Press Releases

Yesterday, Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-04) had the honor of presenting Kalamazoo Resident Gerold Prather with the Carnegie Medal for heroism. The ceremony was attended by more than two dozen family members and friends. The Carnegie Medal is given throughout the U.S. and Canada to those who enter extreme danger while saving or attempting to save the lives of others. Since it’s founding in 1904, the Carnegie Medal has been awarded to only 10,371 people.

Mr. Prather was recognized for saving the life of a 16-year-old boy who was struggling to swim in May of 2022 near Sawyer, Michigan. The boy and his friends were at least 100 feet out into the lake, when they started calling for help. The friends had submerged. In another party at the beach, Gerold Prather, a 22-year-old robotic welder from Kalamazoo, Michigan, heard calls for help, entered the lake, and swam to the boy. Reaching him, they submerged and resurfaced.

With difficulty, Prather first pushed the boy toward the beach and then positioned him on his back and towed him to a point about 50 feet from shore where, tiring, Prather shouted for help. Another man waded into the lake and helped Prather and the boy get to the beach. First responders took the boy to the hospital. Firefighters later recovered the bodies of the boy’s friends, who had drowned.

In addition to the Carnegie Medal, Congressman Huizenga presented Mr. Prather with an account of his heroism to be printed in the Congressional Record. The Congressional Record is the official record of history regarding proceedings, events, and debates that occur in Congress.

“Gerold Prather answered the call to save a total stranger at great risk to his own personal safety,” said Congressman Bill Huizenga. “It is an incredible honor to present this award to Gerold because he embodies the very spirit of the Carnegie Medal. Gerold’s bravery is a tremendous example of how we can make a positive, life-changing difference in our community.”