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Photo: Morgan McGee
On Tuesday, May 20, a Spokane man who works downtown as a loan officer at a local bank, became a hero in the eyes of his sister and many of his co-workers. What follows is his story, as told by his sister, Candace Mumm.
Something really amazing happened in Downtown Spokane this week and I had to share the story with you. Some of you may know that my brother, Joel Armstrong, is a loan officer at Sterling Bank. He works downtown in a second story office building, overlooking busy Riverside Avenue. Several weeks ago he watched a mother duck choose the cement awning outside his window as the uncanny place to build a nest above the sidewalk. The mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched over 15 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks, and Monday afternoon all ten of her ducklings hatched.
Joel worried all night how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely off their perch in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water, which typically happens in the first 48 hours of a duck hatching.
Tuesday morning, Joel came to work and watched the mother duck encourage her babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off! The mother flew down below and started quacking to her babies above. In his disbelief Joel watched as the first fuzzy newborn toddled to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the cement below. My brother couldn't watch how this might play out. He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs to the sidewalk where the first obedient duckling was stuporing near its mother from the near fatal fall. Joel looked up. The second duckling was getting ready to jump! He quickly dodged out of the duckling's sight under the awning while the mother duck quacked at him and the babies above. As the second one took the plunge, Joel jumped forward and caught it with his bare hands before it hit the cement. Safe and sound, he set it by the momma and the other stunned sibling, still recovering from its painful leap.
One by one the babies continued to jump to join their anxious family below. Each time Joel hid under the awning, just to reach out in the nick of time as the duckling made its freefall. The downtown sidewalk came to a standstill. Time after time, Joel was able to catch the remaining eight and set them by their approving mother. At this point Joel realized the duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey. They had at least two full blocks to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs, and pedestrians to get to the closest open water, the Spokane River.
The onlooking office co-workers then joined in and hurriedly brought an empty copy paper box to collect the babies. They carefully corralled them, with the mother's approval, and loaded them up into the white cardboard container. Joel held the box low enough for the mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the downtown streets toward the Spokane River, as the mother waddled behind and kept her babies in sight. They walked block by block to the water’s edge. As they reached the river, the Sterling Bank office staff then tipped the box and encouraged the younglings, quite nervous from their adventurous ride, to walk toward the water and their mother. She approached her brood and marched them to the brink, ushering them with a splash into their new watery home.
Photo: Morgan McGee
All ten darling ducklings safely made the plunge and paddled up snugly to momma duck. Joel said the mom swam in circles, looking back toward the beaming bank workers, proudly quacking as if to say, "See, we did it! Thanks for all the help!"
Thankfully, one of the co-workers had a digital camera and was able to capture most of it (except the actually mid-air catching) in a series of photographs.
Click here for slide show
Please join me in celebrating my brother – The Downtown Duck Hero!
Candace Mumm
Spokane, WA
The above article written by Candace Mumm and all photos taken by Morgan McGee are reprinted with permission.
Do you have a hometown or family hero you'd like to tell us about? Send us your story and we'll print it online. Be sure to include your full name, city you live in, and a contact phone or email address in case we have questions. Feel free to vote in our Poll, too -- we'll find out how many local heroes are really out there.
Editor@Spokane.net
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Poll Results ...
Question:
"How many 'Hometown Heroes' do you have in your immediate family?"
Results:
None -- 50.0%
1 - 5 -- 50.0%
6 - 10 -- 0.0%
11 - 15 -- 0.0%
More than 15 -- 0.0%
Send us your comments ...
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Mr. Armstrong has provided the exemplary act of interspecies compassion and citizenship that should be shared across all nations. In a bleak season of monetary dysfunction and crimes against humanity, it is such a heartwarming event to learn of a gentleman who, with heart and soul, vaulted to the call for help from one of Nature's joyful animals.
Thank you, Mr. Armstrong.
Mrs. En-May Mangels
Interspecies Communicator
Federal Way, WA
July 2008
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Hello from San Diego, California!
As I was driving to work today, our local radio station KYXY related this story. Unfortunately, my radio antenna is wacked or should I say "qwacked." Sonny West was telling the part where Mr. Joel was leading the ducks to the river. I drove under a bridge and didn't hear the ending part. When the connection was back, all I'm hearing are phone calls and comments made by a lot of listeners. Luckily, I heard the website to go to. So here I am teary eyed while reading the story.
Thanks to the sister, Candace Mumm, for such wonderful writing of the story. Is she a journalist? And thanks to the office mate who brought the digital camera – that complimented and completed the whole story just like a short-story movie. You guys made my day!
I'm sure my kids heard them, too, on their car radios on their way to school. Guess what will be our topic of conversation tonight?
Digna E. Mamaril
San Diego, CA
July 2008
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I know it has been two months now since this story hit the press, but it has now circulated around the world. I live in Singapore and this made my day.
Putting aside all scientific talk surrounding the ducklings' ability to survive without man's interference, this kind act reveals exactly what this planet needs more of … man's care and concern of life and his ability to insert himself into nature to help out. If we, as humans, focused on the environment and each other as Joel has, we might just actually achieve that world peace thing, along with that ever looming global warming thing... well done Joel!
