Today@Sam Article

SHSU Students Recognized for Heroic Response

May 8, 2025
SHSU Media Contact: Campbell Atkins

Sam Houston State University honored five students at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum and Library Wednesday for their heroic actions in assisting an injured visitor in March. The prompt response led to immediate medical attention for retired law enforcement investigator Richard Anderson.

“I’m proud of the students at this university and what they stand for,” said Anderson, who tripped on a cypress knee (a protruding outgrowth from a root) while walking near the duckpond on the museum grounds. “I came down on another root, impaling my lower leg. As soon as that happened, several students ran to my aid.”

The students involved were Kodi Harris, Natalie Cantu, Stefano Cuverra, Amya Pearson and Zoey Gray. All have received Bearkat Impact Awards from the museum and the Dean of Students’ Office as well as medals from the Office of the President.

“We were walking by in the middle of observing plants for one of our classes, when two of us saw him on the ground. We rushed over to help,” said Harris, a junior biology student who happened to be carrying a first-aid kit. “We were in the right place at the right time.”

Despite the severity of the situation, the students worked together to stabilize the wound and assist Anderson to his car, where his wife Kathileene waited to take him to the hospital. She was exploring the grounds with the couple’s dog when the accident occurred.

“If not for the swift and compassionate response of these young adults, the outcome of this incident could have been dire,” said Kathileene Anderson. “We are deeply thankful for each student who dropped everything to help us. Their unwavering commitment to helping others is a shining testament to the values instilled in them by Sam Houston State.”

Harris, who represented the students involved at the ceremony, echoed the meaning of the university’s motto, “The measure of a Life is its Service.”

“By helping other people, you have truly lived,” Harris said. “I help out everybody I can whenever I can because it’s the right thing to do. That’s how I was raised.”

The museum also provided the students with honor bracelets and challenge coins, which feature the first official flag of the Republic of Texas. Anderson himself provided gift cards for his good Samaritans.

The Andersons are proud grandparents of two current Bearkats, including a grandson who will soon earn his master’s degree. They are both retired law enforcement and longtime supporters of the university.

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