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1966 Tornado
The funnel dropped down over Burnett's Mound shortly after 7 p.m. on a hot, sultry Wednesday evening--June 8. It was so big some said it looked like a wall of wind, not a funnel. It roared so fiercely that Topekans all over town thought it was directly over their homes. It was a tornado, Topeka's biggest, and one of the most destructive in history. After it had passed, there was no doubt. The only questions were how much damage had it done and what could be done to right things again.Topeka Capital Journal, The Storm Story
An aerial view of Washburn University shows the campus as it was in 1961. |
No building escaped damage from the June 8, 1966 F-5 tornado. |
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WINDS BLAZE SAVAGE SHORT-CUT |
The destruction of campus as viewed at ground level. Notice the overturned car in the foreground. Those boards and rocks were buildings on June 7, 1966! |
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Temporary trailer classrooms and offices were set up in villages around campus and Fall 1966 classes began on schedule. |
Robert Kingman, WU professor of Biology and Washburn College alumnus, painted this picture as a memorial to the five buildings totally destroyed. |
The Tornado Project Online offers links to descriptions of current (and some historic) tornado events in the U.S.
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