Deborah L. Waroe helped to save Denise K. Croy from drowning, Portage, Michigan, December 20, 1969. At an ice-covered lake, Denise, 14, was 150 feet from the bank when she broke through into water 12 feet deep. Unable to climb out, she clung to the edge of the hole and called for help. Deborah, 13, schoolgirl, and three boys, the oldest aged 12, were in the immediate vicinity and started toward the hole. When he heard the ice cracking, the oldest boy told the others to stay back. He crawled to near the hole, tried in vain to pull Denise out, and then called to Deborah to help him. Deborah cautiously moved to alongside the boy and took hold of Denise, who outweighed each of them. Together, they pulled Denise out of the water and away from the hole. Meanwhile a lengthy crack had appeared in the ice between them and the bank. Adults were attracted. The 12-year-old and another boy reached the bank unaided; the adults assisted Denise, Deborah, and the third boy by means of a rope.
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