City Clerk Brenda Delbert Is Recognized For Quick Action In Medical Emergency

Photo by Eric Ayres

WHEELING -- Officials in Wheeling recently tipped their hats to City Clerk Brenda J. "B.J." Delbert for handling a medical emergency that could have had a tragic outcome had it not been for her prompt response.

The situation unfolded suddenly on the morning of Sept. 21 when Delbert was working in the municipal offices inside the City-County Building on Chapline Street, and the medical crisis actually took place on the other side of the river.

Delbert was on a phone call with local businessman Dean Connors when his end of the line unexpectedly went quiet.

"I was on the phone with Dean about city matters, and he went silent," Delbert said.

"I assumed someone walked into his office, so I stayed on the line until he could get back to me. After a couple minutes I realized he was still there but struggling to communicate."

Delbert said it quickly became clear that he needed medical assistance.

She kept him on the line -- despite the silence -- and was able to contact relatives, who knew where he was and sent emergency medical service personnel to his location in Rayland.

Connors had suffered a stroke when he was alone at home. Luckily, the emergency happened to unfold just after he picked up the phone call, and Delbert recognized that the line did not simply get dropped in the middle of the conversation -- she realized that something was wrong.

He was taken to Wheeling Hospital, where he remained from Wednesday through Saturday of that week before being released.

During the most recent meeting of Wheeling City Council, Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott retold the story, bits and pieces of which had been shared on social media pages since Connors was released from the hospital.

"We have city employees each and every day who, as part of their job description, save lives," Elliott said. "(Police) Chief (Shawn) Schwertfeger and (Fire) Chief (Jim) Blazier both supervise a lot of those employees. It's kind of par for the course for first responders, but it's not every day that your city clerk does the same thing."

The mayor and members of city council applauded Delbert for her instinctive action to keep Connors on the line while summoning help.

"B.J. recognized the problem, stayed on the phone with him and was able to contact his sister, who was able to contact help to his house," Elliott said. "Dean has made it very clear that he doesn't think he would have survived - or at least would not have been able to anticipate a full recovery - had B.J. not intervened the way she did."

Fellow council members and a sizable crowd on hand at the noon meeting earlier this month commended Delbert for her noble deed.

"You deserve our appreciation and a round of applause," the mayor said.

"I don't feel like I am a hero," she said. "I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and I was meant to be on the phone with him at that moment in time."

Connors, 53, is currently undergoing speech and physical therapy, and he has to have follow-up surgery to correct some blockage that led to the stroke. A businessman and real estate developer who was recently commended at the mayor's State of the City address for his efforts in helping to revitalize parts of the Plaza on Market, Connors also plays the drums in the popular local band Zane Run and stays active with various projects around town. He was at the hospital for a follow-up visit with his doctor during the recent council meeting when Delbert was recognized, but he was able to make an appearance before the end of the meeting to give her a big hug afterward.

"You're my hero," he told her.

Connors is expected to make a full recovery from this scary episode, which he said could have had an outcome that was much, much worse.

"I remember exactly what happened -- I just couldn't say or do anything about it in that moment," he said. "I'm so thankful I was on the phone with B.J. She had the wherewithal to realize that the line didn't go dead, and she didn't just shrug her shoulders, move on to something else and try to call back later. Otherwise, it could have been a lot worse."

Connors is still working through some challenges with his speech, but he said his recovery is progressing very well -- noting that he is further along than most people expected him to be. He has returned to work and is looking forward to getting back to everyday routines with an inevitably fresh perspective on life.

"And I have a special bond with B.J. now," he said. "I'm truly grateful."