William G. S. Sherman Jr., 14, schoolboy, saved Colleen M. Phillips, 14, schoolgirl, from drowning, Harlansburg, Pennsylvania, June 15, 1957. While swimming in a creek, Miss Phillips got into difficulty in water seven and a half feet deep 40 feet from the bank and twice was submerged briefly. William, the only other person then in the water, swam 40 feet to Miss Phillips and tried to calm her as she tried to remain afloat. Miss Phillips clutched at William, striking him on the head and throwing one arm around his neck. After breaking her hold by submerging briefly, William took hold of Miss Phillips, who flailed her arms wildly and broke free of his grasp. As Miss Phillips started to sink, William grasped her by the hair and, holding her head above water, attempted to tow her toward the bank. Miss Phillips again struggled, striking William in the face and causing him to be submerged briefly. Maintaining his hold, William towed Miss Phillips 35 feet across the current to 10 feet from the bank, where she again began to struggle, causing both to be submerged briefly. William trod water and supported Miss Phillips until a young man swam to them and took her to the bank. Miss Phillips was somewhat dazed and nearly exhausted. William was tired and winded. Both recovered.
Obituary
William G.S. Sherman, Jr., “Bill,” passed away peacefully at home at the age of 83. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 13, 1943, he was the son of Thelma Williams Sherman and William Gilbert Stuart Sherman, Sr.
As a young man, Bill displayed the courage and selflessness that would define his life. At the age of 14, he was awarded the Carnegie Medal after rescuing a young girl from drowning in Slippery Rock Creek. Even decades later, he regarded the medal as one of the greatest honors of his life.
Bill spent more than three decades as operating Allegheny Ceramics, a business he built with his mother, until its closing in 2001. A meticulous lifelong learner, he embraced a new career in his late fifties, drawing on decades of self-taught computer programming to become the lead programmer for the Allegheny Bar Association, an exceptional accomplishment at a time when such a transition was virtually unheard of.
Above all, Bill was devoted to the people he loved. He is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 25 years, Marita; his beloved children, Clifford, William, Jennifer, and Paul; and his grandchildren, Ewan and Meredith.
An avid fly fisherman and photographer, Bill found peace in trout streams and joy behind a camera lens. He was a voracious reader whose interests ranged from Civil War history and detective novels to the natural world, especially streams, trout, and conservation.
Family and friends could always count on him for wisdom and perspective. He will be remembered not only for the life he built, but for his humor, humility, curiosity, and strength with which he lived it.