Carnegie Medals Awarded to 23 for Extraordinary Acts of Civilian Heroism

    


    
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<p><location>PITTSBURGH</location>, <chron>Dec. 22</chron> /CNW/ -- In its fourth and final award announcement of 2009, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission today named 23 individuals from throughout the <location>United States</location> and <location>Canada</location> as recipients of the Carnegie Medal.  The medal is given to those who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.</p>
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<p>The heroes announced today bring to 9,327 the total number of awards since the Pittsburgh-based fund's inception in 1904.  Commission <person>President Mark Laskow</person> stated that each of the awardees or their next of kin will also receive a financial grant.  Throughout the 105 years since the fund was established by industrialist-philanthropist <person>Andrew Carnegie</person>, <money>$32 million</money> has been given in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits, and continuing assistance.  The awardees are:</p>
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    Seth C. Russell                       Portland, Ore.
    Ryan W. Derry                         Sherwood, Ore.
    Michael Paul Mizzone                  Orange, Conn.
    Darryl A. Putz                        Manchester, Iowa
    Kurt James Johnson                    Bloxom, Va.
    Elizabeth M. Kelley                   Peoria, Ill.
    Timothy B. Haas, deceased             Chagrin Falls, Ohio
    Paul Haas                             Chagrin Falls, Ohio
    Michael Allen Hill                    Larwill, Ind.
    Jason Wayne Spencer                   Columbia City, Ind.
    Mark C. Moore                         Tallahassee, Fla.
    Dalton Lewand                         Tallahassee, Fla.
    Derek C. Merman                       Lake Grove, N.Y.
    James P. McCaskey                     Bartlett, Tenn.
    Richard Shawn Harper                  Fort Worth, Texas
    Brandon Rothrock                      Ellenboro, N.C.
    Joshua A. Bumgarner                   Bostic, N.C.
    Walter M. Gannon                      Belvidere, Ill.
    Rolando Campuzano, Sr., deceased      Warm Springs, Ore.
    Allen Chadwick Harris                 Nashville, Tenn.
    Derek J. Creel                        Warrior, Ala.
    Krista D. Girvan                      Edmonton, Alta.
    Kim R. Grove                          Pilot Mound, Iowa




    
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<p>Summaries of the heroic acts can be found at <a href="http://www.carnegiehero.org/awardees_recent.php">http://www.carnegiehero.org/awardees_recent.php</a>. Additional information on the Carnegie Medal and the history of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission can be found at <a href="http://www.carnegiehero.org">www.carnegiehero.org</a></p>
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    Contact:           Douglas R. Chambers
    Toll free:         1-800-447-8900






    

For further information: Douglas R. Chambers of Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, [phone] Web Site: http://www.carnegiehero.org