Red Cross chapter honors county’s unsung heroes

Herald staff

EVERETT — The Snohomish County Chapter of the American Red Cross honored community heroes Tuesday at its Fifth Annual Real Heroes Breakfast.

During the ceremony at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel, the chapter presented 10 awards.

They were:

Fire rescue: Ernie and Paulette Clayton, an Everett couple who saved a family on the July 4th holiday weekend when a boat exploded and caught fire at Cypress Island.

Workplace rescue: Frank Molitor and Jim Corbett, who performed CPR on Clyde Scott when he collapsed in a Home Depot store on Highway 99 in Everett July 6. They kept him alive until medics arrived.

Military award: Shawn Cooley, a Navy operations specialist, who came upon an accident on I-5 July 9 and provided aid to two severely injured people.

Police rescue: Edmonds Police Officer Bill Nelson, who went to a home Aug. 23 to serve a search warrant and spent more than an hour talking a man armed with a rifle out of killing himself.

Youth good Samaritan: Snohomish High School senior Robby Smith for his help to a disabled student, teaching special-needs youngsters to swim, purchasing food and clothes for needy families during the holidays, as well as volunteer work as an Explorer firefighter.

Animal rescue: Susan Michaels and Mark Steinway, founders of Pasado’s Safe Haven, for their work rescuing more than 1,000 sick or dying chickens as well as other extremely neglected animals from a Monroe home.

Adult good Samaritan: Dan Sommerfeld, a truck driver who dove into Diablo Lake to save a fellow trucker whose truck crashed into the lake Nov. 8, 1999.

Education award: Bob Whittemore, a teacher who 10 years ago began steering an elementary school student away from gangs and encouraging him to pursue his artistic talent.

Community collaboration award: Numerous agencies that responded on May 9 to a chemical fire in a semi-truck in Fire District 7. The fire prompted evacuations, disrupted traffic and contaminated a salmon stream.

Medical rescue award: Providence Everett Medical Center’s trauma team for its care, including complicated surgery for life-threatening injuries of a teen-age girl who was severely stabbed Oct. 9.

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