William W. Eddy, 20, student, helped to save Gretchen Mayher and Elizabeth Fitzsimmons, each 16, from drowning, Chilmark, Massachusetts, August 2, 1967. While swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, Miss Mayher and Miss Fitzsimmons found themselves caught in a rip current and unable to return to the beach. Eddy entered the surf and swam through breakers to the two girls 225 feet from shore in water eight feet deep between swells five feet high. Miss Mayher grasped Eddy; and he was submerged briefly. Miss Fitzsimmons then also took hold of him. With the two girls holding to him, Eddy swam shoreward. He began to tire. A hundred and fifty feet from the beach, Eddy’s father arrived to aid his son with the girls. They released Eddy, and Miss Mayher held to the father. A hundred feet from shore, the father and the two girls were met by a youth. with a life buoy, the line of which was held by persons in wadable water. By then Eddy had fallen 25 feet behind the others. By means of the line, Miss Mayher; Miss Fitzsimmons, and the father were pulled to the beach. Eddy continued swimming slowly shoreward and was submerged briefly several times as he became more fatigued. He reached a submerged sand bar, and a man there aided him to his feet. Eddy then lost consciousness. The man took him to the beach. After being revived, Eddy recovered fully.
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