Honoring those who kept their cool

Chalk up another honor for Jeremy Hernandez, a reluctant hero of the I-35W bridge collapse.

Last update: August 17, 2007 - 10:40 PM

Chalk up another honor for Jeremy Hernandez, a reluctant hero of the I-35W bridge collapse.

This time, he and co-workers and children from the Waite House community center were officially recognized Friday by the city of Minneapolis.

The "guardians of our future," as a resolution stated, received standing ovations for safely helping dozens of children off a school bus after it plunged 40 feet on fractured concrete during the Aug. 1 collapse.

"You're becoming quite famous," Mayor R.T. Rybak told Hernandez after the City Hall ceremony.

"This is wonderful," Hernandez replied. The 20-year-old began working at Waite House after dropping out of Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis because of money problems.

Last week, the school said he can take classes for free this fall.

"I'll be there," Hernandez said without hesitation.

His mother, Linda Hernandez, said despite the attention, her son has remained humble.

"All he keeps saying is that he was just doing his job just like the police and fire did that night," she said. "That's how he feels."

TERRY COLLINS

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