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Summer 2018 Edition
Alumni & Friends Magazine

1964 flood memories

Excerpts of alumni stories about the 1964 flood paired with archival and submitted photos follow.

Staff report | July 23, 2018

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Grover 1964 flood, Athens Ohio

Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

Grover Center was flooded...[because of water damage] the gym floor looked like ocean waves and heaved so high a person could walk underneath it. 鈥擳homas Bixler, MED 鈥65, EMERT 鈥00

1964 Athens flood

Photo courtesy of Peter Olson, BSEE '66

In the spring flood of 1964, my used 1955 Pontiac floated away in the flood. 鈥擡verett Louis Overstreet, BSCE 鈥67

1964 Athens Flood, Washington Hall

Photo courtesy of Peter Olson, BSEE '66

Jefferson Hall [had] no electric, no hot water, [and we ate] baloney sandwiches. We survived! 鈥擟arole Banik McElroy, BSED 鈥64

Alumni memories from the 1964 flood follow:

In the spring of 1964, I was a freshman residing at Lincoln Hall on the East Green [near] Jefferson Hall. The flood waters rose above the parking meters in front of Jefferson. 鈥擟harlie Beshara, BSED 鈥66, MA 鈥68

During the flood of 1963, my husband and I lived on State Street. One of his fraternity brothers and his wife came to our apartment to stay with us because the area around their trailer was flooded. I remember there was no traffic in or out of the city, except for the beer trucks. 鈥擥eorgia Schuff, BA 鈥66

Used to watch them put up flood gates to the Jefferson underground (or was it underwater?) parking garage. A former roommate sent a picture of the Union & Stewart Street intersection. Water was touching the bottom of the sign. His note said, "You should have seen Mrs. Dains [70+ years old] in hip boots cleaning the basement after the flood waters receded.鈥 鈥擝ob Griffith, BBA 鈥63

My rooming house was the last one at the bottom of Mulberry Hill. It was on a lot where Morton Hall now stands. Back then I could sit on the porch roof outside my bedroom window and it was a great spot to watch the National Guard trucks hauling students out of their dorms on the flooded East Green in the early 1960s. 鈥擥reg Trocchia, BA 鈥63

1964 flood athens ohio, student on canoe pass dorm

Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

The spring rains of 1963 made the West Green a lake. Students were swimming in the six-foot deep (likely polluted) waters outside of Grosvenor Hall (then a dormitory). One creative head resident spread a rumor that the waters contained 鈥淰D.鈥 Swimming stopped. 鈥擟harles Christine, MED 鈥64, and Dorothy Christine, MED 鈥64

I don't remember if it was 1963 or 鈥64, but there was a huge flooding of the Hocking. I lived on University Terrace in the Women's German House. The west end of the street was flooded as was the new West Green area. People were using canoes and rowboats. It was nice having some classes cancelled! 鈥擩anet West, BA 鈥64

I was a freshman living in Gamertsfelder Hall on the second floor. The flood didn't really affect me. I went to classes as usual. The biggest concern was for the pizza shop in the back of the hall. 鈥擱obert Bakos, BS '64

Sitting in McCracken Education looking across to Jefferson Hall, all you could see was the very top of the parking meters as boats passed by where the street was. The only entrances open to the two buildings were the ones on the end toward campus. All others were flooded. Cars parked under Jeff Hall were ruined. 鈥擬ary Geis Howe, BSED '65

Bottom of Jeff Hill, 1968 flood, Athens Ohio

Photo courtesy of Peter Olson, BSEE '66

I lived in Jefferson Hall 1961-1965. When the flood waters reached the top of the garage, all electricity went out. I had the flu, and my floor chairman made me check in at the Hudson Health Center. Safe, but I missed the fun of the floods! 鈥擯hyllis Levine Komerofsky, BSED 鈥65

I was at OU at the time! We had to leave the Phi Tau house so that female students would have housing! It lasted for a few days, Athens was isolated and made national news! 鈥擠avid Liggitt, BSED 鈥65

I attended Ohio from 1961-65. I well remember the spring floods--ankle deep water in the East Green streets, and the parking lot at the end of University Terrace flooded, cutting off access to the footbridge across the Hocking. Working at The Post one year, I interviewed the university business manager and wrote a resulting article on plans being developed to reroute the river to eliminate the floods. 鈥擩im Cullison, BSJ '65

During those memorable times, I lived in Bryan Hall, high and dry on the hill, with a good view of the rising water. I remember hearing reports of dead cows on the golf course. My English professor Dr. Butterworth actually rowed to work! Carol Johnson Kilbourne, BA 鈥65

I was a photo student in the 鈥60s and remember the art building (Siegfried Hall) bottom floor getting flooded several years. My last year there, 鈥67, I lived in a house very close to the building but only the art building was ever flooded. 鈥擭orman Shapiro, BFA 鈥65, MFA 鈥67

Flood street, 1964 flood, Athens Ohio

Photo courtesy of Peter Olson, BSEE '66

I survived two years of flooding in Jefferson Hall with no heat, light, or hot water. We studied in Chubb Library, ate junk food, and played bridge by flashlight. Memorable was the broadcasting of [the song] "Noah, Build an Ark!" from one of the other dorms as I waded to class! 鈥擲arah Mosser Albert, BS 鈥65

I attended OU from 1961-66 and experienced more than one flood. The year I lived in Treudley鈥he water reached the first-floor stairs. People were fishing out of the windows and the basketball court across the street was being sandbagged. Construction materials were floating down the Hocking, and the radio station was playing, "How High's the Water Momma." 鈥擩anice Rienerth, BS 鈥65, AB 鈥66

