[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 75 (Thursday, June 11, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H4539-H4540]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO THE PEOPLE OF SPENCER, SOUTH DAKOTA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Peterson of Pennsylvania). Under a 
previous order of the House, the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. 
Thune) is recognized for 5 minutes.

[[Page H4540]]

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a few moments here today 
to publicly commend the people of South Dakota for their courage, their 
bravery and their generosity in the face of disaster.
  On the evening of Saturday, May 30, 1998, a tornado struck the small 
town of Spencer, South Dakota. When the storm passed, a handful of 
buildings remained standing on the far edge of town. Otherwise, the 
entire city of 322 people was gone. Six people were killed and 150 were 
injured.
  It was a difficult time, not just for the people of Spencer but for 
those in surrounding communities as well. The residents who lost their 
lives in the storm were elderly people who had lived in or near the 
community their entire lives. They were the fixtures of the community, 
the local historians. Now they and part of our prairie history are 
gone.
  Many of the other residents of Spencer had spent their entire lives 
there as well. They woke up every morning in the same house, said good 
morning to the same neighbors, went to work at the same business, came 
home again to the same house, day after day for most of their lives. So 
imagine what it would be like to suddenly emerge from what is left of 
the concrete pit that was your basement to find that it is not there 
anymore. None of it is there anymore. The house is gone, the car is 
gone, the streets are gone, the business is gone, the neighbors are 
gone. Poof. Gone with the wind.
  That is what life is like today for the residents of Spencer, South 
Dakota. It is a terrible adjustment, and many are not sure what the 
future holds or how to begin building a new future without a home or a 
hometown.
  But here is where my pride in the people of South Dakota begins. The 
call went out for volunteers to help clean up the ravaged city. 
Governor Bill Janklow asked for a thousand people to show up. Guess how 
many he ended up with. Eight times that amount. Eight thousand people 
showed up to pick through piles of rock and debris in search of torn 
wedding pictures and beat up toys. Eight thousand people.
  They ran out of food. The call went out for more. It arrived. People 
brought pizzas, they brought soft drinks, they brought sandwiches. They 
did not exactly start with five loaves and two fishes, but through the 
miracle of generosity that food multiplied to feed 8,000 hungry 
volunteers. I am told that by the end of the day, they had 16,000 meals 
before it was done.
  Those who could not show up in person found other ways to help. A 
local television station held a telethon to raise money. They collected 
more than $600,000 for the disaster victims. When the phone lines got 
busy, people jumped into their cars and started dropping the money off 
at the station in person. The response was nothing short of 
overwhelming.
  The volunteers are not the only ones who came through when the call 
went out. I would like to commend all the fine people who work for the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency for the job that they do in 
responding immediately, thoroughly and professionally when disaster 
strikes. I know the people of Spencer are grateful for their help.
  As with any crisis, heroes emerge from the wreckage to remind us that 
we still have heroes walking among us, real heroes of the common, 
sturdy and lasting type. The kind of heroes that do not earn millions 
or play basketball or football or disappoint us later on.
  Rocky Kirby is one of those heroes. He is the mayor of Spencer. He 
says his most difficult decision prior to the storm was deciding 
whether or not to pave the streets. Now he faces the daunting job of 
steering what is left of his community through the difficult months 
ahead. He is doing it because it is his duty to his town and his 
neighbors. He certainly is not doing it for the money. As mayor he 
draws a salary of $30 a month.
  Donna Ruden is another ordinary person who has shown extraordinary 
courage. Her home was one of the few in town left standing, so she has 
turned her one home into a one-building Main Street. Her home now 
serves as the town bank, the insurance office and city hall. She is 
running all three from her home, grateful to have a place to live. She 
wants to help her neighbors who do not.
  We hear so often in this country about the bad, Mr. Speaker, about 
kids shooting kids and neighbors robbing from neighbors, about crimes 
and drugs and hate and violence. I want to tell my colleagues today 
that the core of what is good in this country and the core of what is 
good in human beings is still alive and well in a little town called 
Spencer, South Dakota. We as a Nation can all be proud of what we have 
witnessed there. I know I certainly am.

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