Charles D. Goetz saved Anthony J. Gfesser and died attempting to save Raymond L. McCollum from drowning, Monee, Illinois, May 17, 1970. At a small lake, Gfesser and McCollum, each 19, college students, were pulled under by the suction when an overflow drain three feet in diameter suddenly became unclogged. They were held at the drain’s opening, which was beneath the surface of the muddy water; but Gfesser was able to lift his head above water. Goetz, 19, college student, held to a man clutching a tree and, wading into the lake, was able to grasp the extended hand of Gfesser, who then was pulled free of the suction. McCollum continued to be held underwater at the drain. Taking a line attached to a motorboat, Goetz tied the free end around his waist and then swam toward the whirlpool above the drain. He uttered a cry and disappeared. The pilot of the boat tried to pull Goetz to the surface by backing the craft, but the line broke. Goetz was found in a ditch into which the drain emptied. He could not be revived. Rescue teams later removed the body of McCollum from the drain opening.
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