Carnegie Medals awarded to 18 for extraordinary acts of heroism

Posted on by Carnegie Hero Fund

PITTSBURGH, PA, SEPTEMBER 24, 1998—In its fourth award announcement of 1998, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission today named 18 individuals from throughout the United States and Canada as recipients of the Carnegie Medal. The bronze medal is given to persons who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others. Three of the awardees died in the performance of their heroic acts.

The heroes announced today bring to 70 the number of persons awarded to date in 1998, and to 8,221 the total number of awards made since the Pittsburgh-based Fund’s inception in 1904.

Commission President Robert W. Off stated that each of the awardees or their survivors will receive also a grant of $3,000. Throughout the 94 years since the Fund was established by industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, $23.1 million has been given in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits, and continuing assistance.

The awardees are:

Resumes of the acts follow. To nominate someone for the CARNEGIE MEDAL, write the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, 436 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1101, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, or call 1-800-447-8900 (toll free). Fuller information on the CARNEGIE MEDAL and the history of the CARNEGIE HERO FUND COMMISSION can be found at www.carnegiehero.org


Sidney R. Davis
Soda Springs, Idaho
Sidney R. Davis saved Richard F. Lund from burning, Richmond, Utah, August 15, 1997. Lund, 51, remained in the cab of his tractor-trailer after a highway accident in which the vehicle, including a tank containing 7,900 gallons of gasoline, overturned onto its passenger side and caught fire. Driving behind Lund, Davis, 32, recreation guide, saw the accident and stopped at the scene. When he did not see a driver emerge from the wreckage, Davis ran to the cab, where flames issuing from the burning tank extended overhead. Davis grasped the bottom half of the windshield and pulled while Lund, who had dropped to the passenger side of the cab, kicked at it. The bottom half of the windshield thus dislodged, Davis reached through the opening, grasped Lund, and removed him from the cab. He assisted Lund to a point of safety as the flames on the vehicle quickly intensified and engulfed, then destroyed, it. Lund required hospital treatment for minor injury sustained in the accident. Davis recovered from inhaling smoke and blistering his forehead.
72058-8204
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Lawrence Gary
Halethorpe, Maryland
Elena J. Keller
Silver Spring, Maryland
Lawrence Gary and Elena J. Keller helped to rescue Shonda D. Green from burning, Baltimore, Maryland, August 22, 1997. Shonda, 17, was unconscious on the dining room floor of a friend’s house after fire broke out in the adjacent living room. Visiting in the neighborhood, Gary, 47, pastor, saw smoke and responded to the scene, as did Ms. Keller, 49, program coordinator, who worked nearby. They found flames issuing from the front of the house and at the back of the house learned that Shonda was still inside. After Ms. Keller and another man who had arrived kicked open the back door, Ms. Keller and Gary entered the house and began to crawl through it. They exited because of the dense smoke, which precluded visibility. On a subsequent re-entry, Gary crawled into the dining room and found Shonda. He stood, grasped her, and dragged her to the back door, where Ms. Keller and others helped to remove her from the house. Shonda sustained serious burns to most of her body and died three weeks later. Gary and Ms. Keller were taken to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, from which they recovered.
72066-8205 / 72131-8206
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Harvey Randolph
Palm Bay, Florida
Harvey Randolph rescued Jill Fitzgerald from attacking dogs, Palm Bay, Florida, September 18, 1997. Ms. Fitzgerald, 37, was jogging in her neighborhood when four pit bull dogs approached and attacked her, knocking her to the ground. As the dogs bit and pulled on Ms. Fitzgerald, she called for help, attracting the attention of a neighbor, Randolph, 53, plumbing contractor. Unarmed, Randolph ran to Ms. Fitzgerald and kicked at the dogs repeatedly, and he attempted, without success, to pull her to her feet. On one attempt, Randolph also went to the ground, at which time the dogs attacked him. Randolph stood, grasped Ms. Fitzgerald, and pulled her to a van parked about 40 feet away, the dogs following, growling and snarling. Randolph pushed Ms. Fitzgerald into the van then climbed in himself. The dogs circled the van, and when paramedics arrived, the dogs turned on them. After the dogs left the scene, Ms. Fitzgerald was taken to the hospital, where she was detained four days for treatment of extensive bite wounds. Randolph was treated for a puncture wound and later underwent surgery to repair an elbow wounded by the dogs.
72144-8207
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Mark Lee Bennett
Warner Robins, Georgia
David N. Jones
Warner Robins, Georgia
Mark Lee Bennett and David N. Jones saved Johnnie E. Williamson, Jr., from burning, Fort Valley, Georgia, June 2, 1997. Williamson, 49, was trapped in the cab of his tractor-trailer after the truck collided with a moving train, derailing it. Flames broke out at the tractor, the driver’s side of which was against the train. Traveling nearby, Bennett, 25, service repair manager, and Jones, 27, water treatment operator, saw the accident. They ran to the passenger side of Williamson’s truck and pulled on the door, which was jammed. Instructing Williamson to kick the door, Bennett and Jones partially opened it, allowing Williamson to get his upper body out. Standing on one of the truck’s fuel tanks, Bennett grasped Williamson and pulled him the rest of the way out of the truck as Jones continued to pull on the door to enlarge the opening. By then, flames had spread to the cab. Bennett and Jones walked Williamson away from the tractor, which was shortly engulfed by flames and was destroyed. Williamson was treated at the hospital for a burn to his right arm and other injury, and he recovered.
