1887:

Carnegie donates money toward cost of marker honoring 17-year-old William Hunter who drowned in a rescue attempt of a boy in Scotland.

1889:

Carnegie writes “The Gospel of Wealth,” an essay in which he stated his belief that, beyond providing for a family’s needs, excess wealth should be regarded as a trust fund to be used for the benefit of the community.

1901:

Carnegie sells Carnegie Steel to JP Morgan, who merged it into his recently formed United States Steel Corporation, and retires.

Immediately after selling the Carnegie Company and receiving bonds worth $225,639,000 par value of the new US Steel Co., he created his $4 million Relief Fund.

Jan. 25, 1904: The Harwick Mine Disaster

179 lives were claimed when the Harwick Mine exploded. 16-year-old Adolf Gunia was the sole survivor. Two men, Daniel A. Lyle of the town of Leechburg and Selwyn M. Taylor of Pittsburgh, heard of the disaster and came to help search for any survivors. Both were overcome by afterdamp, a suffocating mixture of residual gases left after an explosion of firedamp in a mine, and died. The Cheswick Relief Committee was organized and over $40,000 was collected from the general public for the families.

A German immigrant, Adolph Gunia at 16 was the only survivor of the Harwick Mine Disaster of Jan. 25, 1904.

Jan. 28, 1904:

Excerpt from letter written by Andrew Carnegie to his friend, Charles L. Taylor.

Carnegie writes to close friend and former business associate Charles L. Taylor stating, “I can’t get those widows and children of the mine out of my head.”

Feb. 18, 1904:

Carnegie donates $40,000 to Harwick relief committee, and presents two gold medals to commemorate acts of heroism displayed by Mr. Selwyn M. Taylor and Mr. Daniel Lyle.

March 12, 1904:

Carnegie signs the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission Deed of Trust, with Louise Whitfield Carnegie, his wife, as witness.

April 15, 1904:

Official founding date and first meeting of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission

Oct. 19, 1904:

21 Commissioners defined and approved the Hero Fund’s limitations and scope

First Special Agent, George A. Campsey

First President, Charles L. Taylor, 1904-1922

1905:

E. Caldwell & Co. of Philadelphia is selected as the designer and manufacturer of the original Carnegie Medal. It is designed by artist Charles Osborne and modeled by Charles F. Hamann.

May 24, 1905:

The Commission approved its first class of Carnegie heroes

Louis A. Baumann, first awardee

Ernestine F. Atwood, first female awardee

Alexander Cameron, first Canadian awardee

$10,000 donation to Grover Factory Disaster relief fund

May 16, 1906:

Following the California Earthquake Disaster, CHFC donates $29,462.06 to Lawrence Phipps and H.T.R. Vail (Santa Barbara), and $25,000 to the Citizen’s Committee (San Francisco).

Dec. 11, 1906:

Patent of medal design issued

Oct. 17, 1907::

John B. Hill is the first African American to be awarded the Carnegie Medal

Dec. 23, 1907:

Following Monongah Mine Disaster, CHFC donates $35,000 to relief committee

May 20, 1908:

$25,000 given to Darr Mine Relief Committee

$10,000 donated to Lick Branch Mine Relief Committee

Sept. 21, 1908:

United Kingdom establishes Hero Fund

1909:

France establishes Hero Fund (1909-2011)

Jan. 20, 1909:

Peter Dean and George Saltamah are the first Mohave Indians to be awarded the Carnegie Medal

Medal and bronze tablet, issued by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, circa 1912.

1911:

Norway, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Sweden, and Denmark establish Hero Funds

Oct. 25, 1911:

CHFC issues a medal and bronze tablet commemorating the bravery and heroism demonstrated by those aboard the Titanic.

