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One year after experiencing cardiac arrest on Whitman’s campus, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Statistics Pat Keef has a renewed sense of routine and gratitude. More than anything, he’s happy to be alive.

“Life is fairly back to normal. I continue to work out, go skiing, travel and work on my scholarship,” he says. “But without those three students acting as quickly and thoughtfully as they did, I’d be dead.”

On March 2, 2025, Keef collapsed while using his favorite rower at the —exactly one week before his 70th birthday. Fortunately, three medically trained students were in the room and sprang into action. A year later, they are encouraging others to learn how to respond in an emergency situation.

‘They Did Everything Right’

Ella Shigo ’27 didn’t run in the same circles as runners Riley Cooper ’26 and Jackson Garrison ’28.

As a recent transfer student, Shigo was still getting to know campus when her friend invited her to an impromptu weekend workout in the fitness center. While standing near the weight rack, something caught her eye.

“Through the mirrors, I saw him gasp and then slump down,” she says. “As soon as he hit the ground, I dropped my weights and ran over to begin CPR. Somehow, I was able to remain calm.”

So did Garrison. “We totally had tunnel vision,” he says. “We locked eyes and knew exactly what we had to do.”

Cooper also took initiative.

“I don’t even remember dialing 911,” she says. “At some point, I did, and I remained on the line until the ambulance arrived. I don’t know how long it took, but in that moment, it felt like forever.”

Keef was in cardiac arrest, and it took 11 minutes for paramedics to arrive.

“The doctors had told us that if the students had waited for the ambulance to arrive, Pat wouldn’t be here today. Every second counts,” says Keef’s wife, Nancy Mitchell, who retired as Whitman’s Director of Alumni Relations.

“They did everything right.”

Better To Be Prepared

Keef was eventually flown to Richland, Washington, where he received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). It regulates his heart like a pacemaker, and if his heart stops again, the ICD will deliver a shock to restart it.

“Everyone on Whitman’s campus should learn CPR, know how to use an AED [automated external defibrillator] and know where the closest one is located,” Keef says.

Luckily for him, Shigo, Garrison and Cooper were in the room.

Cooper, an English and Film and Media Studies double major from Denver, took a babysitting course that covered emergencies when she was 13. Meanwhile, Shigo and Garrison each became certified in CPR and first aid in high school and continue to renew their training regularly, along with wilderness first responder training.

“I have always loved helping people,” says Shigo, a Psychology major from Seattle. “So the summer before coming to Whitman, I took a wilderness survival course and renewed my CPR certification. I didn’t think I’d ever use it in real life.”

Garrison, a Physics major from Minneapolis, had also always been eager to learn.

“I’m pre-med, so everything medical interests me,” he says. “I was fresh off the wilderness training, so as soon as I heard what they call the death rattle, I knew I only had seconds to act.”

A Call for First Responders

Following the incident, Garrison joined the newly formed, student-led ³Ô¹ÏÍø First Responders club.

Alongside Whitman’s Security team, club members respond to calls all across campus. Students assess the situation and offer first aid. Security staff, who are all CPR- and AED-certified, can take over as needed. While on patrol, Security staff carry a bag of medical supplies—including a portable AED.

Club members are expanding their efforts to raise awareness of the importance of first aid skills. “We are currently working on an initiative to offer accessible CPR, AED and other medical training to all students, staff and faculty at Whitman,” says Garrison.

Outside of his work with the First Responders, Garrison is preparing for medical school. Shigo is studying abroad in Australia and has plans to pursue a career in marketing. Cooper plans to pursue veterinary school after graduation but will first conduct research across the globe as a , investigating human dependency on working animals employed for labor, survival and companionship.

A Connection Beyond the Crisis

Shigo, Garrison and Cooper were honored at a Whitman Blues following Keef’s recovery.

Since then, the five of them have stayed connected. Keef and Mitchell host family dinners and send periodic updates.

“I owe my extra years of life to them and their very quick thinking,” Keef says.