The Kiss of Life: How One Man’s Courage Saved a Colleague and Created a Timeless Photograph
In the summer of 1967, what began as an ordinary workday on a quiet street in Jacksonville, Florida, suddenly became a moment frozen in history. High above the ground, electrical lineman J.D. Champion hung unconscious from a utility pole after accidentally touching a live wire. His body was held in place only by a safety harness, his life slipping away with every passing second.
Below him, coworkers and bystanders stood in stunned silence. But one man did not hesitate. Randall G. Thompson, Champion’s fellow lineman, climbed the pole without pause. There was no time for fear or debate — only the instinct to act. He knew that waiting meant losing his friend.
Perched dangerously on the narrow pole and surrounded by deadly voltage, Thompson reached Champion and found no pulse, no breath. With nowhere to stand and everything at risk, he began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, breathing life into his colleague while suspended high above the street. It was a moment of pure courage, where training, instinct, and humanity came together in the face of mortal danger.
By chance, photojournalist Rocco Morabito was passing nearby on what was supposed to be a routine assignment. Sensing something was wrong, he stopped, lifted his camera, and captured a single image that would speak louder than any headline. The photograph showed Thompson giving life to Champion, suspended between earth and sky, danger and hope. Moments later, help arrived, and Champion showed signs of life — surviving against all odds.
The photograph became known as The Kiss of Life, earning Morabito the Pulitzer Prize and a lasting place in history. But its true power lies beyond awards. It represents quiet heroism, the kind that appears without warning and asks for nothing in return. It reminds us that ordinary people can perform extraordinary acts, and that sometimes, one breath given at the right moment can change everything.
More than fifty years later, the image still speaks — honoring courage, responsibility, and the fragile miracle of life itself.
