| Marker Number |
16714 |
| Atlas Number |
5507016714 |
| Marker Title |
Elbert Gray |
| Index Entry |
Gray, Elbert |
| Address |
CR 3410 |
| City |
Wills Point |
| County |
Van Zandt |
| UTM Zone |
14 |
| UTM Easting |
780134 |
| UTM Northing |
3621159 |
| Subject Codes |
African American, Media, Heroic Acts, World War II topics |
| Marker Year |
2011 |
| Recorded Texas Historic Landmark |
No |
| Marker Location |
Greenwood Cemetery, CR 3410, about 100 feet SW of main entrance |
| Private Property |
No |
| Marker Condition |
In Situ |
| Marker Size |
18" x 28" |
| Marker Text |
On Feb. 5, 1912, 16-year-old Elbert Gray committed a most heroic act. Two-year-old Calvin Stepp had fallen into a water well sixty feet deep and barely one foot across. Lowered by rope, Elbert descended feet first to carry Calvin to safety, but near the top Calvin slipped and fell again. On the second try, Elbert went head first and successfully rescued Calvin after four hours trapped below the surface. Both youths had only minor cuts and bruises. Newspaper accounts and letters of support sent to the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission resulted in Elbert being awarded a Carnegie Hero Medal in Oct. 1913. During World War II, Elbert lost all fingers on one hand in a Dallas War Defense plant. Elbert and Calvin kept in touch the rest of their lives. 175 Years of Texas Independence * 1836-2011 |
