Uhrichsville man receives Carnegie Medal
Harold “Buddy” Shaw received the Carnegie Medal for outstanding civilian heroism during a ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 28 at the Masonic Lodge in Dennison.
A Uhrichsville man received the Carnegie Medal for outstanding civilian heroism during a ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 28 at the Masonic Lodge in Dennison. Carnegie Hero Fund Commission board member Evan S. Frazier presented the award to Harold “Buddy” Shaw.
Shaw and his neighbor Vincent Santaniello saved the life of Crystal Roup on Sept. 27, 2016. The two men worked together to pull Roup from a burning pickup truck after it wrecked into a telephone pole. Santaniello was not able to attend the ceremony and received his medal earlier in the day.
The presentation included opening statements from Carnegie Hero Fund Commission representatives Frazier and Chris Foreman; a video detailing the history, purpose and significance of the medal; and a proclamation from U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, which was delivered by his community outreach representative Mike Peppel.
The board makes an effort to present medals during an in-person presentation as often as possible. “It’s a dignified way to receive the actual medal,” Foreman said.
“The Carnegie Medal is awarded to those who voluntarily risk their lives to an extraordinary degree to save or attempt to save the life of a fellow person,” Frazier said. He said about 20 percent of medals are given posthumously.
The medal is adorned with ivy, oak and thistle to represent glory, friendship and strength. It features an inscription from the New Testament to commemorate those who die while performing their heroic deed: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
Congressman Johnson’s proclamation credited Shaw and Santaniello with preventing a tragedy by removing Roup from the truck before it was engulfed in flames.
“I’m not much for speeches,” Shaw said when he received the award. “But I’ve got some friends here who saved me. They know that. Without them I probably wouldn’t be here.”
Shaw is a lifelong resident of the area. He owned and operated Shaw Welding & Repair Shop on Indian Hill Road in Uhrichsville for 27 years before turning it over to his sons.
The Carnegie Medal Hero Fund Commission was created in 1904 by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. At the time Carnegie was the richest man in the world. He was inspired by the events of a coal mine explosion in Harwick, Pennsylvania, which claimed the lives of 181 men. Two of the men perished while trying to rescue fellow miners trapped inside. Carnegie was quoted later as saying, “I can’t get those widows and children out of my mind.”
The commission investigates about 850 heroes annually but only awards those who meet the criteria set out by Carnegie in his original deed of trust.
“This doesn’t diminish in any way the heroic acts of so many others that may not meet this very specific definition,” Frazier said.
The board has awarded 9,991 medals since its inception and is on track to break the 10,000 mark by March. They have awarded nearly $40 million in grants, scholarships and other continuing assistance. All honorees are given a one-time grant of $5,000 in addition to the three-inch bronze medal.
“I do not expect to stimulate or create heroism by this fund, knowing well that heroic action is impulsive,” Carnegie said, “but I do believe that if the hero is injured in his bold attempt to serve or save his fellows, he and those dependent upon him should not suffer pecuniarily.”
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission awards the medals throughout the U.S. and Canada. Similar funds have been created in nine European countries.
Shaw and Santaniello aren’t the first Tuscarawas County residents to be honored with the award. Harold M. Starkey and his nephew Richard John Starkey were honored after they rushed into Big Stillwater Creek to save a pair of struggling teenage boys in 1987. Both men and one of the boys drowned before the other was rescued.
Charles R. Boughton attempted to save a woman from an oncoming train in 1914. He rushed across the track and grabbed the woman’s arm to try to pull her out of the way of the train, but she was struck and killed. Boughton and the 6-year-old child the woman was pulling in a wagon were not injured.
Close to 600 Ohioans have been honored with the Carnegie Medal. Many come from nearby areas such as Stark County, Wooster, Carrollton, Cambridge and Coshocton.
For more information on the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, visit www.carnegiehero.org/.