A blizzard came in

Folks, the cold and drizzling rain we are having brought back memories of a few experiences I had while living and working up north.

When I was superintendent of schools I had two high school students, Johnny Blakenship and Leroy Smith, who whenever it started to snow would come into my office and announce, "Mr. Brubaker there is a virtual blizzard going on out there and we think you should phone the bus drivers and have them come in and take us kids home."

Now this happened even if there were only a few snow flakes falling. It became a ritual and I enjoyed their amusing effort to get me to dismiss school. Oh, by the way, they never waited for my answer; they just turned around and walked out.

Another incident was when a friend of mine, Al Kiracofe, who was superintendent of schools in another county phoned me and asked if I was going to dismiss school early as it was snowing fairly hard. I told him that I was not as I felt we could finish the school day and get the students home without any problems. He then informed me in that case he would keep his school open also.

Shortly after that, our county superintendent phoned to say that the county sheriff had just phoned him and told him he should advise all the schools in the county to send the students home as a blizzard was on the way.

So I got busy and phoned the bus drivers and we sent all the students home.

I was so busy closing school that I forgot to phone Al and tell him I was dismissing school. Al’s county officials did not phone him so he kept the school open. By the time it started to really blow and snow, it was too late. Poor Al had students housed in the school building, some he got into private homes but it was quite a mess!

I don’t think he ever quite forgave me for not phoning him.

Betty and I used to host Rotary Exchange students from foreign countries. One year we hosted a girl from Ecuador. When Monsita left her home it was 110 degrees. She arrived in our home in Ohio in January. Not only was it cold but a week or so after her arrival we had a real blizzard! Some of the snow drifts were 8 to 10ft high. We lived out in the country and we could not get into town or go anywhere for that matter. Thank the Lord we did not lose electric power. We kept warm and the television was working. This was a problem for Monsita as she saw people being rescued from cars that were stuck in the drifts, etc.

Now Monsita spoke very little English. However after being in school and studying English she not only could understand what you said but could speak fairly well. It was only then that she told me about how she felt being caught in the blizzard. She had never seen snow and seeing all this snow and the people being pulled from cars frightened her. She said, "Dad I think, why did I come to America to die?"

All these things came to my mind as I recalled just a few of the many things that happened when the snow really hit.

Folks I do not miss all that!

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