With a hero at her side

Sometimes heroism doesn’t involve a dramatic rescue from a burning house or a daring plunge to pull a helpless victim from a stormy sea. F. Shellie Reed defined heroism simply by staying with a child in her moment of peril.

Unable to free 12-year-old Gloria Martinez from a crushed SUV, Reed remained in the burning vehicle to comfort her until emergency crews arrived on the accident scene.  The Kiwanis International Foundation awarded Reed its Robert P. Connelly Medal for Heroism in recognition of his bravery. He was nominated for the award by the Kiwanis Club of St. Charles (Noon), Illinois.

Martinez and her brother, Nicholas, were passengers in the vehicle driven by their father. Another vehicle, traveling at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour and weaving through traffic, struck a median, went airborne, and hit the Martinez’s vehicle head-on, killing both drivers instantly. While merging into traffic, Reed, a former police chief, saw an explosion and called 9-1-1 for emergency assistance. Two other passersby pulled Nicholas from the vehicle and began first-aid care. Reed entered the vehicle and began trying to free Gloria.

Knocked unconscious by the collision, the girl awoke screaming.

“Though the Cadillac was on fire and there was a very real possibility that it might explode at any moment, Shellie chose to remain in the vehicle with Gloria to provide whatever comfort possible,” says St. Charles Kiwanian Joseph Cucci. “With total disregard for his own safety, he continued his efforts to free her and to comfort her until emergency personnel arrived.”

Weeks later, when the Martinez family met Reed and the other two rescuers, Gloria expressed her thanks in a poem.

“Thanks to you all,” she told her rescuers, “I got to celebrate my 13th birthday, Nick’s ninth birthday party, saying hi to my friends, hugging my mom, my first day of eighth grade.