Hanover, Indiana

Hanover College is often remembered as one of the many local casualties of the 1974 Super Outbreak, along with the IKE Power Plant, Clifty Falls State Park, the local schools, and many nearby homes and buildings. At 3:51pm on April 3, 1974, one of two F4 tornadoes beginning near Madison made its way onto Hanover’s campus, destroying more than 30 buildings and causing $10 million in damage. “The tornado looked like two clouds going in circles about 200 feet high. They were dark green,” recalls an anonymous student in an interview for The Hanoverian, Hanover College’s residential magazine.
“The most unsettling experience were the roll calls,” another student, Kristen Gable, admits in a 50th anniversary memorial collection created by the Hanover College Archives. “They would call off the names of dorm residents who were not yet accounted for. Hearing each name, especially those of particularly close friends, made my heart sink and my imagination run wild.”

These two recollections are just a few of many similar stories told by former students of Hanover College, many of whom witnessed the tornado firsthand. Though the tornado that struck Hanover College was responsible for 190 injuries and 11 deaths, no one on campus was killed, although several were seriously injured. Despite the massive destruction, the community that grew around the tornadic event is looked back on somewhat fondly by those who experienced it. “There were a lot of people who showed great courage and compassion during this time. The feeling of community was enormous everywhere you went,” recalled former student James Struck. Former president John Horner seemed to agree, stating in his personal notes: “The tornado was also the most cohesive [event] in the life of the college. It brought more unity to the campus than one could ever imagine. The team spirit was genuine and long-lasting. Everyone ‘pulled together’ for the common good.”

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