April 27, 2022 marks 80 years since an F4 tornado swept through downtown Pryor, killing at least 52 people and hurting almost 400 people. One of the survivors has been leading the efforts to commemorate the anniversary with a monument to honor the town's history.

At 4:45 pm, the time the tornado tore through Pryor, the names of those who died were read as people gathered to honor them.

Jack Hardy said he was 15 months old and with his family two blocks away. “Mom had put some laundry out on the line, and it started blowing really hard,” said Hardy. “She put me on the bed and put some pillows around me so I wouldn’t roll off it and got the laundry in.”

The 81-year-old has been leading the efforts to collect donations to honor the lives lost. “I got a lot closer to people and not even knowing them,” said Hardy. “I got a lot closer to them. I learned a lot about what happened.”

Hardy's research and work with the Pryor Main Street Board led to the dedication of the monument, made by a local artist. The new monument is outside Pryor Public Library, where Pryor High School used to be. One side tells the history of the tornado and the other honors the victims.

“It brings back memories for my family,” said Darell Blizzard. Blizzard was emotional seeing his grandmother's name, Maude Crow.

He said his mother and father went to Pryor that day to visit Crow, and the parents left moments before the tornado hit. “My mother was caught up in it, and she talked about it a lot,” said Blizzard.

Pryor residents said they are proud of their resiliency, rebuilding after the tornado and continuing to grow as a community.

“It’s pretty astounding,” said Hardy. “A lot of people could have walked off and said, ‘Well, we’re done here.’ But they didn’t, and I think that’s the most important part.” For the Hardy family, they still have the Hardy building, passed down after several generations.

After the ceremony, volunteers gave walking tours to show the areas impacted by the tornado.