Photo by Dave Kabel

John and Lana Janssen (below) got a new truck but kept their Purdue license plate. They plan to build a new home on this shaded site on the edge of town.

Photo by Tom Campbell

Rebuilding their own home would have to wait. John and Lana built a 42-by-36-foot pole barn on the farm as a temporary home and office. The condorage, the name they made up for their condo/garage, wasn’t much. But until they could finalize plans for their dream home on Sunset Lane, it would be home.

Janssen knew that being mayor was a no-win situation. What the tornado didn’t destroy, dissension threatened. Some people wanted to begin rebuilding their homes fast and cheap. Others seemed content to exist in the “FEMA-ville” trailers just south of town.

Caught in the middle was Janssen. He insisted that building codes and zoning regulations be followed. “I didn’t want a $300,000 home built next to a trailer park,” he says.

“A lot of decisions had to be made to get the town back on track. And a lot of the decisions I made weren’t popular. But if it’s got to be done, then it’s got to be done.

“Did I have an agenda? You bet. I wanted to make Greensburg succeed. I still want to help make it the best community we can, to make it something unique. It’ll never be the same as it was. But we want it to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly so that we have a smaller and smaller impact on the environment.”

But he rubbed many voters the wrong way when he said, “When you consider we had no prospects of jobs or businesses in Greensburg before the tornado, well, maybe the tornado wasn’t such a bad thing after all.”

For many, it was too soon. The dirt on the graves of the 11 who died was still fresh. He meant no disrespect. He just thought Greensburg was not dissimilar to a thousand towns like it across the country, either dead or dying. And the tornado had just given this community the greatest do-over of all time.

“Before the tornado, the chances of having any change come to Greensburg were slim and none,” Janssen says. “But now, we had this great opportunity.”

The days leading up to tax day, April 15, are the busiest for public accountants like the Janssens. He did even less campaigning for his mayoral bid than he did for his town council race three years before. He lost the election to former postmaster Bob Dixon, 194-41.

“Being mayor was a time-consuming job,” Janssen admits. “Every day was a new puzzle that needed to be solved. I enjoyed the challenge, but it was difficult to look at everything and not let your emotions get involved. At Purdue, I learned how to solve problems, and that was critical throughout all of this process. People were angry and I found out the mayor — no matter who he is — is an easy target for that anger.”

Greensburg, a town destroyed by a tornado, was now divided in how it would recover as a community.

“Some said, ‘Why rebuild? Just let it die of natural causes,’” Janssen says. “But the bulk of the people in town said, ‘It’s broke. Now let’s fix it.’

“Our whole town has been given a chance to start over. And I think we can honor those that died that day by making Greensburg a better community than it was.”

One year after the tornado, President Bush returned to Greensburg to give the commencement address for the Greensburg High Rangers, class of 2008.

It will long be remembered as the class that started its high school career in a stately old building brimming with the history of a town and finished in a maze of portable classrooms.

Bush honored and challenged the 18 members of the graduating class, but he just as easily could have been speaking just to John Janssen.

“As we watch the Class of 2008 graduate today,” Bush said, “the dark clouds from one year ago have parted and have made way for a brighter future. We’ll always hold in our hearts those who lost their lives. But with faith in He who rides above the mighty storm, we go forth with confidence that Greensburg will rise again.

“On this graduation day, I ask every member of your class to devote your lives to a cause larger than yourselves. Over the past year, you’ve learned that you can never predict what tomorrow will bring. Wherever the winds of life take you, you can be certain that serving others will always make your lives more fulfilling.”

Contact Janssen at zjinc@unitedwireless.com