Pardon the weather-speak. I'm talking about the Thanksgiving Day Blizzard of 1950. It was a POWERFUL storm with snowfall, temperature, and wind records that still stand. Technically, it was a large extropical cyclone - think of a wintertime land-based hurricane. "Explosive cyclogenesis" means that the storm strengthened explosively and fast. The storm system created havoc throughout the eastern US: Crippling snow (Marietta 27 inches, Parkersburg 37 inches) from the Ohio Valley eastward, record low temperatures throughout the South (Miami FL 28 degrees), and 100+ mph winds in Northeastern states. The Weather Channel rated this storm 8th in the top ten storms of the entire 20th century with nearly $1 Billion damage in today's dollars. Here are a few stories, most from Roger Pickenpaugh’s fascinating book Buckeye Blizzard.
Junior and Catherine Steele's wedding at Belpre almost didn't happen. Junior's nephew, the impromptu best man, drove him from Waverly WV. They stopped in Parkersburg to pick up the pastor and his daughter who had walked 3 miles to meet them. The daughter served as piano player and bridesmaid. The wedding trip was a slog through deep snow to their new apartment.
Births and deaths did not wait. Clair Linton died near Little Hocking. Her grandson John Linton worked to clear the road on a bulldozer. The dozer broke down. A team of horses finished the job. The hearse was pulled by one tractor and followed by two more, just in case. An Ohio National Guard tank was dispatched in Cleveland to retrieve a corpse on someone's porch. The "corpse" came alive as the tank approached: the man, facing the massive gun, jumped up and fled.
Arlene Ball lived near Dungannon, northeast of Beverly, Ohio and went into labor. They called Dr. Victor Whitacre's office, but baby Sharon arrived before he did. A neighbor bravely cut the umbilical cord with a sterilized pair of scissors. Dr. Whitacre had started for the Ball home, but his car died. He continued on foot at great personal risk, reaching Ball’s home after dark "looking like a snowman.” The next day the doctor acquired an army four-wheel drive jeep. Quite by accident he gave a ride to Ralph Hanson, Arlene's father. As the men traded storm stories, Ralph learned that his second grandchild had been born.
Most people behaved well, but not always. 297 prison inmates were forced outside in Alabama when their prison camp caught fire. None escaped; it was too cold. Three prisoners in Fayetteville WV set for release begged to stay until the storm passed. The Sheriff "extended their sentence." Others were less charitable. Homeless people were denied access to a city’s open jail cells by an insensitive judge who refused to shelter "bums.” A group of volunteers worked to free a bus stuck in the snow, expecting a ride. The bus driver drove away, leaving the incredulous helpers stranded.
Many stepped up to help. Marietta City Clerk Carroll Irvine was pressed into service operating a grader – a respite after answering many frantic phone calls at City Hall. It was not a respite. The grader hit a hidden obstacle in the street, throwing him into the cage and knocking him out. Former Mariettan Rich Price, then 15, and his father helped clear roads using a bulldozer from their quarry in Morgan County. That dozer “never shut down” for an entire week. Rich recalled that “people were sure glad to see that big yellow machine coming,” so they could get out for supplies and food.
Despite blizzard conditions the Ohio State-Michigan football game, dubbed the Snow Bowl, was played in Columbus. It was a fiasco from the start. It took 2 hours to remove the frozen tarp from the field; fans were recruited to help and also to keep the lines and hash marks clear with brooms. Michigan won 9-3 on a safety and a fumble recovery in the end zone - despite never earning a single first down. OSU’s sole score was a 27-yard field goal; quite a feat since the kicker couldn’t see the goal post. In blinding snow, strategy was simple: avoid possession and force a turnover. There were a total of 45 punts in the game, sometimes on first or second downs. One Michigan player said the heroes of the game were punter Chuck Ortmann and center Carl Kreager who flawlessly made the long snaps to the punter “as though it was a normal day.”
There was chaos off the field, too. Toilets froze, Ortmann saw bonfires in the stands, and fans milled around the sidelines. Under-the-influence fans slid down the huge snow piles, some offered nips of whiskey to players. One fan got very close to the action. OSU receiver Tony Curcillo recalls being tackled on the Michigan sideline. He looked up to see a Wolverine player in a parka - cuddled up with his girlfriend. The crowd at the Shoe was light by normal standards. Some estimated that by the fourth quarter, there were fewer than 10,000 present. The smaller crowd meant that vacant premium seats were open to all. One attendee sitting in the end zone at kick-off moved to the 50 yard line and found plenty of empty seats.
Days later warm weather cleared the snow. Life went on. There would be many stories to tell grandchildren and anyone who would listen.
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