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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — There were teary eyes and quiet smiles as a sturdy, visible and long-awaited memorial marker was unveiled on the very site of a tragic accident that shook the community half a century ago.
It looked like other typical historical markers found on roadways, but this one, erected along First Street near Chestnut Street in Terre Haute, not only pays tribute to 17 lives but also tells the story of an explosion one Wednesday morning 52 years ago.
On one side, it meticulously lists the names, ages and hometowns of the men who died from injuries they received after the walls of a large, two-story brick meat processing plant — which stood at 400 N. First St. — crumbled after the explosion ripped the Wabash riverfront plant. On the other, it offers a glimpse into what happened at the Home Packing Co. that day.
"On the morning of January 2, 1963, the deadliest workplace accident in the city occurred on this site," the marker states. "A massive explosion occurred when a gas main on First Street leaked natural gas through the soil and into the plant.
"... At about 7 o'clock on that fateful morning, seventeen men died and another 52 were injured in the explosion that led to the collapse of the front of the building."
Some employees returned to work at Home Packing — which processed and distributed Dependable brand hams, bacon and lard — after four days off. They were also fathers, brothers, sons, husbands and friends.
The families and friends they left behind participated in the dedication of the historic marker earlier this month. Solemn faces and some tears were seen in people's faces as, one-by-one, the names of those who lost their lives were read by Indiana State University President Dan Bradley. This was followed by heads bowed and a moment of silence.
The memorial marker has been a dream for the affected families.
"It's long past due," said Annette Rupska Olsen, the oldest daughter of Andrew Rupska, one of the men killed in the explosion. Andrew Rupska, who died at 43, left a wife and seven children. Three of the seven were present at the dedication. They were very pleased to have the fitting memorial.
"That will be up there with his name ... when we're long gone," Olsen said. "It's remarkable."
Their mother passed away three years ago. "She would have loved it," Olsen said,
Another person whose family members said would have wanted to witness the dedication was Richard Maher, who lost two best friends — Joe Callahan and David Kahl — from the accident.
"Dad lost his best friends and close friends in the accident and for many years, he has wanted some kind of a memorial marker for them," daughter Sherrie Mansfield told the Tribune-Star at the event. "He started the quest to do some kind of a memorial," she said, "but he passed away in July."
Mansfield, her sister Annette Powell and mother, Marcia Maher, were at the event to see Richard Maher's dream come to fruition. Powell and Marcia Maher were very emotional at the event. "We just wish he could have been here for it," Mansfield said.
On behalf of their father, the family stood on one side, Bradley on the other, to unveil the marker to a round of applause.
During a brief ceremony before the unveiling, Marcia Maher received a plaque from Bradley — on behalf of her family — for their "tireless efforts to make this historic marker a reality," he said.
The ceremony was led by Carl Bender, the son and namesake of one of the victims of the accident, who was also instrumental in making the marker and the event possible.
The memorial marker had its roots from the 50th anniversary gathering, at which families and supporters decided to raise funds for a memorial. During his remarks, Bender said he was "thunderstruck" when he was told that the university, which now owns the property, would "handle everything" related to the marker. He thanked the university for the generosity.
The money (close to $1,000) previously donated by various supporters is now to fund a scholarship at ISU. "The one-time stipend, therefore, is earmarked for a descendant of a Home Packing Co. employee," Bender said. "If there are no applications after an appropriate time, the money will go into the general scholarship fund at ISU."
Home Packing Co. was opened in 1907. It was also known as Home Packing and Ice Co. At the time of the accident, the plant covered two city blocks and employed 300 people. It did not resume operations after the tragedy.
The property where the Home Packing plant stood is now owned by ISU, and it is the new home of the Gibson Track and Field facility.
During a speech at the dedication, Bradley said the marker was purposely placed outside the fence of the new track and field facility "so that individuals can view it at any time and in a location as close as possible to the cornerstone of the plant's building."
"The historic marker for the Home Packing plant explosion will be seen by countless visitors coming to this site for track invitationals and meets."
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Source: Terre Haute Tribune-Star, http://bit.ly/1GjeyPC
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Information from: Tribune-Star, http://www.tribstar.com
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