James Stanley Osborne died assisting in an attempt to save C. Alton Darnell from drowning, Piney Creek, North Carolina, July 6, 1971. When Alton, 15, high school student, waded into the New River to free his fishing line, he lost his footing and, unable to swim, was carried into deep water by the current. James, 15, and a 17-year-old youth, high school students, removed their boots and entered the chilly water. They both went under and drowned before they could overtake Alton, who was carried to a rock at midstream. He later was removed by a rescue squad that also recovered the body of James and that of the other youth.
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