In 1961, an insurance executive...
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In 1961, an insurance executive retired and moved from Chicago to a small farm in southwestern Illinois. A neighboring farmer stopped by to visit a few weeks later and found the former executive digging a fallout shelter. "Do you really think the Russians would drop a bomb on a few cornfields?" he chided. "You never know," answered the man. "Anyway, it's not only for bomb protection, but also for the weather. We're in the middle of tornado alley, you know, and I don't have a basement." "Neither do I," said the farmer, "but I've lived here all my life, and no tornado has ever touched down in this area." "Well, I was always taught that preparation is better than pain," answered the man as he continued his digging. Less than a year later a destructive storm roared through the county, severely damaging the Chicago man's house, but he and his family were protected by the shelter. Later he visited his farm friend and found a group of workmen rebuilding the farmer's barn which had been destroyed by the fierce winds. Other laborers were busily digging a huge hole in the man's backyard. "I thought you didn't believe in shelters," said the retired executive. "I guess I didn't," the man answered somewhat sheepishly, "but as you said, preparation is better than pain." -- Byrd
