Stephen Hewett-Brown

Elevator death in NYC

Witnesses tell the Daily News that the victim died after heroically shoving a woman out of harm’s way.

Manuel Coronado tells the newspaper that Hewett-Brown “said `Happy New Year’ and pushed her out.”

Robert Heinlein had a story that he told a few times in print, in both fiction and nonfiction.

A man and woman were walking through a park when the woman got her foot caught in a railway switch.  The husband could not work her foot free, so another man, usually described as a hobo or a tramp but in any case a complete stranger, stopped to help. The train got closer; the woman remained stuck; the men continued their attempts… until all three were hit and killed.

Heinlein’s point was that the actions of the tramp represent the highest form of heroism: he owed the woman nothing and absolutely no one would have faulted him for jumping clear, but he stayed in place until and beyond the final moment, trying to save a complete stranger’s life with utter disregard for his own.

We should pause and reflect when we see that a hero has revealed themselves; reflect, say a prayer for their soul and remember.

Go now to God, Stephen Hewett-Brown.