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JEA apprentice lineman Randall Champion receiving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation

Mayoral Proclamation Recognizes “Kiss of Life” Photo’s 50th Anniversary

July 18, 2017
Mayor Lenny Curry has recognized July 18, 2017 as the “Kiss of Life” photo’s 50th Anniversary. In 1967, then Florida Times-Union photographer Rocco Morabito captured a harrowing moment when JEA apprentice lineman Randall Champion received mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the “kiss of life,” from lineman J.D. Thompson after he went unconscious following contact with a low voltage line atop a utility pole. Morabito, who just happened to be driving by as the rescue unfolded, captured the moment in a photo that would go on to earn a 1968 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography, and worldwide acclaim.

View the proclamation here.