Sondra Weber
Singapore
July 2008
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THANKS for some good news and happy outcome, as opposed to the dismal press I keep seeing. You deserve at least a gold star on your report card.
Ex-Seattleite with extreme displacement to Huntsville, AL and Richland, WA and sort of U-name-it Portsmouth, NH to Charleston, SC to Salt Lake City (no state needed as there is only ONE of them – and one is quite enough) to Ft. Worth, TX to EL Paso. (Think "State of insanity" also somewhere in that very abbreviated list.)
Dr. James H. L. Lawler
El Paso, TX
July 2008
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If possible, please just pass along to Ms. Mumm/Mr. Armstrong my sincere thanks for his remarkably kind deed -- what a sweet and uplifting story and how very compassionate and good of him.
Elizabeth Paupst
Toronto, Ontario CANADA
July 2008
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I just received word of your May article and Joel Armstrong and the team at Sterling Bank. This a heartwarming story and I hope that you will forward this to Reader's Digest for their hero's award.
This is an example of people caring about the weak and helpless and how we are all connected in nature. He could have let nature take its course – with much more dire consequences; but he stepped up and stepped in to a successful conclusion. We hope and pray that he and his co-workers are blessed by their involvement.
Laurel A. Brennan
Uniontown, OH
July 2008
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I learned only today, July 29, about the heroism of Joel Armstrong last May 20, but he has certainly made my day a happy one – and probably my entire summer as well.
My niece-in-law Cindi, in White Bear, MN sent the whole story, complete with those splendid photographs by Morgan McGee, to her doting uncle in New York City. I am still totally astonished by and in awe of the whole adventure, especially the imaginative, compassionate and skillful way Mr. Armstrong managed to make Mother Mallard and her brood of ten ducklings happy and safe, at least for a while, in this obviously parlous world.
A hero he is, indeed, and all of us animal lovers are in his debt, as we are also to the enterprising photographer and to Mr. Hamilton's sister Candace for her share in writing about the incident so charmingly. I can only hope that she is somehow related to the famous Champagne maker in France, G. H. Mumm, of Reims, and can manage to reward her brother with a bottle or two of their very finest vintage. (Send me the bill!) I also hope Sterling Bank knows how highly the rest of us will now always regard their quick-witted and considerate loan officer.
Vive Joel Armstrong!
Clair Van Ausdall
New York City
July 2008
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I live in Nashville, Tennessee and read your story about the Mother Duck and it was one of the best stories I have ever heard. I sent it on the internet to my e-mailers and everyone thought it was great!
Thanks for writing something worthwhile for a change.
Harold Morgan
Nashville, TN
July 2008
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Okay, my coworkers and I were amazed at the wonderful duck story. But, you left us hanging! What happened to the mother and her ducklings? Did they build a new nest near the river?
Belinda Hare
Austin, TX
July 2008
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I live in southeast PA and just received an email about this wonderful act that the man did to help the ducks. What a nice piece of happy news to hear about. It should have been on the front page of every newspaper in the country.
I thank the man's sister for making this event public. Goes to show you that our animal friends do need our help and do appreciate it when it is given.
Diane Atkerson
Paoli, PA
July 2008
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I was just sent the story and pictures of the Downtown Duck Hero, Mr. Armstrong, and the amazing ducks he helped to safety. It really is one of the most touching stories I've heard about in a very long time. Mr. Armstrong definitely deserves the honor of "hero" because he undoubtedly saved lives. Our culture sadly and still, to a certain degree, looks upon men who have a great sympathy and reverence for animals as weak, sissyish, not macho, effeminate, or wimpy. Without Mr. Armstrong's kindness and courage, the ending to this story would probably be very different...very bleak for those ducks.
I am reminded with this Downtown Duck Hero story of a quote by Gandhi, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Thank you, Mr. Armstrong; you are an inspiration to me and you make this nation even greater every time you put compassion into action, including for the animals.
Louis Gedo
New York City
August 2008
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Why are there ten ducks in the last two photos? And when did the "male duck" appear? That's kinda weird. I'm questioning this story; although, even if it doesn't prove to be true, it's charming for sure!
(Story is being emailed like crazy! I received it from a friend.)
Mickie Edwards
Austin, TX
August 2008
Editorial Note: Mickie, there were ten ducklings altogether -- Joel did NOT catch the first one that jumped from the ledge, caught the 2nd one that jumped, and then continued catching the remaining 8 -- ten in all. Because the ducks are so closely huddled to their mother in some of the photos, it is difficult to get a good count in some.
The male ducks in the last two photos of the slideshow were already swimming in the river when the Momma and baby ducks arrived. The Spokane River runs through the middle of our downtown core and is continually filled with ducks, geese, swans and seagulls. (We also have marmots, but they don't swim often as far as I know.)
The story is true and has been circulating for a while now. We continue to get responses from around the world and across the nation. It's amazing how many people this has reached!
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I loved this story! It is so nice and refreshing to read stories like this. I cannot wait to share this story with my children tonight. After reading this story, I thought how wonderful it would be for Joel to write a children's book about his adventure. I am sure it would be a great success!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Janey Brown
Ridgecrest, CA
August 2008
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