Rose State Employee Saves Colleague, Receives Citizens Appreciation Award Published November 21, 2019

John Keith, a Rose State Operations Maintenance employee, received the Midwest City Police Department’s Citizens Appreciation Award for saving the life of a co-worker. 

On Thursday, November 21^st, Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes presented Mr. Keith with the award during a Board of Regents meeting. 

“Thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty while minimizing your own personal regard,” Chief Clabes wrote in a letter of commendation to Mr. Keith. 

Clabes described the event by writing the following. In the late afternoon hours of Friday, November 8^th, 2019, Mr. Keith was working at the Rose State College Hudiburg Chevrolet Center when a fellow employee suffered a traumatic medical issue. That employee was incapacitated and unconscious as he fell face-first into the murky, filled water feature just east of the event center’s front doors. 

Clabes wrote, “Realizing the situation was critical; you jumped into the freezing water without regard to your safety and pulled your fellow worker above the water line to ensure a clear airway. The outside temperature at the time was around 40 degrees, but you maintained your position submerged in water until emergency personnel arrived several minutes later.” 

“Mr. Keith, your act of heroism and bravery saved a life and exemplifies the goodness in all humanity,” Clabes wrote. 

The colleague Mr. Keith attended to is expected to make a full recovery.