Perry 0. Gezzi, 12, schoolboy, saved Sharlene R. Amell, 8, from drowning, North Creek, New York, May 31, 1965. When she fell into a pond, Sharlene’s struggles to stay afloat caused her to drift away from the bank, and she screamed for help. Perry was on the opposite bank. Followed by his 11-year-old sister, he crossed a dam to the other side of the pond and ran to opposite Sharlene, who was submerging intermittently. Perry removed his shoes, waded into the water, and began to swim toward Sharlene. His sister found a log three feet long and thrust it to him. Perry pushed the log ahead of him as he swam to where Sharlene had surfaced 20 feet from the bank in water six feet deep. Holding to one end of the log, Perry extended the opposite end to Sharlene. She grasped it and tried to put all of her weight on it, forcing it beneath the surface. Sharlene then released her hold and again began flailing wildly. Perry released the log, swam to Sharlene, and took hold of her with one hand. She grasped his other hand tightly, but he broke her hold. Sharlene squirmed in Perry’s grasp as he towed her 20 feet to wadable water at the bank, where they obtained footing. His sister aided Perry in getting Sharlene out of the water.
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