2 adults who drowned while saving children in Guadalupe River honored with national hero award

GUADALUPE COUNTY, Texas – Two adults who drowned while saving three children in the Guadalupe River near Seguin were posthumously awarded the Carnegie Medal for their efforts in the June 2021 incident.

Victor Villanueva, 30, and Casandra Kendrick, 22, died while trying to save three young boys who were caught in strong currents in the river. All three children survived.

According to a press release, “The Carnegie Medal is given throughout the U.S. and Canada to those who enter extreme danger while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.”

The Carnegie Medal has been awarded to 10,371 individuals since the inception of the Pittsburgh-based Fund in 1904.

The Carnegie Medal is the highest honor for civilian heroism. The recognition practice was created by Andrew Carnegie after a mining disaster in 1904 claimed 181 lives. During the disaster, Carnegie recognized heroic efforts by a miner and engineer going into the mine in an attempt to rescue others.

Villanueva and Kendrick are among 16 US and Canadian civilians who were honored with the Carnegie Medal. Of those recognized, six received the medal posthumously.

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