Valley heroes honored at breakfast

WASILLA — A handful of Valley residents are set to receive recognition today for their work as real Alaska heroes.

Each year, the American Red Cross of Alaska hosts a breakfast for everyday people who saved a life, sometimes amid dramatic circumstances. This year, seven Valley people, some familiar faces among them, are being recognized.

This year’s breakfast starts at 7 a.m. at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage. The awards come in 10 categories, four of which will be awarded to Valley residents.

• To earn the Adult Good Samaritan of the Year, Frank Kirk and Traction Coven rescued a man they happened across one cold morning in late March on the Glenn Highway. Kirk, a trained firefighter and rescue technician, spotted a break in the guardrail and stopped to investigate. It turned out a man had driven off the road and rolled his car. Hypothermia would have taken his life if not for Kirk and his stepson, Coven.

“I saw a car upside down and headlights. I turned off my engine and yelled out, ‘Is anybody down there?’” Kirk recounted in a Red Cross press release. “I heard a muffled voice say, ‘I’m cold, get me out here.’”

• The Marine Rescue of the Year goes to a man who is no stranger to river work — Steve Mahay. When a boat overturned on the Talkeetna River, according to the Red Cross, a son and his father were trapped underneath. Mahay directed rescuers and helped right the vessel but was stymied by a second capsizing. Their efforts were eventually rewarded when the son and his father were safe in an ambulance.

“Most people are more than willing to put their lives on the line to save someone. They just need a little direction,” Mahay said in a Red Cross press release.

• The Community Safety Award will go to Jeremy Manley, a Wasilla cab driver who noticed one of his fares, Janet Shorey, was having trouble breathing after he picked her up at her Wasilla apartment building in May.

“Manley offered to call 911 just before Shorey passed out. While Shorey’s caregiver panicked, Manley administered rescue breaths, saving a life and ultimately changing his own. Today, Manley is completing his advanced training as a firefighter, according to the press release.

• And, lastly, the Education and Action Award goes to a pair of park rangers and a doctor who rescued a man who fell 2,000 feet onto a glacier on Denali, sustaining head and leg injuries.

Rangers Mik Shain and Brandon Latham directed rescue crews that lowered the climber, Claude Ratte, off of the mountain. Dr. Jennifer Dow then took over medical care.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.