COLUMBIA, Tenn. (WSMV) – The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission has announced the recipients of the Carnegie Medal for Heroism, and several Tennesseans made the list.
The medal is given to individuals in the U.S. and Canada who risk their lives to save others. The Carnegie Medal is considered North America’s highest civilian honor for heroism, the fund says.
The fund highlighted the story of two Middle Tennesseans who rescued a man with autism from drowning when he was swept away in the Duck River in May 2025.
The fund shared the story behind the medals being awarded to James Alan Garner and Samuel Hardin Adcock, both of Columbia.
In May 2025, a 25-year-old man with autism was swept downstream by the current in the Duck River near a boat ramp in Chickasaw Trace Park.
Adcock and Garner went to his rescue. Adcock entered the water and caught up to the man, with Garner not far behind them.
About 1,000 feet downstream, the man was swept into a calmer area of the river, where Adcock was able to grab him. However, the man struggled to stay afloat and submerged Adcock.
Adcock was able to stand on an underwater tree limb and grabbed the man, pushing him toward the riverbank. Garner arrived and helped pull the man to a large tree root where they waited for first responders.
“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. With this announcement, the Carnegie Medal has been awarded to 10,563 individuals since the inception of the Pittsburgh-based Fund in 1904. Each of the recipients or their survivors will receive a financial grant,” the fund explained.
The rescue boat was able to bring the men to shore, where an ambulance took the man to a local hospital. Adcock and Garner later went to the hospital to check on the man.
Below is a list of the Tennessee recipients, including two who died during their heroic acts (marked with *):
- Gulson Elvé* — Birchwood, Tennessee
- Esperanza Gutierrez* — Sevierville, Tennessee
- Samuel Hardin Adcock — Columbia, Tennessee
- James Alan Garner — Columbia, Tennessee
“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. With this announcement, the Carnegie Medal has been awarded to 10,563 individuals since the inception of the Pittsburgh-based Fund in 1904. Each of the recipients or their survivors will receive a financial grant,” the fund said.