DATE: Friday, April 25, 1997                TAG: 9704230087

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 02   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:   80 lines

TOWN TALK

An elderly Chesapeake woman is hoping some Good Samaritan found her money last Friday.

The woman, who didn't want her identity known, said she had taken her 68-year-old husband to Chesapeake General Hospital and his doctor next to the hospital last Friday.

Her husband, who had an operation for throat cancer a few years ago, has now been diagnosed as having lung cancer. He was at the hospital and the doctor as part of his cancer treatment.

But somewhere between the hospital, the doctor's office on North Battlefield Boulevard, Burger King across the street or the Dollar Tree on Volvo Parkway, a large denomination bill was lost.

``I had to read my husband's Medicare number at the doctor's office,'' she said. ``I keep that information in a small notebook I always carry around. I may have lost the money then.''

Or she said she could have lost the big bill when she pulled out $5 to pay for her Burger King lunch or when she took out three one dollar bills when she purchased three items at the Dollar Tree store.

``I must have lost it somewhere between 11:40 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.,'' she said. ``The money was in one big bill and we need that money to pay for my husband's medicine. I hope someone found it and will return it to me.''

Anyone who found a large denomination bill in cash on April 18, should call 545-7345. The action will be greatly appreciated.

- Eric Feber He's a hero, again

Rich Holloway sells used auto parts - and makes a habit of saving people.

Dan Dillon, one of the store managers at Robert's Auto Parts at 5324 W. Military Highway, called us the other day to report the heroic and life-saving actions of co-store manager Holloway, a Poquoson resident.

It seems that on April 17, at about 10:30 a.m., a car fell on one of his customers. The car was around the back of the store, and no one heard it fall or knew what happened until Holloway went back to see how things were.

``He went back to check up on him and found that the car had fallen, trapping him underneath,'' Dillon said.

``It was an '89 Ford Tempo,'' Holloway said. ``I went around back looking for some parts and then noticed that his car had fallen. He wasn't breathing and I immediately called out for someone to call 911.''

Holloway said he and another store employee, Robert Stevenson from Portsmouth, tried to get Rob Levitt of Hampton out from underneath his car.

``We couldn't lift the car so Bobby (Stevenson) got a jack and we jacked it up,'' Holloway said. ``He was already lying on a piece of carpet and we slid him from under the car.''

Holloway said Levitt wasn't breathing when the car was on top of him. As soon as they got the car up, he said, he was out of immediate danger.

``He began breathing very hard,'' Holloway said. ``Since he was breathing, we didn't need to do any CPR. We just held his hand and waited for help to arrive.''

About 15 to 20 minutes later, an ambulance and the Nightingale rescue helicopter arrived.

Dillon said that after about 12 hours in the Sentara Norfolk General Hospital trauma unit, Levitt pulled through all right.

``They let him out Saturday,'' Holloway said. ``He had a dent in the back of his head and a lot of bruises, but he made it.''

And this isn't the first time Holloway helped avert disaster at a used auto parts establishment.

About six years ago, Holloway said he witnessed a dump truck rear-end a Volkswagen bug, and he raced out of his store to lend a hand.

``There was gas all over the place and the car could have gone up in flames at any time,'' Holloway said. ``I was able to pull three girls out of the car and to safety.''

``I'm just proud to have Bobby (Stevenson) and Rich (Holloway) working for us,'' Dillon said. ``They didn't think of anything else except to save that man.''

And how does Holloway feel about being a two-time life saver?

``When you see something like that happen, it scares you at first,'' he said. ``But it feels good to know you helped with something like this. I just did something I hope someone will do for me if it ever happens. What Bobby and I did was just something that needed to be done, that's all. He's a lucky boy to survive.''

And to have Holloway and Stevenson nearby.

- Eric Feber

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