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Casto Family Celebrates Hero Fund Centennial at Homecoming
Memorabilia Donated to University Archives
On Oct. 15, 2004, 28 members of the Casto Family will gather at Carnegie Mellon to honor the captain for his courage and bravery as part of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission Centennial.
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission is a far-reaching philanthropy endowed by Andrew Carnegie in 1904 to honor individuals for acts of heroism. The commission awarded Casto the Carnegie Hero Fund Gold Medal and a Hero Fund Scholarship to Carnegie Tech that was used by his son. Family members have recently donated Casto's Hero Fund memorabilia to Carnegie Mellon University Archives. These materials are the centerpiece of a special exhibit prepared for Homecoming that will also honor the many Hero Fund Scholarship recipients who attended Carnegie Tech at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Pittsburgh-based fund has recognized 8,849 heroes during the past 100 years. In addition to medals, the Hero Fund has awarded nearly $27 million in awards, grants, tuition and other assistance. With notable exceptions, such as heroes of the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 in the Potomac River and of 9/11, the commission often recognizes smaller localized acts of heroism that may not capture national attention.
"We always find heroes," said Mark Laskow, president of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. "There are always heroes in our midst, and we find them when we need them."
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission was a favorite of Andrew Carnegie's. "We live in a heroic age," he wrote. "Not seldom are we thrilled by deeds of heroism where men or women are injured or lose their lives in attempting to preserve or rescue their fellows; such are the heroes of civilization."
Events and displays marking the 100th anniversary of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission include:
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