The August, 2003 Citizen of the Month is someone who put his own personal safety on the line to help someone in time of need. The Citizen of the Month will be presented to Tom Jeans at the Rapid City Council Meeting on Monday, August 4th at 7 p.m. in the City/School Administration Center located at 300 6th Street.

On July 14, 2003 Tom Jeans was riding his bike past Memorial Park when an individual came screaming for help. Tom noticed three people in the lake that were struggling; he jumped into the water and was able to pull two juveniles to safety and return to save the adult. The two children were on a small raft on the south side of the lake and were attempting to paddle to the north side. When the raft tipped, the children were trying to stay a float and the adult victim tried to assist and was unable to do so and soon became the third victim.

Police Officer Jim Ganser stated “he felt it was Tom’s quick response and disregard for his own safety that he was able to save all three lives.” He noted that Tom had just finished a lengthy bicycle ride and because of his strong physical condition, he was still able to save all three.

Tom and his wife Jan, have lived in Rapid City for the past eleven years. They have been married for twenty-six years and have three grown children and two grandchildren. Tom is the owner-operator of Prism Video Services, Inc. in Rapid City. Tom and his family moved to Rapid City from Reno, Nevada where he was Operations Manager of KTVN-TV.

Congratulations on being the August Citizen of the Month!