Robert J. Heeley, 37, student, saved Beth Hutchinson, 5, from drowning, Wilbraham, Massachusetts, February 12, 1965. Beth and her seven-year- old brother, neither of whom could swim, broke through ice into water 20 feet deep 15 feet from the bank of a pond. Heeley’s five-year-old daughter, who was on the bank, ran to her home and reported the situation. Heeley and a neighbor woman went to the pond, arriving just as Beth’s hands disappeared beneath the surface. Her brother was not in sight. Diving into the small area of open water, Heeley swam to the edge of the ice, submerged eight feet, and found Beth, who was unconscious. He took hold of her and surfaced under the ice about a foot from its edge, breaking it with his head and shoulders. Heeley held Beth’s head above water and tried in vain to hold to the ice. Experiencing difficulty in breathing because of the cold water, he began towing Beth toward the bank. He swam into a floating log, but found it would not support Beth’s weight. Although very fatigued, Heeley towed Beth to wadable water within three feet of the bank. The woman aided Beth and Heeley from the water. Beth was removed to a hospital and revived. Her brother’s body was recovered later.
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