Carnegie Medals Awarded to 21 for Extraordinary Acts of Heroism

PITTSBURGH, March 21, 2012 /CNW/ - In its first award announcement of 2012, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission today named 21 individuals as recipients of the Carnegie Medal. The medal is given throughout the United States and Canada to those who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others. Four of the awardees died in their rescue attempts.

The heroes announced today bring to 9,516 the total number of awards since the Pittsburgh-based Fund's inception in 1904. Commission President Mark Laskow stated that each of the awardees or their survivors will also receive a financial grant. Throughout the 108 years since the Fund was established by industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, $34.2 million has been given in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits, and continuing assistance.

The awardees are:

Cara A. Ellis, deceased	Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
Angela M. Pierce	Dayton, Ohio
John F. Morris, Jr., deceased	Mobile, Ala.
Kevin Patrick Boyle	Saint Joseph, Mich.
Thomas H. Porter	Cleveland, Texas
Robin DeHaven	Austin, Texas
Alexis Renee Vaughan	Fullerton, Calif.
Michael Craig Vaughan	Fullerton, Calif.
Ryan B. Phillips	Cincinnati, Ohio
Steven P. Zernhelt, deceased	Northampton, Pa.
Billy Higgins	Tiltonsville, Ohio
Louis Charles Rosso	Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
Douglas D. Killingbeck, deceased	Milford, Mich.
Abigail R. Zuehlke	Earlysville, Va.
James Lee Smith Bowen	Lawrence, Kan.
Craig R. Espenshade	Jensen Beach, Fla.
Charles V. Worden	North Garden, Va.
Nathan Yassen	Brockton, Mass.
Shane D. Scott	Bishop, Calif.
Jason W. Thurston	Northport, Maine
Daniel Harrison Haley	Greeley, Colo.

Resumes of the acts can be found at http://www.carnegiehero.org/awardees_recent.php. Fuller information on the Carnegie Medal and the history of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission can be found at www.carnegiehero.org

Contact: Douglas R. Chambers
Toll free: 1-800-447-8900

SOURCE Carnegie Hero Fund Commission

http://www.carnegiehero.org