Ethan Allen rescuers honored

Published in The Post-Star (A1) and on poststar.com
2/2/06

The community gave itself a resounding pat on the back last night for its efficient, compassionate response to the sinking of the Ethan Allen on Lake George last October.

More than 600 people came to the Glens Falls Civic Center for a "Service to Community" ceremony, which honored the emergency personnel, civilian rescuers and local officials who responded to the tragedy and its aftermath. (To see The Post-Star's coverage of the event from the beginning, see our archive of stories at http://www.poststar.com/ea_archive.asp.)

"I am very proud to say I belong to such a caring community," remarked William Thomas, chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, which sponsored the event.

Calling the rescue effort "a herculean task," Thomas expressed his gratitude to the rescuers -- both professional and civilian -- who were on the lake that day. His message was echoed in speeches by Sen. Elizabeth Little, R-Queensbury, and Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward, R-Willsboro.

"They do this every day on a much smaller scale, and this was a good catalyst to recognize that," Warren County Sheriff Larry Cleveland said after the ceremony, referring to the hundreds of police, fire, and EMS workers who were honored.

For many of the boaters who happened to be on Lake George on that sunny Sunday afternoon in October, a day of leisure turned into a self-taught crash course in water rescue. Twenty people died in the accident, but 28 survived, including the boat's captain, Richard Paris. The majority were saved by civilians, who pulled victims out of the water into their personal boats.

The memory of that day is still close at hand for Brian Hart, an electrician from East Greenbush. He was out in his motorboat with his daughter and three nieces when the Ethan Allen overturned just a few hundred feet away.

"We heard the screams, and saw it tip over," he said. "We called 911, and started taking as many people into our boat as we could."

At Wednesday night's ceremony, Hart was among two dozen civilian rescuers recognized with a certificate and a medallion for "heroic actions and service to the community." He was also mentioned by name in a letter from one of the survivors who he rescued, Carol Charlton, who called him "my angel."

Lake George Mayor Robert Blais read aloud the letter to the community from Charlton, the organizer of the Shorelines Tours group that was on the Ethan Allen when it capsized. The passengers were mostly senior citizens from Michigan, who were nearing the end of a one-week fall foliage tour through the Northeast.

"That afternoon is etched into all of our minds, memories, and spirits," wrote Charlton. "You humans, you beautiful people, became for a time our angels, our means of being given a second chance at life. ... Please know that on that afternoon, you superceded what man can do for man. My love transcends into your world every second."

Hart said he has kept in touch with Charlton, and hopes to see her next October when she returns to commemorate the anniversary of the tragedy.

Another civilian rescuer, South Glens Falls jeweler Mounir Rahal, said his family is planning a trip to Michigan this summer to visit Fred Metz, one of the victims who they pulled to safety in their boat.
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