Theresa E. Leduc

Theresa E. Leduc saved Leo Deloria III, from drowning, Cumberland Hill, Rhode Island, March 13, 1964. Leo, 6, who could not swim, broke through an ice-covered pond into water six feet deep 65 feet from the bank. He called for help as he held to his collie dog, which had slid into the hole. Mrs. Leduc, 37, homemaker, a poor swimmer, was driving by the pond and saw the situation. Removing her jacket, she walked 10 feet on the ice and broke through into wadable water. She tried to step out onto the ice but could not obtain footing. Lying prone, she crawled close to the hole. She removed her head scarf and threw one end of it to Leo, who grasped it. Mrs. Leduc moved backward in a prone position, drawing Leo out of the water and onto the ice. Fifteen feet from the hole she stood up. She dragged Leo to within 10 feet of the bank, where she again broke through the ice. Mrs. Leduc held Leo out of the water and, breaking a path in the ice with her feet, waded to the bank with him.