Zecora Wilcutt

The Twister of '56

Friday night, February 17, 1956, a date I will never forget. It was an unseasonably warm and humid night for February, and I was scheduled to work the F.T.A. concession stand for the SHS vs. Scottsboro basketball game. My sister went with me to enjoy the game with her friends while I worked.

About halfway into the game Coach Wright came into the cafeteria, where we had the concession stand, and began to open the windows. We were really puzzled because by this time it was raining very hard and the wind was blowing fiercely. As each window was opened, the wind grabbed the metal blind whipping it out from the window with such force that I thought they were going to be blown off the window or cut Coach Wright to pieces. He was having such a difficult time trying to get control of the blinds that one of the other coaches came to help. Miss Hammond, our sponsor, inquired as to why the windows were being opened during a wind and rain storm. Coach told her that a tornado had just hit Corinth, Mississippi and would be in Sheffield in about 30 minutes. The coaches spotting the game for WLAY Radio had heard the weather report over the radio remote control. Just as Coach Wright finished explaining to us what was taking place, the windows in the top of the gym began to pop like popcorn and broken glass was falling inside the gym like rain.

I had never seen Miss Hammond and that group of girls including myself move so quickly to close and secure a concession stand. As we finished Mr. Boley announced that ALL players, students and adults should move to the center of the gym floor quickly and be seated. We were instructed to be as quiet as possible and listen for further instructions. Before the last few students coming onto the floor could be seated, the lights went out. There was total darkness except for the lightening. The only sound was breaking glass, howling wind and torrential rain. I don't remember how long we sat in the floor, but it seemed like forever. No one was allowed to leave, not even the visiting team whose coaches were anxious to get on the road back to Scottsboro, until parents came for them.

After what seemed an eternity, parents began to make their way to the gym doors to get their children. Those whose parents came for them were allowed to leave first. Back then very few of our classmates had their own car so we walked or depended on parents to get us where we needed to be.

Somehow my adventurous, not afraid of anybody or anything sister made her way to the gym door. The lightening was so bright that she spotted our Dad's car and came for me. Seems there was a fallen tree across the street that prevented cars from getting close to the doors. When my sister and I returned to the door Dad was waiting for us. I remember running through that horrible rain and being soaked head to toe before we got to the car.

Our parents had been at the Tri-Angle Grocery (on second street before you got to WLAY) and the glass doors blew out of the store as the power went off. They decided to forget grocery shopping and get to school to get us. Later we learned that a tornado had gone directly over the high school and across the York Terrace area never touching down but causing much roof damage.

We were so blessed to have a principal like Mr. Boley. We respected him and never questioned his judgment or authority. When he very calmly gave instructions to move to the gym floor and be seated we trusted him and did as we were told. How fortunate we were that the major damage to the school was broken windows and no injuries. With so many at the ballgame it could have been a major tragedy.

Years later while Bobby and I were living in Scottsboro, our friend, Donald Jacobs mentioned that he was playing in a basketball game in Sheffield the night a tornado stopped the game. He wondered if we remembered or perhaps were at the game. He recalled that everybody had to sit in the middle of the gym floor, and his team was not allowed to change out of uniforms until they were on the bus going home. What a discussion we had about the ballgame and that stormy night.

Zecora