72027-8208 / 72026-8209
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Gerald D. Dray
Delphos, Ohio
Gerald D. Dray attempted to save Carl D. Packer from drowning, St. Marys, Ohio, February 3, 1997. Packer, 75, was ice fishing on Grand Lake St. Marys when the ice beneath him gave way and he fell into water about eight feet deep. Fishing about 375 feet away, Dray, 43, laborer, saw Packer fall and immediately ran toward him. Dray lay on the ice and extended one end of an auger to snag Packer by his clothing. As he was pulling Packer toward him, Dray slid into the open water. Dray grasped Packer by his attire but lost strength in the frigid water and clung to the edge of the ice. State park personnel arrived shortly and pulled Dray out of the water. They then retrieved Packer, who had submerged. Efforts to revive Packer were not successful. Dray was taken to the hospital for treatment of hypothermia, and he recovered.
72122-8210
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Philip J. Smith
Clarkston, Michigan
Philip J. Smith helped to rescue Betty J. Stomp from burning, Southfield, Michigan, May 4, 1997. Ms. Stomp, 75, was the driver of an automobile that, stopped at an intersection, was struck from behind by another car. Flames erupted on both vehicles and, fueled by gasoline, quickly intensified on Ms. Stomp’s car. Others at the scene, including Smith, 29, systems engineer and motorist who was stopped at the intersection, responded to the burning vehicles. Smith opened the driver’s door of Ms. Stomp’s car and attempted to remove her from the vehicle, but he had to withdraw because of flame conditions. On a second attempt, he pulled Ms. Stomp out of the car to the pavement but had to draw back again when his attire and person caught fire. Extinguishing the flames on himself, Smith returned to Ms. Stomp, who also was aflame, and aided in taking her to the curb. Others who had responded rescued Ms. Stomp’s husband and the occupants of the second car. Ms. Stomp was hospitalized for treatment of burns. Smith too was hospitalized, for four days, for treatment of first- and second-degree burns to his face and both hands and knees.
71684-8211
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Misty Nacole Waters, deceased
Nahunta, Georgia
Misty Nacole Waters died attempting to save Eric S. and Keith R. Waters from drowning, Hoboken, Georgia, May 20, 1997. Eric, 8; Keith, 7, and their sister, Misty Nacole, 10, student, were wading in the Satilla River as their mother and another woman fished nearby. When Eric and Keith entered water beyond their depth and struggled to stay afloat, Misty immediately waded and swam to them. The woman also saw the boys struggle, and she too swam to them. The woman took the boys to the bank in repeated trips, during which Misty submerged. Her body was recovered from the river later that day; she had drowned.
71750-8212
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Cathy Schuh
Milan, Michigan
Cathy Schuh rescued Russell H. Tackett and helped to rescue Matthew G. Reed from burning, Willis, Michigan, August 18, 1997. Russell, 16, and Reed, 18, were trapped inside a car that erupted into flame after an accident at night on a secluded dirt road. Approaching in her vehicle, Ms. Schuh, 36, waitress, saw flames at the scene and stopped. She approached the passenger side of the car, on which flames issued from the engine, then reached inside, grasped Reed, who was unconscious, and attempted, without success, to remove him. As Russell then shouted for help, Ms. Schuh went to the other side of the car and forced open the driver’s door, which had been jammed. Flames by then were spreading to the interior of the car. Ms. Schuh grasped Russell, pulled him out of the car, then dragged him away from it. Reed shouted for help, and Ms. Schuh returned to the passenger side, where she attempted, again without success, to remove him. Despite flames on the driver’s and back seats, she entered the car in her attempt but had to withdraw because of conditions. Another woman who had responded freed Reed from the wreckage. Ms. Schuh pulled him from the car and dragged him away, the other woman patting out flames on his leg. The car was shortly engulfed by flames. Russell and Reed required hospital treatment for burns and other injury. Ms. Schuh strained her back and inhaled smoke; she recovered.
72090-8213
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Hernan L. Tobon
Massapequa, New York
Hernan L. Tobon rescued Gabrielle Fontanez from burning, Farmingdale, New York, June 2, 1997. Gabrielle, 11 months old, and her twin sister were in car seats in the back seat of a car being driven by their mother when the mother noticed smoke issuing from the back-seat area. The mother pulled over to the side of the highway and attempted to remove the girls from the car. Another motorist, Tobon, 22, forklift operator, approached and, seeing the mother calling for help, parked at the scene and went to the car, which was filling with dense smoke. Tobon reached through the opened passenger door and removed Gabrielle’s sister, then learned that Gabrielle was also in the car. By then, flames had broken out in the back-seat area, and they grew quickly. Tobon went to the driver’s door, pushed the front seat forward, and reached into the back-seat area as a man who had arrived with a fire extinguisher attempted to put out the flames. Requiring repeated attempts, Tobon freed Gabrielle from her seat and removed her from the car. Flames filled the car shortly. Gabrielle was hospitalized for treatment of severe burns, and Tobon sustained minor burns to his hands, from which he recovered.
