From the Niagara Gazette:
When John R. Hayes Sr., 48, a visitor from New Jersey, spotted the crisis near Terrapin Point that day, July 9, 1960, he dashed to the railing — less than 200 feet from the brink of the Horseshoe Falls — and started shouting.
“Kick, girl! Kick your feet, come to me!” he screamed to Deanne Woodward, 17, tossing in the rapids above the 161-foot Horseshoe Falls. She had been riding in a boat with her brother, Roger Woodward, 7, and James Honeycutt, 42, who had taken the children on an outing for Deanne’s birthday. When their disabled craft drifted into the upper rapids, it soon capsized, spilling the trio into the unpredictable currents.
Lots of tourists were standing around that prime viewing area but only one — John Quattrochi of Penns Grove, N.J. — volunteered for the team effort to save the teenager from almost certain death. “It was John (Quattrochi) who raced over to help,” recalled Hayes, marking his 100th birthday earlier this week.