Irving Oak's rescue of a fellow lineman

In February 1942, Irving Gilbert Oak received the National Safety Council's President's Medal for helping a fellow Central Maine Power lineman after an electrical accident in Skowhegan. The rescue is also part of the family's memory of him. Newspaper reports also describe an earlier rescue, in 1925, when he helped pull two people from a submerged car.

**Irving Oak, left, receiving the President's Safety Award. Morning Sentinel, February 25, 1942, p. 9.** 25 Feb 1942
Source: Morning Sentinel, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Cropped from the newspaper page.
Image details

Irving Oak, lineman for Central Maine Power

Irving was born in 1901. He was working for Central Maine Power by the time of his 1925 marriage, to Natalie Mildred Russell, whose life is told on her person page. He remained a lineman in Skowhegan through the years of both rescues.

Irving's school years and first job

Family recollection According to a family recollection, Irving left school at 12 or 13 to work as a cook in a logging camp and help his mother with the younger children.

Unconfirmed evidence: show why

He left school when he was 12 or 13. The departure age comes from the family recollection. The census does not establish when he left school.
He went to work as a cook in a logging camp. No located record identifies the camp, employer, or cooking job.
He went to work to help his mother with the younger children. Helping his mother is the reason given in the recollection. Both parents appear in the 1910 and 1920 households.

All the evidence for this recollection · What the labels mean

Census records show him attending school in 1910

Confirmed evidence: show why

Why: The 1910 census of Skowhegan lists Irving G., age 8, as a son in his parents' household, marked as attending school.

Records:

1910 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 237, sheet 12B, lines 56-62: Irving G. Oak, son, 8, attending school. NARA T624, roll 546, page 12B; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry)

Review: assessed 09-25-2026; evidence: Image examined.

What the labels mean

and working as an electric-railway conductor at 18 in 1920.

Confirmed evidence: show why

Why: The 1920 census of Skowhegan lists Irving, 18, as a son not attending school, occupation conductor on an electric railway. No employer is named.

Records:

1920 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 118, sheet 1A, lines 35-42: Irving Oak, son, 18, conductor, electric road. NARA T625, roll 648, page 1A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry)

Review: assessed 09-25-2026; evidence: Image examined.

What the labels mean

His 1940 census entry appears to record fifth grade as the highest he completed.

Likely evidence: show why

Why: The 1940 census records the fifth grade as the highest he completed, with the informant mark beside his own name. This rests on a single census answer; no school record has been found.

Records:

1940 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 13-61, sheet 18A, line 15: Irving Oak, 38, lineman; highest grade completed, 5. NARA T627, roll 1492, page 18A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry)

Review: assessed 09-25-2026; evidence: Image examined.

What the labels mean

The camp work and his reason for leaving school remain part of the family account, without documentary confirmation.

About this recollection 6 statements: 2 Confirmed, 1 Likely, 3 Unconfirmed

Where it comes from: A family member recorded this account in 2026. Its original teller and whether Irving told it himself are not recorded. Who first told the story, and whether it came from the person it describes, is not recorded.