I was a sophomore in the newly opened James Hall. There were no doors on the rooms at first. One night at about one in the morning we were woken up and told to evacuate. We had to walk through water to leave. The University had no evacuation plan that year, so we were told to go wherever we could. 鈥擩erry Woodgeard, BSED 鈥65

1964 flood photo

Photo courtesy of Peter Olson, BSEE '66

My first recollection of the Athens flooding was standing on the bridge watching what appeared to be an outhouse with a chicken on the roof float by. Years later, my boss at The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad came to me with a project: the flood control project for Athens. I drafted some of the documents that transferred control to the government for flood control. 鈥擶eston A. Park, BA '65

Water came into the lounge in Tiffin Hall on the East Green (spring 1963), and we were evacuated by pontoon boat because they didn't want us to walk through the contaminated water that was waist-high. They relocated us to dorms located on higher ground. 鈥擲ue Evans Berkemeier, AB 鈥66

West Green just opened new dorms (鈥62?). My VW bug was floating in the dorm garage. Pushed it out onto the pavement, started it up and drove off. Other cars were stuck in about three feet of water! 鈥擠ennis Mulgrew, BBA 鈥66

Spring '64 and spring '66. Helped the Athens residents clean up, especially lower Mill Street. West Green, which was brand new in 鈥65-鈥66 , flooded its first year. VW Bug floating in James basement. 鈥擟ol. Jacob Killian, USAF, BA 鈥66

1964 flood clean-up

Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

I was there in the 60s when bad floods covered the greens, the golf course ,and athletic areas. When the water receded, the golf course was a series of gravel bars scattered across the landscape. When we were finally allowed to use the course, the gravel embedded in the fairways scratched our golf clubs. It was like putting across grass made of tapioca. 鈥擵ern Turner, BS 鈥66

I was staying in a West Green dorm at the time and the garage flooded up to outside our room. My roommate and I were rescued by boat鈥攋ust stepped out the window! Glad they rerouted the Hocking River in future years! 鈥擩anet Maybry Stevens, BSED 鈥66

I lived in Sargent Hall and, when flooding was expected, notices went out to remove cars from the underground garages. Once, a Volkswagen Beetle was not removed and did, in fact, float. The steady bumping of the car roof against the ceiling of the garage was heard throughout the dorm. 鈥擩ohn B. Bishop, MS 鈥66, PHD 鈥69

The flood of 1964 turned Tiffin Hall into an island. No way in, no way out. We labored until 2 a.m. moving the lower-level furniture out of the rising waters, but at least we could sleep in (we thought). During the night, the men of Gamertsfelder built us a bridge and we had to get up for our early morning classes! 鈥擪athy Crews McQuarrie, BA 鈥66

1964 flood, East green

Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

I was a sophomore in the brand-new West Green #1 dorm! There were no provisions to house us during our evacuation, so we had to find people we knew in other dorms. I was a "Lindley Lovely" the year before, so that's where I went! It was party time on Court Street because of the flood! 鈥擫inda Van Fleet, BSS 鈥66

I was there from 1962 to 1966 when I graduated with a BSEE. I was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity and lived in their house which was high and dry. 鈥擯eter Olson, BSEE 鈥66

I was one who stayed in Jefferson Hall when we were given the choice in the l963 and 1964 floods. We burned candles for light and used flashlights in the hallways. Water covered the utilities in the ground level garage area: no electric and no heat. It was a real adventure! 鈥擫inda (Webber) Williams, BA 鈥66

In 1963 I was living in Cash鈥檚 Trailer Park, which was where the Convocation Center is located. Late at night, the National Guard came and hauled us out through flooded Richland Avenue. We spent a couple of nights on cots at the Armory. The Salvation Army gave us vouchers for food and clothes. Classes were not canceled. 鈥擱oger Patterson, BSED 鈥67

Lakeview apartments, 1964 flood, Athens Ohio

Photo courtesy of Peter Olson, BSEE '66

We were living in Lakeview apartments during the spring of 1968. We heard the news of the possible flood, and I thought I would move my trusted little Dodge Dart to a safe place. INSTEAD IT WAS WORSE AND MY CAR WAS FLOODED. I stayed in the apartment. It was quite an experience! 鈥擠ee (DeDonato) Vowles, BSED 鈥67, MA 鈥68, and Barbara (Reid) Bennett, BSED 鈥68

Lived in Perkins Hall on the East Green. When the West Green flooded, they evacuated those students to East Green. Took my already small room for three and increased the number to five. Very hard to do panty raids during this time. The next year they "moved" the Hocking to its current location.鈥擳im Ellifritz, BSJ 鈥67

I was flooded out of the dorm called West Green #1 in 鈥63. They put us in an old funeral home, where we slept on the floor for eight days! I remember guys jumping out of the windows of the dorm into the water鈥f course they had to get tetanus shots afterward. It was a fun time! 鈥擠enny Alleman, BS 鈥67

I remember that students would put Volkswagen Bugs in the garage of Jefferson Hall. As the waters rose, the cars would float and hit the ceiling of the garage. 鈥擩eanne (Rutter) Smiledge, BSED 鈥67

I lived in Sargent in 鈥65-鈥66 as a junior, transferring from the Zanesville Branch of Ohio. Although I personally did not see this, we were told about the flood of 鈥64 and resident men jumping and diving in the Hocking until someone said they should go to the Health Center for typhus. 鈥擬ichael Dorr, BSED 鈥67