Southeast Missourian photo garners national attention

AARON EISENHAUER ~ aeisenhauer@semissourian.com Fedex driver Jay McMullin helps 78-year-old Odell Bunch into the delivery truck after Bunch's Ford Ranger was swept off of Hwy 34 by flood waters on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 west of Jackson. [Click to enlarge]

There crouches Jay McMullin, a step or two away from his FedEx truck, his left foot braced under the shin-deep raging water in the middle of a road-turned-river. His right hand is gripped around the hand of a 78-year-old man named Odell Bunch. There's a Ford pickup truck submerged, crooked in a ditch, water fender-high on one side as muddy waves splash past the truck and into a flooded field near Byrd Creek. It is an image that received a lot of attention last week, attention that McMullin would do just as well without.

Last Tuesday's Southeast Missourian photo, taken by staff photographer Aaron Eisenhauer, gained national attention and honors. Picked up by the Associated Press, the photo appeared in countless publications. It appeared on many newspapers' Web sites, including USA Today, Atlanta Journal Constitution, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Kansas City Star, Austin American-Statesman, San Francisco Chronical and Chicago Sun Times. The photo also was the main image on news Web sites such as CNN, MSNBC and AOL.

In addition, the photo was included in Time magazine's pictures of the week and will appear in the Editor & Publisher magazine as the picture of the month.

The image also appeared on CNN news broadcasts and also ran in a Headline News broadcast.

Eisenhauer and reporter Peg McNichol were on their way to Marble Hill when they came upon a stretch of Highway 34 that was covered with water.

"There was a big hill that goes to Byrd Creek," Eisenhauer said. "A couple of cars stopped up there, and a couple of cars were making their way through the flood. I was snapping pictures from the top of the hill when I saw this little white truck driving closer to the edge than the others. I thought, 'This one's not going to make it.' I got a series of pictures as he's going down the road and as he falls off. I started running down the hill. I saw the FedEx truck coming, and when he got out I stopped. I wasn't as close as I could've been, but I started snapping."

Jay McMullin, the FedEx driver, didn't talk much when approached by McNichol and Eisenhauer after the rescue. He had to get back to work. He hasn't talked publicly about the event much since, even when CNN called for an interview.

AARON EISENHAUER ~ aeisenhauer@semissourian.com Rescue Sequence 2 [Click to enlarge]

He offered the following statement on the FedEx Web site: "The response to the photo of Odell Bunch's rescue has been humbling and overwhelming. I sincerely appreciate the kind notes, e-mail, phone calls and general interest in my well-being. While I am honored by the attention, I only did what any of my fellow FedEx co-workers would have done."

His boss, however, is happy to expound upon the actions of his low-key delivery man.

"Jay called me right after he talked to the photographer and reporter," said Paul Stoner, the FedEx station manager in Cape Girardeau. "He said, 'I may be in the paper tomorrow.'"

Stoner said McMullin called to make him aware of what happened, because company rules prohibit nonemployees from getting inside FedEx vehicles.

AARON EISENHAUER ~ aeisenhauer@semissourian.com Rescue Sequence 1 [Click to enlarge]

"I thought, well, this will be a local story, no big deal," Stoner said. The next day, the story exploded.

"The day after it was released to the AP, we started getting e-mails from around the world, from Canada, the East and West coasts, almost every state in the United States, the Netherlands, India ... ."

FedEx got permission from the Southeast Missourian to use the image on its internal employee Web site, prompting FedEx employees worldwide to extend their appreciation and congratulations.

Stoner said as a result of McMullin's effort, he'll be nominated for FedEx's humanitarian award, among other companywide recognition.

AARON EISENHAUER ~ aeisenhauer@semissourian.com Rescue Sequence 6 [Click to enlarge]

Not that McMullin is seeking it.

After McMullin pulled Bunch to safety, Stoner said, "this guy finished his day, worked in wet pants and wet socks for the rest of his day and into the night. We're very proud of him. Would I recommend drivers driving out in water like that? No, but I'm glad he took the chance to help out."

For camera buffs, the photo was taken with a 200 mm lens.