Tornado Kills Instructor
in Texas College Library
An instructor at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, was killed when a tornado collapsed a wall in the school’s library October 24.
James Gillis, 71, an adjunct instructor in math and industrial education, was teaching a class in the Barth Learning Resources Center when the storm hit, causing the roof to collapse and the wall to fall on Gillis, according to the October 24 Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
Fourteen Del Mar students and employees were injured. The tornado destroyed 30 homes and damaged some 245 others, the Caller-Times reported October 29. Preliminary damage estimates are $75–$100 million.
Damaged library materials were moved to a vacated grocery store to be dried out. Chris Tetzlaff-Belhasen, director of learning resources, said relatively few items will have to be replaced. John Temperilli, vice president of disaster response for Garner Environmental Services, which is handling the operation, estimated that staff salvaged up to 90% of the library’s 13,000 books and 1,800 audiovisual resources. “I tip my hat to the way the college mobilized to minimize the damage,” said Temperilli.
Posted November 4, 2002.
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