2009 Acts of Courage Recipients

Distinguished Honorees

Click here to nominate a hero for the  2010 Acts of Courage Awards

Keith McVey (Barberton, OH), a letter carrier for the Kenmore Post Office, was delivering mail when he discovered a young girl struggling to stay afloat in nearby Nesmith Lake. McVey jumped into the water to save her, using the skills he learned in the boy Scouts 30 years earlier  to save the girl's life.  

McKenna Fitzgerald (3-year-old) saved her babysitter’s life, Sandra Beatty, when her car rolled forward, pinning her against the garage wall. Fitzgerald got out of her car seat, climbed to the front seat, turned off the car, found Beattie’s cell phone in her purse and handed it to her. Beatty called Fitzgerald’s grandmother, who then called 911. 

Bill Dreyer (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) donated blood for the first time in 1955 and has donated 28 gallons of blood since. He also donates furniture and electronics to International Services at Chapter and cash for Disaster Relief. 

George Gregory (Akron, OH) volunteered to work with the Red Cross as part of his rehab program for a work-related injury. As a result of volunteering, he returned to be a regular donor of whole blood in addition to platelets. He continues to volunteer and also recruited his wife, Ellen, to volunteer in the office.

Dr. Kenneth Braman (Copley, OH) and Elena Gerin (Copley, OH) helped save the life of 6-year-old Juliana Braman when she was found unconscious at the bottom of the pool. After Braman was pulled from the water, Gerin and Dr. Braman administered the abdominal thrusts and CPR to clear the girl’s airway and restart her breathing and heartbeat.     

Don Burroughs, an off-duty firefighter and police officer, saw that his neighbor’s house was on fire. He immediately alerted the fire department and then entered the smoked filled house and helped his neighbor, David Messner, get to safety. 

James Miller (Akron, OH) and Jeffrey Witt (Akron, OH), both employees of InfoCision, rescued fellow InfoCision employee Marie Pack from her van. Pack, who is paralyzed, was entering the van through a wheelchair lift when an electrical malfunction set the passenger seat ablaze. Miller and Witt pulled her safely out of the van.

Michael Vavro (Akron, OH), an off-duty Akron Police officer, was working at Giant Eagle on Waterloo Road in Akron when he came across a woman who was disoriented, sitting on the floor. Moments later, the women was completely unconscious. Vavro checked to see if she was breathing, felt for a pulse and called for an AED. Vavro used the Aed to administer a shock and then performed CPR until paramedics arrived at the scene.

Robert Princic, Jr. (Stow, OH) and his father were doing their daily aquatic exercise session when his father experienced a massive heart attack and became unresponsive. Princic Jr. with the help of lifeguards Rachel Leahy (Twinsburg, OH), Stephanie Surka (Aurora, OH), and Jordan Geraci (Twinsburg, OH) pulled his father to out of the water.  The lifeguards initiated rescue breathing and CPR and called 911.  After 10 attempts to revive Bob’s father, their team work paid off.  Princic Sr.’s heart began beating, his eyes opened and he breathed on his own again.

Libby Fisher (Barberton, OH) and her long-time friend, Pat, had just returned from shopping, when Pat’s husband Mike started going into total cardiac arrest. Libby used her Red Cross training to do compressions until the paramedics arrived. Mike was taken to the hospital where he eventually stabilized.

Glenn Lane (10-year-old) and his friend Taylor decided to climb a steep hill while camping. They began taking turns swinging out from the top of the hill on a vine. Suddenly, the vine broke and Taylor toppled down the hill. Lane put her over his shooulder and carried her back to camp. Taylor's father then rushed her to the hospital. 

Professional Honorees

Lt. John Shepherd (Akron, OH), a firefighter of the Akron Fire Departmentresponded to the scene of a car accident where the driver was trapped inside the vehicle.  Shepherd climbed into the car and used his body — covered in protective fire gear — to shield the driver from the fire and heat while they waited for the rescue equipment to arrive.

Officer Christopher Carson (Akron, OH) of the Akron Police Department responded to a call regarding an unresponsive, non-breathing 1-year-old child. Office Carson used his previous emergency training to dislodge the airway obstruction and restart the baby's breathing.