February 2, 1995

Area residents honored for heroism

       While Hollywood was awarding another Oscar to Tom Hanks, the Johnson County Chapter of the American Red Cross was giving awards to those who had saved lives.  Althea and Howard Bennis received the Red Cross’ Lifesaver Award for rescuing a woman with a serious head injury in Hawaii.  Wendy Mize also was named a Lifesaver for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a heart attack victim in Franklin — keeping him alive until help arrived.  The group presented the awards Monday night during its annual meeting at the Johnson County Museum of History in Franklin, which was attended by 34 people.  Last September, the Bennises, who live in White River Township, were vacationing in Hawaii to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.  While touring Fern Grotto on the island of Kauai, they saw a dead tree limb break off and fall from a cliff above them, striking a Florida woman on the back of the head.  After making their way through the crowd, the Bennises found the woman unconscious and bleeding. Fortunately for the victim, both Howard and Althea are first-aid instructors.  Immediately they stabilized the woman’s spine, controlled her bleeding, opened an airway — and continued care for 30 minutes until help arrived. They then helped load the victim into a rescue boat.  The victim, Rita Hale, 51, was taken to the Honolulu Trauma Center with a subdural hematoma and a compression back fracture. After several weeks in the hospital, she returned to her home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and recovered.  Both Althea, 45, and Howard, 46, work at Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis, she in surgical nursing and he in the patient detention unit.  Howard also is a former White River Township fire chief.  Mize, of Oaklandon, received a plaque for saving the life of Brian Westerfeld the night of July 22.  Mize, 26, who works for Visiting Nurse Service, was driving in Franklin when she spotted a man collapsed in the lot of the United service station on East Jefferson Street. She stopped and found Westerfeld was not breathing.  While Westerfeld’s wife, Joan, called 911, Mize began CPR. She continued breathing into Westerfeld’s lungs for several minutes until the ambulance arrived.  Westerfeld later underwent an angioplasty. Thanks to Mize, he has made a complete recovery.  “If it wouldn’t have been for her, I wouldn’t be here,” said Westerfeld, 48. A salesman with Elanco Animal Health, he and his wife live south of Franklin.  Red Cross Volunteers of the Year awards also went to Howard Bennis and to John Henderson, a Franklin College student and EMT.  The Daily Journal received an award for its support of the Red Cross. Daily Journal Copy Chief Rev Mengle also was honored for his volunteer work for Red Cross.  Mengle, an 11-year Daily Journal veteran, edited the program for the Red Cross’ “Harmony Under the Stars” benefit concert last July. Also receiving awards for making the concert possible were Doug Garrison, Allen Smith, Mary Hotopp and Loren Scott.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

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