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Date Posted: 12:48:40 06/07/09 Sun
Author: Leslie W
Subject: Re: Tornado
In reply to: Michael K. 's message, "Tuesday" on 19:16:59 06/06/09 Sat

You are right about the date, Mike. it is 56 years ago that the tornado hit on June 9, 1953, my 8th birthday. Falling off my grandparents' front steps, I broke my left arm on June 10, Kathy DeLong's birthday.

I lived in Hopkinton then and was having a birthday party which was cut short. The tornado split in Shrewsbury and headed toward Grafton and Westboro. My grandparents who lived on West St., were spared from a huge tree that fell parallel to their house.

87 people perished in Worcester and Central Mass. I say a prayer for them on every June 9th.

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[> Re: Tornado -- Ruth K, 16:32:02 06/09/09 Tue [1]

I also remember the day well. We had 56 children at our house in the back yard, my entire class plus my sister Mary's and the teachers, for a picnic. The day was hot, steamy, very quiet, and the sky turned green. My father came home from work to tell the news of the approaching storm, and my mother started calling all the parents to come pick up the kids. Amazingly, everyone got home before the tornado hit. We lost 28 big trees in our yard, and the Aronson farm, where the new high school now stands, got flattened, as well as the Harvey house. I think 6 people in Westboro were killed that day. The rest of us are very lucky to be around to remember that horrible day.

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[> [> Re: Tornado -- rich boyd, 01:25:21 06/10/09 Wed [1]

Oh, thank you, Ruth. I was trying to think of the name of the Aronson family.
Two days before the tornado, Mrs. Aronson came to our house and, completely out of the blue, gave my mother some real sleigh bells. Two days later the Aronsons were gone. My mother always felt that Mrs. Aronson must have had a feeling that some thing would happen. The sleigh bells were hung on our door in Westboro very year at Christmas. I have them here now in Washington State and still put them out at Christmas and think of the Aronsons.
My parents worked so hard after that storm. Although I was four, my father had to take some of us along as he went out to treat people while my mother treated people at our house. I still remember walking around the Harvey's home, spread across the field. We also went to a farm on Flanders road where I seem to remember the dead cattle and trees without leaves and the men working to help round up the surviving cattle. Was that the Zerettis? (I am sure my spelling is off).
I have always felt that my career in medicine started when I went on my first house calls that day.

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