Juanita Elrod (1919 - 1937)

Born 10 Dec 1919 in Oklahoma, United States

Ancestors

Died 18 Mar 1937 at age 17 in New London, Rusk, Texas, United States

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Biography

17 year old Juanita and her 13 year old brother, Edwin, were killed in an explosion at their school. Daughter of John Alfred Elrod & Maybelle Washington.

"Edwin Zane Elrod thought of playing hooky that day, too, but his sister Geneva, the eldest of the school-age Elrod progeny, would not hear of it. She made him climb on the bus with her and his other brother and sister, Alvin and Juanita, and only a few hours later half of the four were dead. Edwin and Juanita were killed instantly, Alvin was unscathed, and Geneva was taken to a hospital in a bread truck pressed into emergency service. She'd been literally blown out of her second-story English class.

In triage in the hospital hallway, she was placed against a wall and left for dead. With many broken bones, some protruding from her legs, she was deemed beyond saving. There were so many others with less severe injuries who stood better chances of survival. But she clung to life, and eventually the doctors put her back together as best they could. Long after her brother and sister and all the others had been laid to rest, she left the hospital. At home she progressed from wheelchair to crutches, then walked on her own, something her doctors had said she'd never do again.

After her return home, she graduated - receiving her diploma while standing on her own front porch. The 18-year-old went on to marry and have a family, and eventually moved to Memphis in 1989. She died at age 79."

The New London School explosion occurred on March 18, 1937, when a natural gas leak caused an explosion, destroying the London School of New London, Texas, a community in Rusk County previously known as "London". The disaster killed more than 295 students and teachers. As of 2017, the event is the third deadliest disaster in the history of Texas, after the 1900 Galveston hurricane and the 1947 Texas City disaster.

London School did not publish a yearbook in 1937, instead substituting a memorial book that recognized all of the students and teachers who had died during the disaster.

Sources

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/103610115/juanita-elrod

• https://www.facebook.com/newlondonmuseum/posts/remembering-10th-grade-victim-juanita-elrod12101919-3181937juanitas-younger-brot/2210572372378233/

• 1920, 1930 US census

• Texas, Death Index, 1903-2000

• Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982

• https://www.findagrave.com/virtual-cemetery/367568?page=3#sr-13698618

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_London_School_explosion

• http://nlsd.net/Cenotaph.htm

• https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/1936-london-school-yearbook

• http://nlsd.net/Articles11.htm