Nov. 1, 1911:

$10,000 given Jed Mine Disaster relief committee

$15,000 donated to MC Curtain Mine Disaster relief committee

April 25, 1913:

$10,000 granted to Pittsburgh Flood relief committee after Ohio and Indiana Floods Disaster

Aug. 11, 1919:

Andrew Carnegie dies of pneumonia

1923:

Second President, William Jacob Holland, 1923-1932

Jan. 23, 1924:

The last gold medal is awarded to Charles L. Coe

Oct. 30, 1925:

Henry Naumann is awarded the Carnegie Medal for the first time

Oct. 26, 1928:

Henry Naumann is awarded the Carnegie Medal for the second time

Nov. 1, 1929:

A. James “Jimmie” Dyess is awarded the Carnegie Medal. He is the only person to be awarded the Carnegie Medal and Medal of Honor, America’s two highest awards for heroism.

1932:

Third President, Thomas S. Arbuthnot, 1932-1956

Jan. 27, 1937:

$10,000 given to American Red Cross for Ohio and Mississippi Flood disaster relief

Oct. 26, 1956:

John J. O’Neill, Sr., awarded the Carnegie Medal for the first time

1957:

Fourth President, Charles A. McClintock, 1957-1967

Nov. 1, 1957:

John J. O’Neill, Sr., awarded the Carnegie Medal for the second time

May 8, 1959:

After the Springhill Mine Disaster, the Commission adopts a resolution, and presents two gold medals mounted on a bronze plaque, to the officials and workmen of Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation, Limited, and local doctors who risked their lives attempting to rescue 174 miners who were trapped by an underground convulsion in a company mine in Springhill, N.S., Oct. 23, 1958.

Rudell Stitch is awarded the Carnegie Medal for the first time

For greater love of Rudell Stitch — Rudell Stitch with wife Rosa Mae and three of their sons, circa 1955. From left, Rudell, Jr.; Rodney; and Donald.

Oct. 28, 1960:

Rudell Stitch is awarded the Carnegie Medal for the second time, this time, posthumously

March 3, 1964:

Daniel Elwood Stockwell is awarded the Carnegie Medal for the first time.

1968:

Fifth President, Stewart McClintic, 1968-1978

Resolution issued by the Hero Fund to those of the Mobay Chemical Co., and the Dravo Co., who heroically attempted to rescue their fellow workmen.

Aug. 9, 1978:

Following the Mobay-Dravo Fire Disaster, two cast bronze tablets, on which were mounted the obverse and reverse of a bronze Carnegie Medal, were awarded, one to Mobay Chemical Corp. and the other to Dravo Corp. The reverse of the medals bears the inscription: “Awarded to employees of the Mobay Chemical Corporation and of the Dravo Corporation for their heroism in attempting to rescue workmen in a chemical plant fire New Martinsville, West Virginia. January 31, 1978.”

1979

Sixth President, Robert W. Off, 1979-2001

Oct. 28, 1980:

The last two silver medals are awarded to Brian Mervyn Clegg and Robert Stephen Grant

Sept. 8, 1986:

$20,000 in disaster relief granted to West Virginia Recovery Foundation following West Virginia Flood disaster

Oct. 26, 1989:

$25,000 given toward Hurricane Hugo disaster relief

$25,000 given to San Francisco Earthquake Relief Fund

1990:

Simons and Co. began supplying Carnegie medals directly after having been subcontracted by J.E. Caldwell for the striking process of creating the medal

Feb. 27, 1992:

Michael Robert Keyser is awarded the Carnegie Medal for the first time.

Sept. 17, 1992:

$25,000 given to Church World Service following Hurricane Andrew Disaster

Daniel Stockwell is awarded the Carnegie Medal a second time

1996:

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission issues a roadside marker along Pittsburgh Street in Springdale, Pa., near the sites of both the mine and the cemetery in which many of the victims of the Harwick Mine disaster are buried.

Roadside marker honoring the heroic acts that followed the explosion at Harwick Mine.

Sept. 19, 1996:

Kayla Jean Garrigan is posthumously awarded the Carnegie Medal. At 7 years old, she is the youngest person to be recognized by the Commission.

