Research as a journey through life.

Reflecting on the Renewed Interest in My Book on the 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado

For a person whose longtime career has been composing sentences into stories, I feel almost at a loss for words even as I write this.

This past week has been emotional. Since the release last month of my revised book on the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado (the 58th anniversary of which is today), interest and correspondence has kept me busy in my off-work hours. On one day, I was receiving five emails or social media messages an hour. The ones that hit home the most are from survivors or their families.

For many, the book, “Night of the Wind,” is a moment of family history that was locked away for many years. I continue to learn from people their loved ones opened up to me about the worst moment of their collective lives, having not done so before nor since. Many of those survivors whom I interviewed about one of the the worst natural disasters in Lenawee County history are now gone. They shared their stories in bits and pieces with inquisitive relatives, but rarely did the full picture come out.

Why I Listen

I heard more than a few times this past week, “How did you do it?”

I don’t know.

For nearly 25 years now, I have heard from many survivors, eyewitnesses and their families. They share that with which they’re comfortable, and I don’t push. I let them take the lead, and in the end, treating their memories with dignity and respect is top priority. Those parameters, with empathy and understanding, have enabled many to talk about the events of April 11, 1965, when it appears in other circumstances they prefer to forget.

A Continuing Legacy

With the number of people who write, email, call or visit to share their stories, especially with the re-release of the book, it is clear interest in the Palm Sunday tornado remains strong, and the families concur: These stories must be told and preserved.

I fully expected the book’s interest would wane after a couple of years, just as my other projects have. Given the conversations I have had in recent times, especially over the past week or so, this is going to be something I will be archiving and processing for years to come. With social media being a presence that did not exist in 2004 when the book was first published, survivors and their descendants continue to add their experiences to the growing picture of the devastation so many went through 58 years ago.

It is an honor I continue to accept with humility, to tell their stories with respect and reverence, so that we do not forget the sacrifices of those who lost their lives; to learn and to embrace that our personal histories have both good and trying times.

Dan Cherry is a Lenawee County historian.