Jerry A. Oliver saved Keith T. Keesy from drowning, Hampton, Illinois, April 5, 1947. An outboard motorboat in which Keith,16, schoolboy, and Jerry, 15, schoolboy, the latter’s brother, and another youth were riding on the Mississippi River swamped and capsized near midstream, where the water was seven feet deep. Only the bow rose to the surface, and it sank again momentarily when the four tried to hold to it. Jerry’s brother and the other youth swam away from the boat and were drowned. Jerry clung to the gunwale with one hand while Keith, removing an overcoat, drifted from the boat and then swam with great effort to the side of Jerry. Tired and winded, Keith made no effort to take hold of the boat, and Jerry embraced Keith’s waist with his free arm, grasped the gunwale with his hand, and pressed Keith against the side of the boat. With wind-driven waves two and a half feet high breaking over them, Jerry supported Keith in this manner for 30 minutes as the boat was carried by a current of three m.p.h. 3,500 feet. The boys were then picked up by men in two rowboats. Keith suffered from shock and was hysterical. Jerry was chilled, and one arm and the fingers on the hand were numb. Both boys recovered. 41008-3551
41008 – 3551
41008-3551