1999:

The Harwick community dedicates a memorial to all of its miners. The monument is made of a large block of black granite. It’s etched with a rendering of the mine’s tipple and shaft buildings and situated in the center of a small parklet. Carved into bricks surrounding the memorial are the names of individual miners.

Community memorial to those who lost their lives in the explosion at Harwick Mine.

2001

Seventh President, Mark Laskow (2001-2022)

July 1, 2002:

In response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, CHFC donates $50,000 to the Todd Beamer Foundation and $50,000 to the September 11, 2001 Children’s Fund, Inc. The Commission also issues a resolution honoring those who acted heroically during the collapse of the trade center towers and the struggle with hijackers on flight 93.

2004

Carnegie Hero Fund Commission Centennial Celebration

A Century of Heroes is both an homage to the thousands of men and women who have demonstrated their willingness to sacrifice everything for other human beings, and a lavishly illustrated celebration of the unexpected heroes that walk among us.

Heroes Among Us showcases a brief history of the Commission and the individuals it recognized for extraordinary acts of heroism.

Greco Industries produced medals for the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission from 2004-2012

Dec. 13, 2007:

Charles T. Carbonell is awarded the Carnegie Medal for the first time.

2012:

The current Carnegie Medal is produced by Simons Brothers Co. of Philadelphia, Pa. Metallic content of the bronze used is copper, 90%, and zinc, 10%.

June 26, 2014:

Charles T. Carbonell is awarded the Carnegie Medal for the second time.

June 2018:

Celebration of the 10,000^th and 10,001^st awardees

“The Power of One – A Tribute to the Power of the Individual,” marked the second in a year-long series of events around the world to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of Carnegie’s death in 1919. The evening’s program celebrated the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission’s 10,000^th and 10,001^st Carnegie heroes, Vickie Tillman and Jimmy Rhodes.

During the event, two pieces of calligraphy by tenured letter artist, calligrapher, and designer John Stevens, were revealed. The first is an artful rendition of founder Andrew Carnegie’s original deed of trust for the organization and the second features the first few pages of the Roll of Heroes and Heroines. The roll of honor fulfills the last line of the Commission’s deed of trust, which requires that “A finely executed roll of the heroes and heroines shall be kept displayed in the office at Pittsburgh.”

The Heroic Age is an updated history on the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission and the individuals it recognizes for extraordinary acts of heroism. It features accounts by Vickie Tillman and Jimmy Rhodes, heroes 10,000 and 10,001, of the acts for which they were honored.

Aug. 11, 2019:

Centennial Anniversary of Andrew Carnegie’s death

The stage is set at the June 12, 2018, Power of One event held in Pittsburgh that celebrated Andrew Carnegie’s legacy and his own 10,000 heroes.

**Vickie Tillman**, Carnegie Hero #10,000, pictured with Police Cpl. Billy Aime, who she rescued from assault.

Carnegie Hero #10,001 **Jimmy Rhodes**, pictured next to Karen Mahany, widow of Patrick E. Mahany, Jr., the man rescued by Rhodes.

An artful rendition of the first few pages of the Roll of Heroes and Heroines by tenured letter artist, calligrapher, and designer, John Stevens.

The 2020s

2021

March 17:

Michael Robert Keyser is awarded the Carnegie Medal for the second time, this time posthumously.

May 10:

The Hero Fund donated $100,000 to the Brave of Heart Fund, established to provide financial and emotional support to the surviving family members of frontline healthcare workers and volunteers who lost their lives to COVID-19.

2022

June 21:

At its annual meeting, President Eric P. Zahren was elected to serve as the Commission’s chair, effective immediately. Mr. Zahren, who will remain president of the Hero Fund Commission, replaces Mark Laskow as chair. Mr. Laskow, who will remain a member of the Commission, was unanimously elected Chair Emeritus, the first to hold the title.

2023

Publication of A New Century of Heroes

2024

April 15:

Hero Fund celebrates its 120th anniversary

June

At its annual meeting, the Commission elected Tom Wentling to serve as the Commission’s chair, effective immediately.