Texas History Notebook

Zephyr Tornado, 1909

Zephyr, Texas was a quiet little town of several hundred residents when on early Sunday morning of May 30, 1909 a late spring storm generated a tornado a little after Saturday at midnight. The tornado was rated F4 under the old Fujita scale (winds exceeding 200 mph). Virtually all the structures in town were affected in some way. Destruction was described as having completely destroyed some fifty residences, six businesses, two churches and the high school. The casualty totals usually cited are 34 deaths and 70 or more injured. The twister appears to have formed to the southwest of town and touched down long enough to damage most of the residential and business areas. A lightning strike started a lumber yard fire that spread to other businesses. Tornado survivors had no way to fight the flames as they spread. Heavy hail was reported in the surrounding areas as well.

Y. A. Tittle

Yelberton Abraham Tittle, Jr. was born in Marshall, Texas on October 24, 1926 to Y. A. Tittle, Sr. and Alma Allen Tittle. He was the fifth of six children. His father was a mail carrier. Y. A. grew up in Marshall and was a natural athlete, participating in several sports. Biographies mention that he wanted to be a football quarterback and tried to emulate Sammy Baugh. When he found out that Baugh practiced passing by throwing a football at a suspended tire, Y. A. did the same.

Henry Sanborn

Henry Bradley Sanborn was born on September 10, 1845 in Parishville, New York to Edmund S. Sanborn and Harriet Rand White Sanborn and was the fourth of five children. His father was a farmer. He left home when he was about 19 years old, relocating to DeKalb, Illinois.

Leon Jaworski

Leonidas (Leon) Jaworski was a Texas lawyer who served as a special prosecutor during the Watergate investigation of the 1970s. Leon was born in Waco, Texas on September 9, 1905 to Joseph Jaworski of Polish descent and Marie Mira Jaworski of Austrian descent. Leon was one of four children, twin brothers Joseph Jr. and Hannibal, followed by Leon and Mary Theresa. His father, Joseph Jaworski, was an immigrant to the United States and settled with his family in Waco where he served as pastor of an Evangelical Church. Joseph and Marie had married in Austria in 1901. Soon thereafter they had come to the United States with their two infant sons, Joe Jr. and Hannibal.

Spade Ranches

The Spade Ranch (also referred to either as the Spade Renderbrook or the Renderbrook Spade Ranch) takes its name from J. F. “Spade” Evans, who was an early co-owner of the property with Henry Sanborn, who was called the “Father of Amarillo.” Their first property was in Donley County east of Clarendon and amounted to twenty-three sections of land, about 15,000 acres more or less. This property, livestock and Spade brand were all sold to Isaac Leonard Ellwood in 1889.