with tears in
my eyes. Tom told us what head
ing to take in our SAC Aero Club
plane to fly over Kdskin Heights. as
we headed for home; but | had
seen enough for life time.
i Kansas City, the Red Cross. the
i midwest Mennonites, the local
police, cIergymen, and especially
the Air Force people have been
wonderful to all those in the disas-
ter area. l hope you in Milford will
be equally as wonderful to Doris
and Tom and their family when
they arrive home this week.
Always,