1950 Blizzard scene in Parkersburg. (Photo provided from the Marietta Times, courtesy of Paul Borelli collection)

Pardon the weather-speak. I’m talking about the Blizzard of November 24-27, 1950. It was a POWERFUL storm with records that still stand. Snowfall was 27 inches for Marietta, 37 for Parkersburg. It was like a wintertime land-based hurricane. “Explosive cyclogenesis” means that the storm strengthened EXPLOSIVELY and fast. It was rated 8th in the top ten 20th century storms. Here are a few stories, most from Roger Pickenpaugh’s fascinating book “Buckeye Blizzard.”

Junior and Catherine Steele’s wedding at Belpre almost didn’t happen. Junior’s nephew, the impromptu best man, drove him from Waverly WV. They stopped in Parkersburg to pick up the pastor and his daughter who had walked 3 miles to meet them. The daughter served as piano player and bridesmaid. The wedding trip was a slog through deep snow to their new apartment.

Births and deaths did not wait. Clair Linton died near Little Hocking. Her grandson John Linton worked to clear the road on a bulldozer. The dozer broke down. A team of horses finished the job. The hearse was pulled by one tractor and followed by two more, just in case. An Ohio National Guard tank was dispatched in Cleveland to retrieve a corpse on someone’s porch. The “corpse” came alive as the tank approached: the man, facing the massive gun, jumped up and fled.

Arlene Ball lived near Dungannon, northeast of Beverly, Ohio and went into labor. They called Dr. Victor Whitacre’s office, but baby Sharon arrived before he did. A neighbor bravely cut the cord with a sterilized pair of scissors. Dr. Whitacre had started for the Ball home, but his car died. He continued on foot at great personal risk, reaching Ball’s home after dark “looking like a snowman.” The next day the doctor acquired an army four-wheel drive jeep. Quite by accident he gave a ride to Ralph Hanson, Arlene’s father. As the men traded storm stories, Ralph learned that his second grandchild had been born.

Most people behaved well, but not always. 297 prison inmates were forced outside in Alabama when their prison camp caught fire. None escaped; it was too cold. Three prisoners in Fayetteville WV set for release begged to stay until the storm passed. The Sheriff “extended their sentence.” Others were less charitable. Homeless people were denied access to a city’s open jail cells by an insensitive judge who refused to shelter “bums.” A group of volunteers worked to free a bus stuck in the snow, expecting a ride. The bus driver drove away, leaving the incredulous helpers stranded.

Many stepped up to help. Marietta City Clerk Carroll Irvine was pressed into service operating a grader – a respite after answering many phone calls at City Hall. It was not a respite. The grader hit a hidden obstacle in the street, throwing him into the cage and knocking him out. Former Mariettan Rich Price, then 15, and his father helped clear roads using a bulldozer from their quarry in Morgan County. That dozer “never shut down” for a week. Rich recalled that “people were sure glad to see that big yellow machine coming.”

Despite blizzard conditions the Ohio State-Michigan football game was played in Columbus. Michigan won 9-3 on a safety and a fumble recovery in the end zone. OSU’s sole score was a 27-yard field goal; the kicker couldn’t see the goal post. In blinding snow, strategy was simple: avoid possession and force a turnover. There were a total of 45 punts, sometimes on first or second downs. There was chaos off the field, too. Toilets froze, there were bonfires in the stands, and fans milled around the sidelines playing in the snow piles, some offering nips of whiskey to players.

Days later warm weather cleared the snow. Life went on.