Published Sunday, February 16, 2003
in ourselves
Herald Business Editor
As we look back over the past year, there were local events that shaped our lives.
In this year's Outlook, an annual publication by The Herald, local businesses and organizations were called upon to figure out what made them special.
With the theme of "Best of the Best," Outlook explores what products and services provided locally set us apart.
On the economic scene, Wheatland Tube Co. buying the assets of AK Steel Sawhill Tubular Division and the closing of Damascus Bishop Tube in Reynolds, which once employed more than 200, certainly were among the major economic events.
But in this case, what is best couldn't be measured in charts and graphs. Rather, it was found within ourselves.
On a chilly Sunday autumn evening, a tornado ripped through Clark, South Pymatuning Township and neighboring communities. This Nov. 10 tornado registered just shy of F-3 on the Fujita Scale and left in its wake scores of destroyed and extensively damaged homes along with uprooted trees, downed power lines and debris strewn over miles.
Tragically, 81-year-old Charles E. Templeton of Clark was killed in the twister. He was the first county resident to perish in a tornado since the May 31, 1985, tornadoes that struck Wheatland, Hermitage and West Middlesex.
But in the aftermath of last year's ravaging tornado, something extraordinary happened. Rather than waiting idly for state or federal assistance to comfort those without a roof over their heads and to clean up mounds of debris, local residents immediately rolled up their sleeves.
Emergency crews descended on the battered area within minutes of the tornado blowing through. Police, fire and emergency crews from throughout the county carefully sifted through debris for injured survivors in the black of night.
Businesses such as Tara, A Country Inn, which narrowly escaped the tornado's wrath, opened its doors to fellow Clark residents who found themselves without shelter.
Such generosity was repeated over and over again by other area businesses who donated everything from hotel rooms and apartments to dump trucks, gloves, bottled water and food to aid victims and emergency crews.
Social service agencies such as the Mercer County Chapter of the American Red Cross were on hand to aid survivors with food and clothing along with help from The Salvation Army.
With the twister touching down about 7:45 p.m., within 45 minutes, "friends of my son and daughter were here with chain saws, ladders and tarps," Clark resident George Priester said at the time. His home pummeled, even his 7-year-old grandson answered the cleanup call.
In the days after the tornado, volunteers showed up unannounced and were ready to pitch in -- from clearing streets to helping soothe the emotions of homeowners who saw their life's work blown away in seconds.
Members of the Mercer County Home Builders Association donated their time and craft in rebuilding the home of a family who didn't have homeowner's insurance.
On the first Saturday after the tragedy, more than 300 volunteers showed up for "Operation Clark Clean-Up."
Representatives from churches, schools, the Boy Scouts along with complete strangers were on hand to clear away smaller debris.
In looking back at the events, Clark Mayor Douglas Bradley said even now he's amazed at the community support.
"What impressed me was the way people held together, the morale, the attitude ... it was so positive," Bradley said. "They were ready to rebuild from day one -- there was no hesitation on their parts."
Neighboring communities committed equipment along with street and emergency crews to the cleanup effort, he noted. But most encouraging of all was that people wanted to help. Calls began pouring into the borough office from people wanting to help anyway they could.
Contributions to a fund created to help tornado victims began flowing in from organizations and people as far away as central Pennsylvania. Donations included $1,000 from the West Middlesex American Legion Auxiliary group.
"We got a $500 check last week from a church in Butler," Bradley said.
In all, $87,000 has been collected for the fund, and the state approved a $100,000 grant for the borough to defray cleanup costs.
As for the future, a tree replanting program for the town is scheduled for the spring and volunteers have already signed up.
Talking about the pioneering spirit in the tornado's aftermath, Bradley -- who has been Clark mayor for 17 years and council vice president for eight years before that -- said he couldn't feel prouder of what was accomplished.
"We're going to be all right," he said. "I have all the confidence in the world we'll get back to our original beauty."