Cory Darnell Scholarship

On a Chilly Sunday – January 5, 2014, Tom Touzeau was out running on a greenway trail along Melton Hill Lake Drive near Oak Ridge Marina. Cory was off-duty that day and riding in a car with his mother on Melton Hill Lake Drive. He glanced over and saw a man lying face down on the running trail around 5 p.m. He told his mother to stop. He jumped out and found Tom sprawled face down and without a pulse. He was in full cardiac arrest. Cory began CPR immediately as his mother called 911. Ten minutes later units from the Oak Ridge Fire Department and Anderson County EMS arrived. Cory had brought Tom back, and he was breathing. Today, he’s still breathing and on the job in the field of Environmental Sciences for RSI in Oak Ridge.

The Rotary Club of Farragut presented Cory with the club’s prestigious “Service above Self” award that honors men and women in the field of emergency services. That man on the trail, Tom, and his wife Leigh Anne were at the ceremony to again thank Cory and help honor him.

Cory was introduced to us by Knoxville Fire Department (KFD) Chief San Sharp, who said Cory exemplifies the ethic of “going above and beyond” his job at Station 7 in Lonsdale. “He was off duty, and he did not have to stop and do this. But he did it right, and he did the right thing,” Chief Sharp said. “We are very proud of Cory.”

A scholarship was established in Cory’s honor and is awarded to a full time student from Clinton High School taking at least 6 hours each semester and maintaining a grade point average of at least a 2.0.

To donate to this scholarship, go to: https://www.pstcc.edu/foundation/giving/