Remembered He left school when he was 12 or 13.
Unconfirmed evidence: show why
Why: The departure age comes from the family recollection. The census does not establish when he left school.
Records:
- Family recollection: Irving Gilbert Oak's schooling and first job
- 1940 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 13-61, sheet 18A, line 15: Irving Oak, 38, lineman; highest grade completed, 5. NARA T627, roll 1492, page 18A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry) (context)
- 1910 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 237, sheet 12B, lines 56-62: Irving G. Oak, son, 8, attending school. NARA T624, roll 546, page 12B; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry) (context)
Review: assessed 09-25-2026.
What the labels mean
Remembered He went to work as a cook in a logging camp.
Unconfirmed evidence: show why
Why: No located record identifies the camp, employer, or cooking job.
Records:
- Family recollection: Irving Gilbert Oak's schooling and first job
- 1920 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 118, sheet 1A, lines 35-42: Irving Oak, son, 18, conductor, electric road. NARA T625, roll 648, page 1A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry) (context)
Review: assessed 09-25-2026.
What the labels mean
Remembered He went to work to help his mother with the younger children.
Unconfirmed evidence: show why
Why: Helping his mother is the reason given in the recollection. Both parents appear in the 1910 and 1920 households.
Records:
- Family recollection: Irving Gilbert Oak's schooling and first job
- 1910 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 237, sheet 12B, lines 56-62: Irving G. Oak, son, 8, attending school. NARA T624, roll 546, page 12B; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry) (context)
- 1920 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 118, sheet 1A, lines 35-42: Irving Oak, son, 18, conductor, electric road. NARA T625, roll 648, page 1A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry) (context)
Review: assessed 09-25-2026.
What the labels mean
Records In 1910, aged eight, he was attending school.
Confirmed evidence: show why
Why: The 1910 census of Skowhegan lists Irving G., age 8, as a son in his parents' household, marked as attending school.
Records:
- 1910 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 237, sheet 12B, lines 56-62: Irving G. Oak, son, 8, attending school. NARA T624, roll 546, page 12B; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry)
Review: assessed 09-25-2026; evidence: Image examined.
What the labels mean
Records His formal schooling ended at about the fifth grade.
Likely evidence: show why
Why: The 1940 census records the fifth grade as the highest he completed, with the informant mark beside his own name. This rests on a single census answer; no school record has been found.
Records:
- 1940 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 13-61, sheet 18A, line 15: Irving Oak, 38, lineman; highest grade completed, 5. NARA T627, roll 1492, page 18A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry)
Review: assessed 09-25-2026; evidence: Image examined.
What the labels mean
Records In 1920, aged 18, he was a conductor on the electric railway.
Confirmed evidence: show why
Why: The 1920 census of Skowhegan lists Irving, 18, as a son not attending school, occupation conductor on an electric railway. No employer is named.
Records:
- 1920 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 118, sheet 1A, lines 35-42: Irving Oak, son, 18, conductor, electric road. NARA T625, roll 648, page 1A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry)
Review: assessed 09-25-2026; evidence: Image examined.
What the labels mean

Each statement has an evidence label. The remembered account is preserved when an assessment changes.

This recollection's source page

The accident at South Channel dam

On October 5, 1941, Ralph R. Wentworth was badly burned by a power line at the South Channel dam in Skowhegan. The next day's Morning Sentinel named Irving as the fellow worker who took him to hospital. Later award reports credited Irving with reviving him using the Schaefer prone-pressure method of artificial respiration. The accounts differ on the voltage and whether Wentworth lost consciousness.

Morning Sentinel, Waterville, Maine, October 6, 1941, p. 9: “Lineman Burned In Contact With Voltage Wires.” The report names Irvin Oak as the fellow worker who took Ralph R. Wentworth to the hospital. 6 Oct 1941 · p. 9
Source: Morning Sentinel, via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/854287913/); owner-supplied article clipping
How it is shown: Owner-supplied article clipping; embedded metadata removed. No image content altered.
Keep in mind: The contemporary accident report differs from the later award accounts on voltage and consciousness. Those differences are preserved in the research.
Image details

**The Bangor Daily News, October 6, 1941: "Skowhegan Man Seriously Burned," a second paper's account of the October 5, 1941 accident at the South Channel dam, the day after it happened.** 6 Oct 1941
Source: The Bangor Daily News, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Pixel-exact crop of the full newspaper page, captured 2026-09-25 through the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer; no retouching or masking.
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**Evening Express, Portland, Maine, October 6, 1941, p. 5: "Lineman Badly Shocked," a third paper's account of the same accident.** 6 Oct 1941
Source: Evening Express, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Pixel-exact crop of the full newspaper page, captured 2026-09-25 through the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer; no retouching or masking.
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The President's Medal

The Morning Sentinel announced the National Safety Council award on February 24, 1942, crediting Irving's first-aid knowledge. It said the medal would be presented that day at a special meeting of the Skowhegan Rotary Club, attended by company officers.

