It’s easy to think of a firefighter as a hero, but a fifth-grader? How about a school bus driver or truck driver? Twenty-one ordinary citizens and professionals alike were honored Jan. 28 at the 11th American Red Cross Arkansas Celebration of Heroes luncheon held in the ballroom of the DoubleTree hotel.
The Arkansas heroes were honored for saving a life or protecting someone in danger from harm. Named Good Samaritan Heroes were Keaton Wood, Drew Tennyson, Jeff Wingfield, David Frazier, Gabe Beatty, Mark Guinee, Phillip Guinee and Thomas Guinee. Fifth-grader Dallas Washington accepted the Good Samaritan Youth Hero award. Gail Hyatt was named a Law Enforcement Hero and EMT/Medical Heroes were Kamron Steed and Allen Lawrence with Metropolitan Emergency Management Agency.
Named Workplace Heroes were Shelly York with Arkansas Best Freight, who aided a boy who fell from the back of a moving pickup truck, and Pulaski County Special School District bus driver Sheila Hart, whose bus full of children was hijacked by a man wielding a knife.
Members of the Little Rock Fire Department named Firefighter Heroes were Jack Hancock Jr., John Hogue, Jesse Clark, Aaron Slater, Charlie Phillips, Neil Dillard, Mike Johnson and Carl Smith.
Skip Rutherford, dean of the Clinton School of Public Service, received the Clara Barton Distinguished Humanitarian Award.
Proceeds from the luncheon will help fund local disaster relief.
High Profile, Pages 36 on 02/09/2014