| John B.
Shuster was born February 20, 1973 in Elkins Park,
PA. John, who suffered from moderate to severe
hearing loss from the time he was two, showed an
early interest in public service, finding interest
in TV shows related to fire stations, rescue squads,
and medical shows. By the age of 15 John was
volunteering with Windber Fire Station 11. His
interest grew with time and he prepared to become a
certified volunteer firefighter. While on a call to
respond to a motor vehicle accident, he realized
that as much as he enjoyed helping people as a
firefighter, he really wanted to be able to help
people who have suffered a bodily injury.
John graduated first in his class from
Kiski Prep,
and decided to come to Juniata College to study
Bio-Chemistry (Pre-Medicine). As a 6’5” freshman,
John initially joined the basketball team, but due
to the demanding requirements of his major he
decided to commit his time to his studies. In
addition to his studies at Juniata, John also
volunteered with the Huntingdon Borough Ambulance
Company and at Beaver Stadium for the Nittany Lions
home games. The summer after John’s freshman year,
he worked at Windber Recreational Park as a
lifeguard and worked with the Windber Fire Company.
The summer following his sophomore year, John worked
on campus developing a lab manual to be used for an
environmental course to be offered on campus the
next year. During John’s third year, he took his
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and applied to
a 15 week internship program at Johns Hopkins
University. John was accepted to the internship
program and would have been working in the Neurology
Department doing research in nerve conductive
studies; work that would have allowed him to do a
blend of patient care and research. Unfortunately
John died unexpectedly on May 25, 1995. At the time
of his death, John held certifications in
lifeguarding, basic and advanced first aid, Hurst
Tool operation, Emergency Vehicle Operator
Certification, Pennsylvania State First Responder,
Pennsylvania State Emergency Medical Technician,
Basic Fire Fighting – Essentials of Fire Fighting,
Department of Health Basic Vehicle Rescue
Certification, and certification to Load Life Flight
Helicopters. John was also honored with the Juniata
College Community Contribution award.
In honor of John’s
commitment to helping others, a group of his friends
who were still students on Juniata’s campus founded
the John B. Shuster Memorial Emergency Services and
Safety Club. This group, which later started and
supported Quick Response Service 8 – a state
licensed emergency medical response team - has been
committed to community service and to provide an
atmosphere were people who have interest in
emergency medicine and fire fighting can come
together socially and to train.
In 2006, the Emergency
Services and Safety Club and the QRS8 were merged
into the John P. Shuster Memorial - Juniata College
Emergency Medical Services. Now the club functions
as one unit, with one set of administrative
officers, rather than as a club and a QRS
separately. JC EMS's primary responsibility,
however, has not changed.
|
Welcome!