71772-8214
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Howard S. Morash, deceased
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Howard S. Morash died attempting to save David H.D.P. Cameron from drowning, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, August 31, 1997. Cameron, 46, was attempting to return to shore against a strong current while swimming in the Northumberland Strait. Tiring, he shouted for help. A friend, Morash, 48, electrician foreman, was on the beach. Morash removed only his shoes and, despite rough surf conditions, entered the water and swam toward Cameron. He reached a point within a few feet of Cameron, then was swept farther out and submerged. Others who had entered the water rescued Cameron. Morash was then recovered, unconscious, from the surf, but he could not be revived. He had drowned.
72065-8215
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Seth De La Riva
Fair Oaks, California
David Miller
Kensington, California
Seth De La Riva helped to save Jason Flores, and David Miller saved Seth De La Riva and Jason Flores, from drowning, Bodega Bay, California, August 10, 1997. Flores, 21, was wading in the Pacific Ocean off a state beach when a strong current carried him farther from shore and into deeper water. He struggled against the current but tired in the cold water and waved for help. On shore, family members, including his cousin, De La Riva, 22, warehouse manager, observed Flores struggling. De La Riva immediately ran into the water, then waded and swam to Flores, who by then was nearly exhausted. He towed Flores toward shore; tiring himself, he stopped to rest, during which times he kept Flores’s head out of the water. Miller, 49, electrical contractor, entered the water and waded and swam to the men. At first by pulling and pushing each, then by towing them, Miller, laboriously fighting the current and waves, took Flores and De La Riva to wadable water. Flores was hospitalized for treatment of water in his lungs, and De La Riva was exhausted. They recovered.
72451-8216 / 71995-8217
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Philip Manson Buller
Sebastopol, California
Philip Manson Buller saved Daniel A. Tarrant from drowning, Bodega Bay, California, August 10, 1997. Tarrant, 37, entered the Pacific Ocean off a state beach to rescue his stepson, who tired against a strong current in the cold water while attempting to return to shore. Tarrant swam toward him but became caught in the same current and lost consciousness during his own struggle against it. Buller, 42, artist and teacher, entered the water and waded and swam to Tarrant, who was floating face down. He towed Tarrant against the current to wadable water, from which others aided in carrying Tarrant to the beach. Tarrant was hospitalized three days for treatment of water in his lungs, and he recovered. Tarrant’s stepson was saved by others.
71996-8218
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Marc L. Tercier
Ladysmith, British Columbia
Marc L. Tercier rescued Terrance Macrae from burning, Ladysmith, British Columbia, September 28, 1996. Macrae, 25, was semi-conscious in his van after it had overturned onto its passenger side in a highway accident and caught fire. A resident of the area, Tercier, 40, self-employed, heard the accident and responded to the scene. He approached the roof of the burning vehicle and ripped at the canvas sides of its pop-up section, which had opened. Thus creating a means of access, Tercier stooped and entered the van as flames on it grew quickly. He grasped Macrae and pulled him out of the van, then went back to it to look for others. The van was engulfed by flames and was destroyed. Macrae received hospital treatment for minor injury and burns.
72481-8219
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Karry Steven Howard, deceased
Rainsville, Alabama
Karry Steven Howard died helping to save Jason Woodle from drowning, Guntersville, Alabama, June 21, 1997. Jason, 16, was swimming in Town Creek with two other boys when he began to struggle in deep water at a point about 125 feet from the bank. Fishing from the bank, Howard, 32, logger, who was one of the adults in Jason’s party, immediately removed his shoes then dived into the water and swam to Jason. He pushed Jason toward the bank. Concluding that Howard was tiring, another man entered the water to aid in Jason’s rescue, as did Jason’s uncle. Those men returned Jason safely to the bank but then saw Howard submerge, and they could not locate him. He was recovered from the creek later that evening; he had drowned.
71800-8220
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Lewis Thomas
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Lewis Thomas attempted to rescue three boys from assault, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 14, 1996. Three 15-year-old boys were riding a subway train when they were approached by two other teenaged males who then robbed them at gunpoint and struck one of them. Boarding the car, Thomas, 49, laborer, soon became aware of the situation. He stood and started to approach the assailants. They told him to stop, but when Thomas continued toward them, the assailant who was armed shot him in the left leg. He fell to the floor. The assailants fled the train at the next stop, and Thomas and the three boys exited at the following one. Police shortly apprehended the assailants. The boy who was struck with the gun sustained a contusion to his head, and he recovered. Thomas required hospital treatment for his gunshot wound; he was disabled for two months but fully recovered.
72303-8221
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