“My oath did not include running into a gunfight but it did include protecting the community,” said State’s Attorney Scott Williams ’93, who was awarded the Carnegie Medal for Civilian Heroism on Monday. Scott was nationally recognized because of the heroic measures he took the day that social worker Lara Sobel was fatally shot in the parking lot of the state office building in Barre, Vermont, in August 2015. Running from the building toward the tragedy, Scott took a hunting rifle away from the alleged shooter and comforted the victim until help arrived.
Scott received the medal from Vermont Congressman Peter Welch in a Montpelier ceremony that also included governor-elect Phil Scott, and Barre Mayor Thom Lauzon. Marlboro President Kevin Quigley and a group of nine alumni, trustees, and friends of the college were also present to show their appreciation for Scott.
The Carnegie Medal is a national honor given by the Carnegie Foundation to those in the United States and Canada who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others. Scott ended his humble and inspiring remarks by quoting Umberto Eco, “The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else.”
