Ruskin Heights Tornado Memorial

Ruskin Heights Tornado Memorial Survivor's Challenge

January 1, 2007

This a challenge from Henry L. Stewart Jr.'s family, a survivor of the 1957 Ruskin Heights tornado directed toward the community.

To all that are working on the Ruskin Heights Tornado Memorial concerning the May 20, F5 Tornado.

My name is Henry L. Stewart, Jr. I am a survivor of this horrible event. My family, Henry L. Stewart, Sr. I am a survivor of this horrible event. My family, Henry L. Stewart, Sr., father, Shirley A. Stewart, mother, I and my 6 month old sister, Linda Sue Stewart, experienced, a direct hit from the twister on May 20, 1957 at PM CST.

My sister, Linda Sue Stewart, perished in the storm and was found near Highway 71, about a mile from our home on Oakley Street in Hickman Mills, MO. My father, Henry L. Stewart, Sr., is now deceased. The remaining survivors in my family are my mother and I. I am 54 years old, and I was 4 years old when this happened. I remember the event like it happened yesterday, and I have re-lived the event almost every week of my life. I was severely injured, basically cut in half and bled to death. I was DOA when delivered to Menorah hospital with my mother in the back seat of a 1953 Oldsmobile. Menorah hospital was overwhelmed and would not admit me.

I was separated from my mother and was driven to St. Joseph hospital. My father worked second shift at Westinghouse and was at work when the funnel struck. Doctors revived me 3 times. As fast as they pumped blood in me, it poured out a deep laceration around my waist, stopping 1mm from a renal artery. I had a broken clavicle and 3rd degree burns on my chest. My mother received a broken back, two broken legs, broken arm, cuts, and was told both children were dead. I was lost at St. Joseph's hospital for a couple of days, as I was in a coma, and no one knew my name. When I awoke to incredible pain when nurses were scrubbing the wounds preparing me for surgery, I passed out. I had a unique nickname, which I mumbled.

The local TV stations and news media ran spots asking if any one knew me. Friends of the family saw the news and claimed me.

The volunteer work many of you are performing is greatly appreciated! Although you may never meet any of us, does not mean this is not a worthy cause. I am hopeful all Ruskin High School graduates past, present, and future will accept the challenge at hand concerning the 50th memorial. I am hoping to meet many of these students and graduates this spring when I attend the 50th anniversary on the weekend of May 18-20, 2007. My mother and I will travel a great distance to connect with our friends, relatives, and neighbors. The Stewart Family would like to thank the Ruskin Heights Homes Association, the Ruskin High School staff, teachers and students, and the many volunteers and merchants who are working on this project.

Words can not explain how important this work is, and how important the message is that must be communicated, so that no one may suffer physically, or mentally, experience the loss of loved one, or encounter a storm of this magnitude. My mother and I are hoping to meet many of you when we visit, but we would especially like to meet the person, group, class, or team that will oversee the flowering tree in memory of my sister, Linda Sue Stewart, of Hickman Mills, MO.

I am the family spokesman for the Henry L. Stewart, Sr. family, and I would very much enjoy receiving emails, updates, letters or phone calls from may be involved. I make my home in the Detroit, Michigan area and my mother resides in the Ft. Lauderdale, FL area. I would also like to express thanks to Carolyn Glen Brewer and her book, "Caught in the Path." I have purchased the book and made donations to the Ruskin Heights Memorial Tree Arbor Foundation.

I am hopeful that maybe there are some future scientists at Ruskin High School who might become meteorologists or physics majors, who might go on to find a way to reverse the energy of these types of storms.

In 1957, we barely had military radar, and any weather radar, sirens, warning system etc. The students from the last 50 years have benefited from swift and immediate changes learned from the 1957 event and implemented.

I know most of the students say the event happened before I was born or ask why I should volunteer? The choice is their own. As an outsider, I can only tell them, the community service challenge is greatly appreciated by the thousands of people who survived this event. From a scientific perspective, the potential energy generated by this storm in Hickman Mills, Grandview, and Ruskin Heights was equal to (1) Hiroshima atomic bomb blast.

Simply - we cannot thank all the people and groups enough for the work they will donate in this arena. I am honored that hundreds of people, whom I have never met, would feel so strongly about this upcoming event and offer the greatest gift, their time. If you can please get involved.

Maybe your mother or father, aunt or uncle, or old friend of the family was affected by this storm. Because of the storm, all of us are connected to each other - past - present - and - future. These types of storms have a history of visiting this area. In fact, there is documented proof from the 1800's, the 1940's, the big on in 1957, one that flew over our house in 1958. Each time a storm siren blows and people take cover, they benefit from the changes made after the epic storm of 1957.

Please get involved, donate your time, and donate your money, resources, whatever you can to help Ruskin Heights Homes Association Memorial <rededication> scheduled for May 19, 2007. Adopt a tree and get to know the family you will represent. Your future may depend upon how you act in the present.

Get a copy of the book from Carolyn Glen Brewer, read it, study it, learn from the many survivors, and know that you are a part of this.

Sincerely,

Henry L. Stewart, Jr.

Survivor of the May 20, 1957 F5 Ruskin Heights Tornado

email: mailto:HLS5@daimlerchrysler.com

Last updated on June 11, 2007