**Morning Sentinel, Waterville, Maine, February 24, 1942, p. 12: “Irvin G. Oaks To Be Presented Safety Medal.” The notice describes the award and the first aid for which he was recognized.** 24 Feb 1942 · p. 12
Source: Morning Sentinel, via the owner's public Newspapers.com clipping 206674242
How it is shown: Cropped at the right edge to remove part of the neighboring column; the article is shown whole.
Keep in mind: This report says the accident happened “last summer” and gives 6900 volts; the October 1941 report of the South Channel dam accident differs on the season, the voltage and whether the man was unconscious.
Image details

The following day's paper carried the presentation photograph and a fuller account. The Kennebec Journal also published a photograph. The Bangor Daily News printed the same release as the Journal.

Morning Sentinel, Waterville, Maine, February 25, 1942, p. 9. The full report of the National Safety Council's President's Medal, awarded to Irvin G. Oak for reviving a fellow employee after the October 5, 1941 accident at the South Channel dam. 25 Feb 1942
Source: Morning Sentinel, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Pixel-exact crop of the full newspaper page, captured 2026-09-25 through the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer; no retouching or masking.
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**Caption accompanying the award photograph. Morning Sentinel, February 25, 1942, p. 9.** 25 Feb 1942
Source: Morning Sentinel, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Cropped from the newspaper page.
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**Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine, February 25, 1942, p. 3. A second report of the same award, naming the October 5, 1941 accident and, in the same article, the 1925 Bingham rescue.** 25 Feb 1942
Source: Kennebec Journal, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Pixel-exact crop of the full newspaper page, captured 2026-09-25 through the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer; no retouching or masking.
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**The Kennebec Journal's own photograph and caption for the award, "PRESIDENT'S SAFETY AWARD was presented to Irvin G. Oakes...", February 25, 1942, p. 3.** 25 Feb 1942
Source: Kennebec Journal, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Pixel-exact crop of the full newspaper page, captured 2026-09-25 through the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer; no retouching or masking.
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**Bangor Daily News, February 26, 1942, p. 12. This award account repeats the release printed in the Kennebec Journal.** 26 Feb 1942
Source: The Bangor Daily News, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Cropped from the newspaper page.
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The Evening Express named Walter H. Underwood, Central Maine Power's safety director, as the person who recommended Irving for the medal. The Bangor Commercial and the Times Record also reported the award. The latter's continuation includes wording presented as the medal citation, praising his alertness and training.

**Bangor Commercial, February 25, 1942, p. 14: its account of Irving Oak's President's Medal.** 25 Feb 1942
Source: Bangor Commercial, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Cropped from a clean, unhighlighted copy of the newspaper page (re-captured 2 Oct 2026, replacing a capture that carried the search-hit highlight); no retouch.
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**Evening Express, February 25, 1942, p. 5. The report names safety director Walter H. Underwood as the person who recommended Oak and describes both rescues.** 25 Feb 1942
Source: Evening Express, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Cropped from the newspaper page.
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**Times Record, February 25, 1942, p. 1: the front-page report of Oak's medal. Continued on p. 5.** 25 Feb 1942
Source: Times Record, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Cropped from a clean, unhighlighted copy of the newspaper page (re-captured 2 Oct 2026, replacing a capture that carried the search-hit highlight); no retouch.
Image details

**Times Record, February 25, 1942, p. 5: continuation of the award report, including wording presented as the medal citation.** 25 Feb 1942
Source: Times Record, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Cropped from a clean, unhighlighted copy of the newspaper page (re-captured 2 Oct 2026, replacing a capture that carried the search-hit highlight); no retouch.
Image details

Times Record, February 25, 1942, p. 5: the close of the report, on Oak's revival of Ralph R. Wentworth of Skowhegan after the October 1941 electric shock, and a note of a similar rescue Oak made in 1925 at Bingham. 25 Feb 1942
Source: Times Record, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Cropped from a clean, unhighlighted copy of the newspaper page (re-captured 2 Oct 2026, replacing a capture that carried the search-hit highlight); no retouch.
Image details

An earlier rescue at Bingham

On September 23, 1925, a car carrying Mrs. Alexina Bates and a companion went into the water at Bingham. Contemporary reports describe their rescue. A company letter printed in the Kennebec Journal named Irving, a man called Frazer, and Malon Dumont for their part in it. The letter said Central Maine Power was requiring its linemen to learn the prone-pressure method of artificial respiration following the accident.

