Jessica McClure
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Jessica Morales née McClure (born March 26, 1986), became famous at the age of 18 months after falling into a well in Midland, Texas on October 14, 1987. Rescuers worked for 58 hours to free "Baby Jessica" from an 8-inch-wide hole. The story gained worldwide attention (leading to some criticism as a media circus), and later became the subject of a 1989 ABC TV movie, Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure, starring Patty Duke and Beau Bridges.[1] As presented in the movie, a vital part of the rescue was the use of the then relatively new technology of waterjet cutting.
The photograph of her being rescued fetched the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for spot news photography to Scott Shaw of the Odessa American.
[edit] After the accident
Since her rescue on October 16, 1987, she has had 15 surgeries over the years. She has no first-hand memory of the incident. McClure graduated from Greenwood High School, near Midland, in May 2004.
On January 28, 2006, Jessica married Daniel Morales at a Church of Christ in a small rural community outside of Midland. The couple met at a day-care center where Morales’ sister worked with the bride.[2] Later that year, Jessica delivered a son, Simon.
On May 30, 2007, USA Today named Jessica one of the "25 lives of indelible impact," ranking her at #22. [3]
When Jessica turns 25, she stands to be paid a trust of donations from "well-wishers," rumored to be in excess of $1,000,000.[4]
McClure's rescue was mostly credited to Robert O'Donnell and William Andrew Glasscock Jr.. In 1995, O'Donnell shot himself after suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Former officer Glasscock is currently serving a 35-year sentence on charges of sexual exploitation of a child, sexual assault, and improper storage of explosives.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ TV Movie IMDb link
- ^ MSNBC, Baby Jessica 20 years later
- ^ Koch, Wendy; "Lives of indelible impact"; usatoday.com; 2007
- ^ Baby Jessica's family stays low-key 10 years after water well drama
- ^ 'Baby Jessica' waiting to collect $1 million. CNN.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-08. “In 2004, Sir William Andrew Glasscock Jr., a former Midland police officer who helped in the rescue, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on charges of sexual exploitation of a child and improper storage of explosives. A year later, he was sentenced to 20 years on two state charges of sexual assault.”
