Portrait of a hero

By: Ray Pellecchia

File Under: NYSE

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Taking a week off next week, so new entries in this space might be few and far between. And as we're closed tomorrow and we head into a period of holidays dedicated to something bigger than ourselves, let me leave you with an inspirational story.

Our Opening Bell and Closing Bell are usually dedicated to celebrating or commemorating something: an IPO, another company transferring from Nasdaq, some new product or service or some sort of milestone for a listed company, a visit from a head of state or some other dignitary, and once in a while, a bona fide hero.

Last Friday, it was one of the latter. The Closing Bell ringer was Jeff May (in white golf shirt in photo above), whose story was reported in Reader's Digest's "Everyday Hero" series last year (NYSE: RDA). And of all 12 incredible individuals featured in the Digest, Jeff was voted Hero of the Year by readers, and he got the honor of ringing the bell, which has become an annual event for the magazine's heroes.

Jeff, then a 15-year-old high-school student, was credited with saving the lives of a dozen of his classmates by tackling a school shooter. The shooter was armed with a shotgun, two semi-automatic pistols and a bullet-proof vest; Jeff, only a pencil. His valiant effort resulted in his being seriously wounded, but he says he'd do it all over again, "to make sure so many people don't die." If you have just one minute for a gripping tale, movingly told, click here.

BTW, thanks to my colleague Brenda McCarthy for showing this old blogger a new trick (for me anyway): posting a photo.