**Portland Press Herald, September 24, 1925, p. 2. The day-after news account of the Bingham accident, independent of the company's own letter.** 24 Sep 1925
Source: Portland Press Herald, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Pixel-exact crop of the full newspaper page, captured 2026-09-25 through the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer; no retouching or masking.
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**Evening Express, Portland, Maine, September 23, 1925, p. 12. The same-day Associated Press account of the Bingham accident.** 23 Sep 1925
Source: Evening Express, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Pixel-exact crop of the full newspaper page, captured 2026-09-25 through the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer; no retouching or masking.
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Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine, October 6, 1925, p. 8: "Power Co. Linemen Are Praised for Recent Rescue Act." The company's letter commending Irvin Oak, Frazer and Malon Dumont by name for rescuing Mrs. Alexina Bates and her companion from a submerged car at Bingham, September 23, 1925. 6 Oct 1925
Source: Kennebec Journal, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Pixel-exact crop of the full newspaper page, captured 2026-09-25 through the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer; no retouching or masking.
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**Kennebec Journal, October 6, 1925, p. 8: continuation of the Bingham rescue report and the company's first-aid training requirement.** 6 Oct 1925
Source: Kennebec Journal, via the owner's signed-in Newspapers.com viewer
How it is shown: Cropped from the newspaper page.
Image details

Evidence note: The October 1941 accident reports and later award accounts identify the same dam, company, and men. They differ on the voltage, consciousness, and season: the February 24 notice says "last summer," while later award reports give October 5. Those discrepancies remain unresolved.

Six Maine newspapers reported the award. The Bangor Daily News and Kennebec Journal repeat the same release, so they should not be counted as independent confirmation of its details. Newspapers also used the spellings Irvin, Oaks, and Oakes.

The award reports identify the medal as the National Safety Council's President's Medal. The EEI Bulletin places Central Maine Power's first Edison Electric Institute resuscitation medal in a separate 1952 case.

Sources

Morning Sentinel (Waterville, Maine), February 24, 1942, p. 12, "Irvin G. Oaks To Be Presented Safety Medal": www.newspapers.com/article/morning-sentinel-irvin-g-oaks-to-be-pres/206674242/
Morning Sentinel, February 25, 1942, p. 9: www.newspapers.com/image/854311504/
Kennebec Journal (Augusta, Maine), February 25, 1942, p. 3: www.newspapers.com/image/857772473/
The Bangor Daily News, February 26, 1942, p. 12: www.newspapers.com/image/664494268/
Bangor Commercial, February 25, 1942, p. 14: "Skowhegan Man Honored / Irving Oak Awarded President's Medal For Saving Life."
Evening Express (Portland, Maine), February 25, 1942, p. 5: "Skowhegan Man Wins Hero Medal."
Brunswick/Bath Times Record, February 25, 1942, pp. 1 and 5: "President's Medal Awarded Employe of Central Maine" / "Central Maine Man Gets Medal."
Morning Sentinel, October 6, 1941, p. 9: www.newspapers.com/image/854287913/
The Bangor Daily News, October 6, 1941: www.newspapers.com/image/664310899/
Evening Express (Portland), October 6, 1941, p. 5: www.newspapers.com/image/852888494/
Kennebec Journal (Augusta, Maine), October 6, 1925, p. 8: www.newspapers.com/image/857598554/
Portland Press Herald, September 24, 1925, p. 2: www.newspapers.com/image/846927537/
Evening Express (Portland), September 23, 1925, p. 12: www.newspapers.com/image/851414074/
Evening Express (Portland), 1925, marriage notice: www.newspapers.com/article/evening-express/143601223/
EEI Bulletin, February 1953: archive.org/details/sim_edison-electric-institute-eei-bulletin_1953-02_21_2

Irving Oak's rescue of a fellow lineman

Irving Oak, lineman for Central Maine Power

Irving's school years and first job

The accident at South Channel dam

The President's Medal

An earlier rescue at Bingham

Sources

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