John William McPherson saved Joseph A. Kulka III from being killed by a train, Owensboro, Kentucky, February 17, 1949. Joseph, 3, stood astride a rail of a track on which a locomotive pulling five cars was approaching. The engineer did not see him. McPherson, 24, custodian, ran 45 feet toward the approaching train and lunged head first across the track, grasping Joseph when the train was six feet from them and moving at a speed of 7 m.p.h. They struck the ground just outside the track and barely rolled clear of the locomotive, which came to a stop 40 feet beyond them. McPherson sustained a bruised hip. Joseph was uninjured.
41720-3643John William Mcpherson
Owensboro, KY