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CU police honor students who saved man’s life

by Kai Casey November 19, 2013
by Kai Casey November 19, 2013 1 minutes read
1.5K

CU police honored three students with the “Lifesaving Award,” the highest possible honor the department can present to the public, on Wednesday in the Kittredge Central Multipurpose Room.

In August, the students — Justin Rouleau, a cook in the Center for Community dining hall; Nathaniel Pohl, a residential advisor in Aden Hall; and Daniel Kotsides, a Community Safety Officer — helped 80-year-old Willard Cooperstock when the man began choking in the C4C. They performed the Heimlich maneuver, used CPR and a defibrillator to help Cooperstock breathe on his own again.

Cooperstock was unable to attend the ceremony, but his son, a music professor at CU, expressed his gratitude to the three students in a letter.

Interactive photo with audio recounts of the day:

Photos from the ceremony:

CU Police Department Cmdr. Robert Axmacher sets up an American flag before a Lifesaving Awards ceremony, Monday, in the Kittredge Central Multipurpose Room. Three students received the Lifesaving Award, the highest CU police honor presented to the public, for saving an 80-year-old man's life in August in the Center for Community. (Kai Casey/CU Independent)CU Police Department Spokesperson Ryan Huff looks at an award before a the ceremony on Monday. (Kai Casey/CU Independent)A Lifesaving Award for sophomore C4C cook Justin Rouleau sits on a table next to two other awards. (Kai Casey/CU Independent)CU Police Chief Ron Burns, left, chats with Nathaniel Pohl, a residential advisor in Aden Hall, before a Lifesaving Awards ceremony, Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, in the Kittredge Central Multipurpose Room. Pohl received the Lifesaving Award, the highest CU police honor presented to the public, for saving an 80-year-old man's life with two other students in August in the Center for Community. (Kai Casey/CU Independent)CU Police Chief Ron Burns speaks about the three recipients of the award. (Kai Casey/CU Independent)CU Police Chief Ron Burns speaks to a mostly empty room. (Kai Casey/CU Independent)Paula Brand, director of residential life at CU, applauds the recipients of Lifesaving Awards. (Kai Casey/CU Independent)Paula Brand, director of residential life at CU, hugs Nathaniel Pohl, a residential advisor in Aden Hall, after Pohl received a Lifesaving Award for saving an 80-year-old man's life in August. (Kai Casey/CU Independent)From left, Daniel Kotsides, a community safety officer, Nathaniel Pohl, a residential advisor, and Justin Rouleau, a cook in the C4C, pose for a photo at after receiving their Lifesaving Awards. The three students received the award for saving an 80-year-old man's life, using the Heimlich manuever, CPR and a defribrillator. (Kai Casey/CU Independent)

Contact CU Independent Visuals Editor Kai Casey at Kai.casey@colorado.edu

Kai Casey

Kai Casey is a senior majoring in News-Editorial Journalism, with an additional field of study in Studio Arts. When he is not taking pictures, he can be found watching sports, or he could even be outside. Contact CU Independent Visuals Editor Kai Casey at Kai.Casey@Colorado.edu or via Twitter at @Kai_Casey.

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