The mysterious hero of last year’s February storm has been found thanks to many responses to the article in the March 26 edition of The Reflector. Jose Pvillalta ran out into the storm, despite over 100 mph winds, to help blind Mississippi State University student Brad Bell into the safety of the McCain Engineering Building.
Pvillalta said he and Mike Mathews, an assistant professor and associate director of the cooperative education program at MSU, were trying to hold the door of McCain shut when they saw Brad.
“He was kind of spinning, and then he fell. We knew he couldn’t see well, and he needed help. So Mike opened the door just enough to let me out. I ran and helped him up and walked him to the door. Mike helped me open the door and get him in,” Pvillalta said.
But despite his actions, Pvillalta, an MSU junior who is currently working for BellSouth in the co-op program in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said he does not consider himself a hero.
“To me, I didn’t feel like it was a big deal,” Pvillalta said. “I was just helping someone who needed help.”
Others, such as Bell’s mother, Cathy Pilgrim, said they feel differently.
“That’s what makes him so special,” Pilgrim said. “If he doesn’t feel like he did anything that big-well, it was really big to me.”
Pvillalta and his girlfriend, Katherine Ford, have been dating since they were juniors in high school. She said she is very proud of Jose for what he did.
“Jose is a hero to more than one person. He is always putting other people first,” Ford said.
Looking back on the incident, Mathews called Pvillalta “an extremely brave young man.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t think it’s that big of a deal, but it was a heroic act,” Mathews said. “He could have been hurt. I would consider him a hero.”
“We’re proud to say he is a co-op student,” Mathews added.
Cathy Pilgrim and Brad Bell also said they wanted to thank all the people who helped them locate Pvillalta. After the story ran in the March 26 edition of The Reflector, several people contacted both Bell and Pilgrim to tell them Pvillalta had gone to Florida.
“We really appreciate The Reflector doing that,” Bell said. “We want to thank you guys for going out there and helping us find him.”
Pilgrim said it is comforting to know that the mystery of her son’s hero has ended.
“I finally had a way to get in touch with this boy and thank him,” Pilgrim said. “He may not feel like he’s a hero, but he’s a hero to me. And he’s certainly a hero to my son.