Tornado victims' memorial dedicated

Claude Hopkins would have felt right at home during the ceremony unveiling a memorial to this town's tornado victims.

His granddaughter, Julia Ohlde, who spearheaded the project, served as master of ceremonies.

The granite monument she helped design features an etching of the town's old water tower, a western Kansas landmark that Hopkins lived near.

And his little red dog, Humphrey -- originally feared lost in the tornado -- was there. Now a pet for Hopkins' two great-grandsons, the Dachshund-pug mix seemed to enjoy himself, except for being a little spooked by a bagpiper playing "Amazing Grace."

"Everybody knew Claude," Ohlde said of her grandfather, a retired school custodian who died in the twister. "The hardest part of looking back this past year has been knowing Grandpa wasn't there to offer support."

About 500 people showed up to dedicate the memorial, which sits where Hopkins' one-story home, garden and garage-workshop was located before being wiped out by the tornado. Plans call for the memorial to be moved to a permanent site, probably on city property, at a later date.

Ohlde, who lives in Larned, came up with the idea of a memorial within days of the devastating tornado.

When she contacted Newton signmaker Bill Ryan for a cost estimate, he told her to give him a few days. When he called back, he told her that an organization he belonged to, the Kansas Legion Riders, would raise the money for the monument.

Ryan also made the memorial, which stands 4 feet tall and weighs about 700 pounds. The front lists the names of 10 Greensburg residents who were killed in the tornado, under the water tower etching. The back carries an etching of a windmill and a Bible verse from 1 Thessalonians that begins, "Be joyful always."

Ohlde said Ryan won't tell her how much the monument cost. At least 100 Legion Riders from across the state attended the ceremony, holding U.S. flags that formed a half-circle around the monument.

Greensburg residents were impressed.

"It's nice," said Gary Panzer of Lewis, whose mother, Colleen Panzer, died in the tornado. "We really appreciate what they did."

No one lost more in the Greensburg tornado than Norm Volz. His wife, Beverly, father-in-law Max McColm and the sole employee of his business, Larry Hoskins, all perished.

Volz, wearing dark sunglasses and carrying yellow flowers, watched the unveiling from the back of the crowd before stepping forward.

"It's beautiful," he said.