On April 3, 1974, a massively destructive tornado touched down in Greene County.
In the years since much attention has been paid to the impact on Xenia. But the neighboring town of Wilberforce was also hit hard. That includes the town's two HBCUs, Central State and Wilberforce University.
The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Wilberforce is working with the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO this spring to gather and broadcast oral histories of the disaster.
This interview is from Jerome Haney, a student at Wilberforce University who started college just months after the deadly tornado had hit.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Touring campus in the aftermath
I'm a proud HBCU graduate, class of 1978, where I served as vice president, and I was involved in student government and the education club.
Aug. 6 — I believe it was 1974 — with my actual day of enrolling.
But prior to that, my late mother and her sister had taken me to the campus for a tour.
And I want you to know, it was devastating to me. Even though the resilience had begun, and the rebuilding and the salvaging. It was still disappointing, because I was not used to seeing a building having been taken off its foundation due to the elements.
So what I actually saw when I arrived for that visit was the restoration and the continuing of education. Because it was important for both of those universities and the resilience of the people working.
We've got to continue doing what it is we do out here in the Wilberforce community: that's live, work, and have two schools operating across the street from each other.
Beauty in the ashes
Fortunately, I lived on the new side, which was supposed to be a little bit upper echelon compared to the old campus and its destruction.
But mind you, those were with some beautiful days at Wilberforce though, in spite of it.
What I did see on the face of returning students was their determination to continue their education — which was important — and the fact that a number of them could see the beauty in the ashes.
That they still had hope.
Moving forward after trauma
I also heard conversation from upperclassmen who were talking about other students who made the decision not to return.
And I think most of those students were dealing with PTSD and forms of trauma. And so they didn't want to to come, because I even heard some student express how hard it was to even return, yet they still had to return.
I did hear stories about students saying they did see deceased bodies and they did see deceased animals as well. Cars thrown all kind of ways.
I always remember this one person who had humor and resilience. She said, "Well, I woke my son and husband up and I said 'Come on, we're going down the street and we're going to get the roof. The roof is down the street.'"
So I asked her what was she going to do with the roof? She said "We were going to bring it back home!" And we just busted out laughing. Having that laughter and joy and her humor probably helped her, to be able to look at it, personally, as humor for her.
'It was their turn'
Right now, the new campus is sprawling. It's beautiful.
I love the sight of it, even though I miss the old campus and not able to roam it like I can roam the new side, cause I have memories of living on the old side up there.
I'm very proud to see the university today.
I was there for an event recently. And as I observed the students, I begin to sing in my mind Diana Ross' "It's My Turn," because it was their turn and I could see the things they were doing — the joy, the fun they were having.
