Robert Lee Hearn, a Construction Supervisor, just completed a site meeting with the Utility Locaters for a development project near the rural community of Indiantown in western Martin County, Fla.  As many of us have done on a new large site project, he drove around a bit, just exploring the roads. He wanted to get a feel of the place.

He crawled out of his truck to have a better look around and heard a whimpering sound. Initially thinking it was an animal, he planned to leave. But then he heard the unmistakable sound of a baby. He discovered a naked, abandoned newborn infant with the umbilical cord still attached, lying on a fire ant mound. Hearn said his first impulse was to “Beat a fast path out of there”. Instead, he scooped the infant into his hands and went to his truck.

As he called 911, he realized fire ants were crawling all over both he and the baby.  “Oh my God, it’s fulla’ ants! Hold on,” he yelled into the mike, brushing ants off the baby and himself.  The infant was barely alive, dehydrated and bitten hundreds of times by fire ants.

But that was 1989 and that baby boy didn’t just survive, he thrived. He’s in college now, part of an adoptive family that helped him steer a course from his rough start. Read the rest of the details here.

So I’d like to say to Robert Lee Hearn, whereever you are, thanks for getting involved and doing the right thing. You are certainly one of the heroes in this young man’s story. If you have any other stories about a Construction Supervisor acting as a hero, please share it with us in the comments section.