Von Seggern honored for heroic act

Sam Jacoby of Bridgeport Dental Clinic awarded a certificate from the Great Navy of Nebraska to Tom Von Seggern on Jan. 30.

Von Seggern was presented this honor due to his courageous efforts saving two little boys from drowning in a pond at Sidney’s Legion Park Jan. 4 at around 3:30 p.m.

One of the boys had slipped into the pond while chasing his dog across the iced-over pond. The other fell in attempting to rescue his submerged sibling.

Von Seggern and four other city workers came upon the scene and rushed to the children’s aid, saving them in the nick-of-time.

The certificate of merit awarded to Von Seggern was signed by Governor Dave Heineman.

“Governor Heineman considers people that have done something meritorious or something to help other people that are worthy of being nominated. A person sends an application to the governor’s office and tells them the story,” said Jacoby.

Von Seggern has been a patient at Jacoby’s office for approximately 30 years, according to the dentist.

“When we heard about the boys in the pond we just thought that was a perfect reason for the governor to give that kind of award. So we submitted his name and my staff got the application all ready and sent it in. It only took him 10 days and the governor had the certificate back so he must have felt it was appropriate too,” said Jacoby.

“While the practice of awarding commissions to the more or less ‘prominent’ has persisted, a requirement for some meaningful act or service to the state or community has become more and more necessary to obtain an Admiral certificate,” according to representatives from the Nebraska Admirals Association.

Von Seggern was surprised by the presentation of the award at the dentist’s Bridgeport office on Jan. 30.

According to Jacoby his office manager called Von Seggern and told him a “little white lie” that the dentist had been looking at his charts and had something he wanted to check. The manager asked Von Seggern when he could make it to the office next for a check-up and he answered that he could be in that afternoon.

“He turned red as a beet; he is a very humble person,” said Jacoby of when he gave Von Seggern the award. “After he had time to let it sink in he thought it was pretty cool. He wanted to make sure that his crew that helped him got recognition because he said if it wouldn’t have been for them they probably all would have drowned.”

“He’s just a really nice guy. You couldn’t pick a better hero,” said Jacoby.

The honor that Von Seggern received from the Great Navy of Nebraska is not a military rank, but instead the honorary title of Nebraska Admiral. The association, that jokes that Nebraska being a land-locked state has no Navy, is a non-profit organization that promotes the Nebraska slogan of “The Good Life.”

Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Theodore W. Metcalf created the Great Navy of Nebraska in 1931 when he appointed approximately 25 “prominent Nebraskans” as Admirals, according to Nebraska Admirals Association reps.