Doug Bacon, Auburn University graduate student, will be honored Tuesday at 1 p.m. in the City Council Chamber for the heroic act he performed Tuesday, Jan. 8 when he rescued Opelika resident Priscilla Woods from a near-fatal jump off the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Not only do we commend Bacon for putting the life of a stranger before his own, but we applaud the city of Selma for recognizing his heroic act. Mayor George Evans and other city council members made it a priority that Bacon be properly recognized by the city, as he should be.

We also tip our hats to all of the emergency personnel and law enforcement officers who were on the scene just moments after Woods jumped from the bridge. Without these diligent, hard-working city employees, there wouldn’t have been such a happy ending to a tragic story.

It’s individuals like Bacon and a hard-working set of emergency personnel that save lives.