Daniels honors student, employee for heroic actions during fire
May 2, 2014
 |
|
President Mitch Daniels (center) presents the One Brick Higher Award to Greg Cohen (left), a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering and an ROTC cadet, and Kevin Thedans, construction health and safety manager. (Photo by Vincent Walters) |
President Mitch Daniels on Thursday (May 1) thanked and honored a Purdue student and an employee for taking actions that likely saved lives during an off-campus fire April 24.
In a ceremony in Hovde Hall, Daniels presented the One Brick Higher Award to Greg Cohen, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering and a cadet in Purdue's Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program, and Kevin Thedans, construction health and safety manager and a decorated Army veteran.
Daniels expressed pride in and gratitude to both men on behalf of the University. He said both are particularly deserving of the One Brick Higher Award, which is given to persons who go above and beyond the call of duty.
"Each spontaneously saw the trouble, responded to it, put themselves at risk and, by all accounts, are responsible for the safety of a number of other people," Daniels said. "We just didn't think that we should let that sort of bravery pass without remark."
The fire broke out the morning of April 24 at the south end of Riverbend Apartments. Cohen, who was on his way to ROTC training, saw the smoke before any first responders had arrived.
He quickly began waking those in the burning building so they could evacuate. Thedans arrived on the scene shortly afterward and helped.
The quick thinking, actions and courage Cohen and Thedans exhibited ensured that the tragedy was not made worse, Daniels said.
Cody Day, 22, was killed in the fire. He was a Connersville resident who was not enrolled at Purdue and was visiting friends. Student Chase Woodall was injured in the fire and remains hospitalized at an Eskenazi Health facility in Indianapolis.
