Meeting Notice

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KIRTLANDIA SOCIETY
General Meeting - November 10, 2001

After coffee and conversation, Vice President Barbara Coleman called the General Meeting of the Kirtlandia Society to order at 10:05 a.m. in the Rare Book Room of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. She asked Bob Taylor, the new commander of the Cleveland Chapter of the American Legion, to say a few words about Veterans Day, November 12. He requested 15 seconds of silence to honor all veterans.

Pat Douthitt introduced 3 foreign students working in Physical Anthropology and asked for volunteers to help them record data from the Hamann-Todd collection before they leave the Museum. Membership Chairman, Bill MacDermott, then introduced several guests. He welcomed back Dorothy Lungmus who is rejoining Kirtlandia.

There were no reports from the Adopt-A-Student Committee or from the Treasurer. Jane Litt, Chairman of the Education Committee, reported that Circlefest is scheduled for Sunday, December 2, from 1:00 to 6:00 PM. It is a free, crowded, crazy, and fun afternoon with lots of goodies and programs enjoyed by young and old alike. Hospitality Chairman, Pete Church, reported that we would host the Holiday Program/Luncheon with Photo Society this year on December 8. Charge for the luncheon will be $6.50. She is looking for donations of pop and desserts (finger foods). She would also appreciate help with setup and cleanup.

Bob Taylor, Program Chairman, introduced today's speaker, Dr. Thomas Schmidlin, from the Geography Department at Kent State, whose topic was "Tornado"!! He explained he was not a tornado chaser, but went to the sites afterwards to assess the damage. He explained they form out of thunderstorms and are dangerous, short-lived, and fleeting. Different types of radar, including Doppler, are useful in tracking these storms.

The main goal of studying tornadoes is to protect human life and health by issuing timely warnings. There is no time to protect property. The structure of dwellings is the most important thing. Most vulnerable are mobile/manufactured homes, which do not stand up to the high winds associated with tornadoes, usually in excess of 100 mph. Dr. Schmidlin showed a number of slides so we could see the destruction of homes and property, resulting in the loss of lives. His slides demonstrated that trees fall in a rotating pattern in a tornado. Garage doors tend to be the weak spots in a house, but a well built home protects its occupants if they seek refuge in an interior room away from windows.

Ohio has approximately a dozen documented tornadoes per year. The most deadly one on record was in June 1924 when a tornado hit Lorain and killed 85 people. On an average, there are 1,000 tornadoes per year in the U.S. with approximately 60 fatalities attributed to them.

After a question and answer period, Bob Taylor adjourned the meeting at 11:35 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Susan MacDermott
Recording Secretary

Created 10/30/01