The story of the Whiting Refinery explosion and fire of 1955 will be presented at the Annual Literacy Luncheon at the Crown Point Library on Saturday, May 18. John Hmurovic, author of One Minute After Sunrise: The Story of the Standard Oil Refinery Fire of 1955 will be the speaker. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Crown Point Community Library. The event is open to all. Tickets are $30 per person, and are on sale at the Crown Point Library, 122 N. Main Street, or by calling 219-663-0270, or online at www.crownpointlibrary.org. The event is from 12 noon to 3 P.M., in the library’s meeting room.

The 1955 explosion and fire at the Whiting Refinery was the most spectacular industrial explosion in Indiana history, and was, at the time, the second most costly industrial disaster in American history. It remains the only accident in the 130-year history of the Whiting Refinery to take the life of someone outside the refinery, and the only one to destroy an entire residential neighborhood.

All proceeds from the sale of One Minute After Sunrise go the Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society.