Rye: Like it was yesterday

With the 50th anniversary of the F5 tornado that pounded Tracy fast approaching, Rodney Rye of Porter remembers his contributions to the city as though it was yesterday.

Rye, 82, owns and operates Rye's Nursery east of Porter along Highway 68 along with Darlene, his wife of 60 years. Rye's Nursery has been in operation since 1975.

At the time the tornado struck Tracy on the evening of June 13, 1968, Rye was operating Rye's Tree Service, as well as farming.

“I was cultivating on my John Deere tractor listening to the radio,” he recalled. “I heard about the tornado hitting Tracy and that they were looking for people to help.”

Rye also heard reports that all roads into Tracy were blocked by National Guardsmen to limit the number of “gawkers” and also to keep potential “looters” out.

Rye immediately thought about assisting but wasn't sure he would be allowed to enter city limits. “I saw a state trooper coming down (Highway 68) and I stood on my tractor waving my arms to get his attention,” Rye laughed.

“He saw me and stropped so I told him I wanted to help Tracy and wondered if he knew how I could get them to let me in.”

The patrolmen assured Rye that if he put a couple of the chain saws from his tree service in the back of his pickup and drove down to Tracy, “I guarantee they will let you in”.

Rye asked a neighbor across the highway to make the 50-mile trip to Tracy to help.

“We came into Tracy on Highway 14 and they had it blocked off,” said Rye.

“But after I asked them if they needed help and they saw my name on my truck, they let me right in.” Rye and his neighbor, who has since passed away, spent two days in Tracy cutting fallen trees.

“We pretty much cut trees in the same area of town,” Rye said.

“They had a lot of loaders and trucks there so we just cut all day and other people loaded it up.” As they worked, food and beverages were brought to them.

At the end of the first day of volunteering their services, Rye and his neighbor drove back to rural Porter, and then returned the next morning.

“I felt good about helping,” said Rye.

“It was such a mess over there. Just complete chaos. Trees were down all over. It looked like a war zone. It’s been 50 years ago, though.”