10 Years Ago 1997

Tom Clark and Jeff Standish were two of the eight heroes celebrated by the city of Marysville and the local Fire District. In a ceremony May 26, 1997, Lt. Jeff Thornton of the fire district told five stories of life-saving heroics by community members. Clark works for Stryen, a contractor in Woodinville. He and Charlie Argo were inside a 12 foot-deep trench working at an apartment complex across from Allen Creek Elementary School on State Route 528 in January. When someone stepped out of the ditch, the walls collapsed on Argo, burying him under three feet of dirt. Risking their own lives, Clark and Mark Anlauf went back into the trench with shovels and dug Argo out in minutes. They pulled Argo into a safer part of the trench while they waited for a newly formed trench rescue unit to show up. Fire Chief Greg Corn said the department cannot go into a hole until it is safe again. He said a high number of deaths in trenches are rescuers who are buried again. At great risk to themselves, Corn said, they ultimately saved his life. I was extremely lucky, Argo said. The force of the collapsing dirt knocked his helmet over his face and created an air pocket that allowed him to breathe. The new county rescue team just trained in trench rescues, arrived with the fire department, and freed Argo whose back was broken. Argo attended the award ceremony walking with a cane just four months after his life-threatening entombment. Steven and Debra Moore got a warm thanks from the fire district and the city for their life-saving response. Out for a Sunday drive in March, they noticed an elderly man lying down in his yard. It didnt look quite right, Corn said. The man had suffered a heart attack. They called 911 and over the phone got CPR instructions from the dispatcher and started the resuscitation until the fire department arrived. The Moores stayed with the victims wife when the fire department arrived. The victim eventually died, but he would have had zero chance had they not stopped at least he had a chance, Corn said. Thanks to Terri Johnson and Greg Flaucher, a son was able to see his mother before she died. The victim suffered a heart attack at an intersection on Fourth Street, and her foot slipped off the brake and rolled into a pole. When the fire department got there, they found Johnson and Fletcher attempting CPR. The woman lived for two months, enough time for her son to return from a mission overseas. The son came back and saw his mother while still alive thanks to the heroics of Johnson and Flaucher, Corn said. In March, Jeff Standish was listening to his scanner, a habit he had developed, when he overheard the Marysville fire department asking for a boat. A 13-year-old boy had built a home-made raft to float down Allen Creek. Between Jennings Park and SR-528, grasses choke the creek and the homemade raft didnt make it through. Corn said the boy tried to wade out through the weeds but the fast-moving March waters were over his head and he called for help. The fire department arrived but doesnt own a boat. Standish heard the fire department calling another district for an inflatable raft and strapped his canoe to his truck and drove down to the creek. He offered his canoeing expertise and paddled out with a firefighter. They pulled the wet and cold boy into Standishs canoe and brought him safely to shore. For her heroics, Andrea Sheehan was celebrated for trying to save a heart attack victim at a local hotel. The interior decorator found people standing around a woman. Sheehan stepped in and gave the woman CPR. Corn said the survival rates of cardiac victims depend on CPR-trained citizens. It can take a long time from cardiac arrest, to the 911 call, to our arrival, he said. King County is recognized around the country for its high survival rates, he said, due to a high percentage of CPR-trained citizens. Snohomish County has a high rate of trained citizenry, he said. You need to respond.

25 Years Ago 1982

The mosquitoes in Alaska would be enough to stop some people in their bicycle tracks. But the hungry critters will only be part of the adventure as 24 cyclists including Kevin Hansen of Marysville set out on the Great Alaskan Bike Trek. The group, flew out of Seattle for the winding 4,400-mile tour starting in Anchorage. Our mental health will be put to the test, said Hansen, a 1979 M-PHS graduate. As he ticked off, adverse weather conditions, hilly and winding gravel roads and who knows what? The goal of the journey, which will include the Yukon and British Columbia as it winds southward towards Washington, is to promote awareness of mental health as a part of everyday life. Rich Sorenson of Seattle, Director of Mental Health, attended the farewell barbecue.

50 Years Ago 1957

Marysvilles largest graduating class, 105, received diplomas Thursday, June 6, 1957. Valedictory was given by Elaine Klein, whose topic is Date with Tomorrow. Ronald Fossue salutatorian, spoke on Is America at Stake? Other speakers included Dave Savage, class president, on Be the Best at Whatever You Are; and Terry Brooks, class chosen speaker, on Valley in the Shadow. The high school orchestra, under Daniel Temkin, provided processional music. Special musical selections provided by Joanne Walker, Anna Maria Hall, Doradea Moore, accompanied by Martha Dollymeyer Skinner. The class was presented by Superintendent Robert C. Bates and diplomas were given out by C.H. Holmes, chairman of the school board.