GREENVILLE - GU sophomore Ethan Greene is one of two officers recognized last week by the Decatur, Illinois, mayor and city council for dedication to public service and courageous actions that potentially saved a man’s life over the Fourth of July weekend.
Around 5:30 p.m. on July 4th, Decatur Lake Patrol received a report of a man swimming near the dam buoys and the Rt. 51 bridge. Officers arrived and found the man to be disoriented and combative. Fearful for the man’s safety since there is a water current created by the release of water over the dam, Officers Allison McCoy and Ethan Greene jumped into the water to intervene. They led the man away from the dam and back to a patrol boat, where he was transported to shore and received further medical attention.
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Decatur city staff believe without the quick thinking and actions of Officers McCoy and Greene, the man could have been swept over the dam.
“It was a team effort for the rescue,” Ethan says. “Everyone on staff contributed, and it was by the grace of God things went successfully.”
Greenville University President Suzanne Allison Davis praised Ethan’s effort.
“This award is further affirmation that Ethan embodies the “others-first” mentality of a Panther Scholar and what we strive to develop in Greenville University students. We congratulate him on this acknowledgment and are proud to call him one of our own!”
On GU’s campus, Ethan has already proven himself as a person of character with a mindset toward serving others. He is a Panther Scholar – a group of scholarship recipients awarded for acts of character and service. In his freshman year, he started Gym Rats, a club for anyone wanting to pursue fitness without the pressure of performance and with a no-tolerance policy for bullying or judgement. Ethan is also a member of GU's bass fishing team.
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