Kenneth L. Boardman saved Roland R. Carr from being struck by a train, Sunbury, Pennsylvania, October 9, 1975. At night, Carr, 67, lay in a semiconscious state an a railroad track on which a train was approaching at about nine m.p.h.. Boardman, 45, railroad brakeman, left the train’s cab and went to steps at the front end as the engineer applied emergency braking. Stepping from the engine onto a sidewalk that paralleled the track, Boardman ran to a point ahead of the slowing train. He then jumped from the sidewalk onto the track and moved to Carr in the path of the oncoming train. Grasping Carr with both hands, Boardman lifted him onto the sidewalk. Boardman was just stepping up onto the sidewalk when the engine passed and stopped several feet beyond.
54902 – 6200
54902-6200Obituary
Kenneth L. Boardman, 77, of Sunbury, Pa., died Sept. 1, 2007, after a long battle with major illnesses and surgeries dating to August 1990.
Boardman was born Jan. 6, 1930, in Sunbury, a son of the late Howard A. and Mable Mae (Wagner) Boardman.
He was a 1949 graduate of Sunbury High School. Boardman served his country in the Air Force during the Korean War in Germany and England. He retired in 1986 after 42 years of service as a brakeman/conductor for the Pennsylvania Railroad, Penn-Central Railroad, and Conrail.
Boardman was a member of the First Reformed United Church of Christ, American Legion Post 201, and Susquehanna Valley AAA, all of Sunbury. He was a life member of the Sunbury Social Club and Rose Hose Company of Sunbury, and a member of the AFL-CIO Union and Northumberland Hook and Ladder Company.
Boardman was awarded the Carnegie Medal for an outstanding act of heroism on Oct. 9, 1975, when he saved Roland Carr from being struck by a train. On Jan. 22, 1977, he received the American Legion Medal of Valor for his heroism.
(Edited from an obituary provided by a family member.)