Boy Scout Hero Cezere Zampese

ERIC AND JAKE'S GREAT GRANDFATHER
WAS A BOY SCOUT HERO

Eric and Jake's paternal great-grandfather, Cezere Zampese, received a BSA National Heroism Award for Saving Life in 1926.

Here's a photo of Cezere with Eric and Jake taken in Omaha, 1997.

(Following is text copy of the article that appeared in the paper).

Omaha World Herald

Friday, August 6, 1926

Boy Scout Saves Two From Death in Lake

“Pulls Boy to Shore; Going Back for Other, Dives and Finds Him Unconscious”

REVIVES THE SECOND

Having learned as a Boy Scout how to resuscitate a drowning person, Cezere Zampese, 15, 426 Center Street, was able to save the life of James Allen, 10, Negro, 1519 North Eighteenth street, after he had already saved James’ brother, Jesse, 13, at Carter Lake Thursday.

The Negro boys, with two pals, Robert Quarel, 12, Eighteenth and Charles Streets, and Jim Green 12, 1518 North Nineteenth Street, had gone to the colored section of “bare beach” north of the Illinois Central trestle at the lake for a swim this morning. Cezere and a group of white boys, also unclothed, were swimming about a hundred yards to the north.

James and Jesse were 50 feet from shore when both became tired, and thought to wade back. But, a “step-off” in the lakebed there gave the water a depth of 15 feet, and, struggling, both sank.

Saves One; Goes Back
Hearing the shouts of their friends on shore, Cezere came running down the bank and swam toward the spot. He seized Jesse as he came up and pulled him to shore. Then Jesse told him his brother was on the bottom.

Swimming back, Cezere dived repeatedly. After several minutes, he brought up the unconscious James, and swam with him to shore.

(note: the Omaha Scout News reported that Cezere dived into deep water and had to search the bottom of the lake for the body of James. It says that Cezere at last found him at the bottom of a hole where the back wash had sucked him and almost hidden him.)

Then he made use of his Boy Scout training. He emptied James’ lungs of water, and applied artificial respiration by raising and lowering the arms and compressing the lungs.

Doctor Gives Him Credit
Meanwhile, James’ older brother, Paul, sent by their mother to look for the two missing boys, arrived at the beach and aided Cezere. Police Surgeon Adams, summoned to the scene, arrived after natural breathing had been restored. Dr. Adams said, “Cezere had undoubtedly saved James’ life.”

Cezere made nothing of his feat.

“I learned to swim in the Missouri River,” he said. “I learned first aid in Boy Scout Troop 13. I only did what I had learned to do."

He is in Train school, eighth grade. His father, Bortolo Zampese, is employed at the Fontanelle.

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