LOCAL ANGLE: A man with a connection to Port Allegany was
honored as an “everyday hero of public safety” at a ceremony
conducted by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Department in
California.
Raymond Kress, who is married to Port Allegany native
MaryKathryn “Kat” Kress, earned awards for his role in saving the
lives of residents on two separate occasions.
The Union, located in Grass Valley, Calif., reported in its Jan.
27 edition on the awards ceremony which singled out Kress, a deputy
with the department, and others.
Kress and two other deputies received a rare bronze medal for
saving a North San Juan woman from injuring herself on March 22,
2005.
The woman was allegedly throwing knives at imaginary people,
locked herself in her mobile home, set her living room on fire and
hid in the closet. Kress helped kicked in the front door, while
another deputy broke in the back window.
Breathing in smoke, the three men wrestled the kicking,
screaming woman out of the closet to safety. They were all treated
for smoke inhalation.
“Because of their courage and resourcefulness, that woman is
alive today,” said Sheriff Keith Royal.
Kress also received a sheriff’s commendation for saving a
woman’s life on Oct. 31, 2005, in Penn Valley. According to the
account, he was responding to a call for a suicidal person and
arrived before the paramedics, who had taken a wrong turn.
He cleared the woman’s airway, restored her breathing and didn’t
tell anyone about it until a superior officer read about his
actions in a report.
“He went above and beyond his regular duties,” the sheriff
said.
Kress, who grew up in North East, Pa., and his wife both
graduated from Mercyhurst in 2002, and currently resident in Grass
Valley, Calif.,
MaryKathryn is the daughter of Gary and Dee Hardes of Port
Allegany. Gary is a former long-time member of the Port Allegany
School Board.
BRADFORD DAYS: Sally Ishman has a follow-up report on the
Bradford reunion held in Florida on Feb. 12.
In all, Sally tells us, 57 people attended this ninth annual
reunion which was held in New Port Richey, Fla. Sally and her
husband Ernie hosted a dinner for the event which included 26
people attending for the first time.
“We would like to thank all of you again and hope to see you
next year,” Sally writes.
