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PARKERSBURG, W.Va. - Verizon Communications today recognized one of its Ripley employees with the company's prestigious Theodore N. Vail Medal for Noteworthy Public Service. Amy McDevitt, Verizon's president for Mid-Atlantic Operations, presented the medal.
Mark Campbell, a cable splicing technician, was cited for helping save the lives of a motorist and his passenger, both of whom were severely injured in a collision last fall.
''Employees like Mark make us all proud,'' McDevitt said. ''He is a hero, not only to those he helped on that fateful November night, but also to all of us at Verizon. He is very deserving of this great honor.''
On Nov. 20, 1999, Campbell and his wife were among the first to arrive on the scene of a fatal head-on collision on Interstate 77, near the Wolf Run overpass. According to police reports, a southbound car crossed the grassy median into the northbound lanes, colliding with a northbound minivan. The two occupants of the car were killed. A man and woman in the minivan sustained serious injuries and were trapped inside their vehicle.
Campbell, a former emergency medical technician and volunteer firefighter, administered first aid to the victims. He is also credited with taking charge at the scene, telling an onlooker to call 911, and asking a passerby to direct traffic in order to prevent another accident.
When emergency teams arrived, Campbell assisted crews in determining the best way to remove the victims from their minivan, a process that took some 45 minutes.
In addition to a bronze Vail Medal, Campbell received a cash award of $2,000. Bronze medals are awarded to an employee for an act or service beyond what is normally expected in an emergency situation.
The Vail Medal, which is also awarded in silver and gold, was created in 1920 in memory of Theodore N. Vail, president of AT&T from 1907 to 1919. Over 2,600 have been awarded. Vail is credited with having united telephone companies across the country into the Bell System. A trust find was established in his memory to perpetuate his ideals of service to the public.
Campbell, a 23-year veteran of Verizon, lives in Ravenswood with his wife and nine-year-old son.
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Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 112 million access line equivalents and 27 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. A Fortune 10 company with approximately 260,000 employees and more than $65 billion in annual revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com