Theodore Pavelchak rescued Joseph E. Wallis from electric shock, Simpson, Pennsylvania, November 11, 1969. Standing on a wooden scaffold six and a half feet above a concrete floor, Wallis, 71, electrician, was making a connection at an electrical junction box when one hand touched a bare spot on a cable carrying alternating current and his other wrist made contact with the metal door of the box. He received an electrical shock and lost consciousness, the current holding him to the box. Pavelchak, 65, electrician’s helper, noted the situation and moved to behind Wallis. Although there was little space between the chest of Wallis and the electric lines inside the junction box, Pavelchak extended his arms around Wallis without touching him. He then jerked back sharply on Wallis, freeing him from the current. Wallis revived and recovered after treatment for burns on his hand and wrist.
51160 – 5690
51160-5690Obituary
Theodore “Porky” Pavelchak of Endwell, N.Y., died on Aug. 5, 1982, in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Binghamton, N.Y., after an illness.
Born in Simpson, Pa., son of the Joseph and Anatasia Skuba Pavelchak, he was an electrician for the Gen-Tex Corp. before his retirement. He was an awardee of the Carnegie Medal for rescuing a fellow worker from electrocution in 1969.
He was a member of St. Basil’s Russian Orthodox Church in Simpson, where he served on the church council. He was a charter member of the Federated Russian Orthodox Club of America and a member of the Tchaikovsky Choral Club.
A funeral service was held in St. Basil’s Russian Orthodox Church, an interment was in the parish cemetery.
(Edited from an obituary in The Scranton Times, August 7, 1982.)