{"id":26769,"date":"2019-01-21T08:30:55","date_gmt":"2019-01-21T14:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=26769"},"modified":"2019-01-20T22:03:03","modified_gmt":"2019-01-21T04:03:03","slug":"austin-peay-state-university-takes-a-look-back-20-years-at-the1999-tornado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2019\/01\/21\/austin-peay-state-university-takes-a-look-back-20-years-at-the1999-tornado\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin Peay State University takes a look back 20 years at the1999 Tornado"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Austin Peay State University<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-324279\" title=\"Austin Peay State University - APSU\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Austin-Peay-State-University-APSU.jpg\" alt=\"Austin Peay State University - APSU\" width=\"250\" height=\"64\"\/><strong>Clarksville, TN<\/strong> &#8211; Twenty years ago, on January 22nd, 1999, a powerful E3 tornado ripped its way across the Austin Peay State University (APSU) campus, causing millions of dollars in damages that, according to the Tennessean, resulted in \u201cThe largest single property loss in state history.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_442579\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/APSU-takes-a-look-back-20-years-at-the1999-Tornado-1.jpg\"  class=\"thickbox no_icon\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-442579\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-442579\" title=\"Downed trees littered the APSU campus following the 1999 tornado.\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/APSU-takes-a-look-back-20-years-at-the1999-Tornado-1-480x284.jpg\" alt=\"Downed trees littered the APSU campus following the 1999 tornado.\" width=\"480\" height=\"284\"\/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-442579\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Downed trees littered the APSU campus following the 1999 tornado.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>When the winds finally stopped, hundred-year-old trees were uprooted, and iconic buildings such as Harned Hall stood in ruins.<\/p>\n<p>In the weeks and months that followed, Austin Peay State University\u2019s Office of Public Relations and Marketing worked to inform the community about the campus\u2019 recovery efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a look at some stories to come out of that office during the Spring 1999 semester.<\/p>\n<h3>January 23rd, 1999<\/h3>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"APSU looks back 20 years at infamous 1999 tornado\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6xgK79ll-iU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>APSU President calls Sunday meeting for Faculty, Staff<br \/>\n<\/strong>Dr. Sal Rinella, then-APSU president, called a meeting in the Dunn Center of campus where he will outlined the schedule for resuming classes. Faculty and staff also learned procedures for retrieval of personal and professional belongings from their offices.<\/p>\n<h3>January 25th, 1999<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_442580\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/APSU-takes-a-look-back-20-years-at-the1999-Tornado-2.jpg\"  class=\"thickbox no_icon\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-442580\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-442580\" title=\"It took years for the APSU campus to fully recover from the disaster.\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/APSU-takes-a-look-back-20-years-at-the1999-Tornado-2-480x317.jpg\" alt=\"It took years for the APSU campus to fully recover from the disaster.\" width=\"480\" height=\"317\"\/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-442580\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">It took years for the APSU campus to fully recover from the disaster.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>APSU \u2018Operation Restoration\u2019 is full steam ahead; classes resume January 28th<br \/>\n<\/strong>Officials at Austin Peay began implementing \u201cOperation Restoration,\u201d the theme of the team effort to get the University back to normal as soon as possible. Then-APSU President Sal Rinella called for \u201cthe strong Austin Peay spirit to show itself as the University restores the past and builds for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>January 27th, 1999<\/h3>\n<p><strong>WAPX, APSU\u2019s radio station, is on air 24 hours, seven days a week<br \/>\n<\/strong>Austin Peay\u2019s campus radio station, WAPX-FM, returned to the air, broadcasting 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week. The station worked out of temporary quarters set up at the transmitter site.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[320center]<\/p>\n<h3>January 29th 1999<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_442581\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/APSU-takes-a-look-back-20-years-at-the1999-Tornado-3.jpg\"  class=\"thickbox no_icon\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-442581\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-442581\" title=\"High winds removed the cupola from the APSU Browning Building.\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/APSU-takes-a-look-back-20-years-at-the1999-Tornado-3-480x320.jpg\" alt=\"High winds removed the cupola from the APSU Browning Building.\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\"\/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-442581\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">High winds removed the cupola from the APSU Browning Building.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>APSU clock still chiming<br \/>\n<\/strong>Bill Coke, then-assistant director of building and grounds, assessed the Browning Building\u2019s tower on January 27th and found the clock and chimes still working.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe winds took off the cupola on top of the building, but the clock is still operable,\u201d Coke said. \u201cWhen you think about the force (of the tornado), we were very lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>February 18th, 1999<\/h3>\n<p><strong>APSU\u2019s Bosendorfer piano damaged, another to be bought<br \/>\n<\/strong>Austin Peay State University\u2019s Bosendorfer piano was destroyed in the tornado when high winds activated the sprinkler system inside the Music\/Mass Communication Building. Gallons of water flooded the building, buckling the wooden stage in the concert hall and ruining the piano beyond repair.<\/p>\n<p>Three of APSU\u2019s piano faculty \u2013 Dr. Jeffrey Wood, Dr. Patricia Halbeck and Anne Glass \u2013 traveled to Vienna from February 27tth-March 3rd to pick out and purchase a replacement from the Bosendorfer factory showroom. Tennessee Risk Management state insurance defrayed the cost of faculty travel and the new piano.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[320center]<\/p>\n<h3>March 3rd, 1999<\/h3>\n<p><strong>APSU hosts Sawyer Brown for benefit concert<br \/>\n<\/strong>Dancers filled the aisles, the crowd sang along and excitement filled the air as Sawyer Brown rocked the city of Clarksville during the \u201cTribute to the Spirit of Clarksville\u201d benefit concert at Austin Peay on February 26th.<\/p>\n<p>About 4,000 people filled the APSU Dunn Center for the concert, which raised $13,342.86. The money was divided between APSU and the City of Clarksville.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN &#8211; Twenty years ago, on January 22nd, 1999, a powerful E3 tornado ripped its way across the Austin Peay State University (APSU) campus, causing millions of dollars in damages that, according to the Tennessean, resulted in \u201cThe largest single property loss in state history.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[29023,11042,23,30123,438,12765,10901,6827,11642,15715,262,7503,250,512,825,1476,5451,7020,33045,15336,7416,25260],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4xGYI-6XL","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26769"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26769"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26770,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26769\/revisions\/26770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}