Author marks 60th anniversary of tornadoes with library visit

After 60 years, the Palm Sunday Tornadoes remain one of the worst weather disasters in state history.

To mark the anniversary, Indiana author Janis Thornton documented stories from the storm in her book “The 1965 Palm Sunday Tornadoes in Indiana” in detail and with thorough research. Janis will talk about her book during a visit at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 11 at the downtown library.

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“I grew up in Tipton, I was around when those tornadoes went through,” Janis says. “It was something I never forgot. 12 or 13 miles north of us, Russiaville was hit really hard. My dad took me through a drive around Howard County to see all the damage. I was a teenager. It’s something that stuck with me.” 

The lasting personal impact led her to look for more information on that day. The books she could find on the outbreak were long out-of-print.  

“I wondered why nobody had done a recent book on it,” she says. “That’s when I got started on it.” 

Janis began working on the project in 2020, and once her publisher, History Press, backed the book, she dove deeply into the research. 

“I interviewed 125 people for the book,” she says. “I wanted to talk to real people who had been through it. I posted notices on Facebook and everyone I contacted, like historical societies, I asked for names. I sent briefs in those areas. I had a tremendous response.” 

She spent time visiting libraries, including Elkhart Public Library, and historical societies to gather information and look at old newspapers and photos. 

The Palm Sunday tornado outbreak saw 10 tornadoes touch down in Indiana, killing 137 people, including around 50 in Elkhart County, according to the National Weather Service. 

“I felt honored that some of these people who had devastating stories shared them with me,” Janis says. “I felt a responsibility to share those.” 

Janis says she’ll talk about how the storms moved through the state and share some personal stories from her book. 

But she always leaves time at the end for others to share their stories, too.  

“I invite people to share their stories, sometimes that goes on and it gets real emotional,” Janis says. 

The program is free and open to the public.