Ramsey February 9, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 9 Borough resident becomes Rhodes Scholar Matthew Watters with Haitian children. Matthew Watters, a life-long Ramsey resident, recently received a prestigious Rhodes Scholarships to attend Oxford University. Watters is a 10-year member of Ramsey Boy Scout Troop 31 and an Eagle Scout, a veteran EMT with the Ramsey Ambulance Corps, and a senior planner with the Ramsey Office of Emergency Management. Ramsey OEM Coordinator Michael Adams, who has also been associated with the Ramsey Boy Scouts and the Ramsey Ambulance Corps for many years, wrote a letter of recommendation to the Rhodes Scholarship Committee on Watters’ behalf. In his letter, Adams said he had observed Watters in a variety of circumstances, ranging from camping trips in rural areas to serious accidents on Route 287. “His priorities are always the same: helping people, interacting with his colleagues, and always doing so in a non-judgmental, bias-free and caring and compassionate manner,” Adams wrote. When Watters he began his studies at the University of Delaware, his concern for mankind became an international endeavor, Adams continued, noting the student’s interest in Haiti. When he was 15, Watters visited Haiti to deliver soccer ����������������������������� ��������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������� ������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������� ������������ ����������������������������������������������������� ��������������� ������������������������������� �������������� ������������������������� ������������������� ������������ ��������������� ��������������������������������� ���������������� ����������������������� & FLOORING ���������� ���������������������� ED GOSTISSA WYCKOFF, NJ 201-891-1033 NJ Lic #13VH02050500 FREE ESTIMATE equipment that he had collected for his Eagle Scout project. He saw the people’s poverty firsthand, and resolved to return when he could make a greater contribution. Two summers ago, Watters returned to Haiti to work in a hospital. He learned that his credentials allowed him to be considered the equivalent of a medical doctor. Watters soon found himself delivering babies in the maternity ward. “Despite his protestations, he soon found himself in lifeand-death situations, not only on a daily basis but almost on an hourly regimen,” Adams wrote. Halfway through his stay, Watters ran low on funds. Rather than return to his home, he moved in with a family in Port-au-Prince. He disregarded the dangers of government instability and unsanitary conditions to continue his work. Watters subsequently lost 20 pounds after contracting a stomach condition from the local food and water. When he returned home, he spearheaded a fundraising effort to support the hospital where he worked, and to build a clinic in a rural area. “Matt is not just along ‘for the ride’ but has displayed leadership, time and time again, and that leadership was displayed magnificently when Matthew responded to a mass casualty incident, involving a serious motor vehicle accident, where he treated and (reassured) the injured until multiple ambulances were able to access the scene,” Adams wrote. “I should note that Mr. Watters went to the scene of the accident on his own upon hearing frantic radio broadcasts for assistance. He triaged the six victims and chose the most seriously injured to be treated. When I arrived upon the scene, his patient was on a backboard, ready to be immediately transported to a medical center. “In one incredible 24-hour period, Matt responded to a major accident on an interstate highway, where we found a woman lying on the shoulder of the roadway, after she was ejected from her vehicle. I stopped the ambulance and he got out to assist her. The next morning we went to the hurricane-swollen Ramapo River, in which a family of four in a canoe had capsized. Matt (and) I, and our crew managed to rescue the mother and transport her to the hospital. Earlier that morning, we rushed to a local supermarket and found an elderly woman in full cardiac arrest. Using CPR, we brought her back to life.” Former Ramsey Mayor Richard Muti honored Watters and his crew for these three life-saving events. “A Carpentry and Remodeling Company” BASEMENTS • KITCHENS • BATHROOMS • ROOFING • SIDING DOORS • WINDOWS • DECKS • ADDITIONS • RENOVATIONS EBG CONSTRUCTION LLC “Architectural Millwork & Design” Break the Highway Trend! ...not your community’s back. 9-15-10 pat/janine EBGConst2x2(9-15-10) 2 x 2” Local businesses are the backbone of your community and the trend to shop the big guys on the highway hur ts us all.Your local businesses have what you want... at the right price... and close to home. So, why hassle with the highways? Save Time! Save Gas! Save Money! SAVE YOUR COMMUNITY! We Need You SHOP LOCALLY. IT’S SMART. ...and besides, it’s so convenient!