A Hero Gets His Due

A Reddit-style thank-you to a Seattle hero and a sweet gesture by a New York City woman toward a homeless man make the list of this week's most uplifting stories:

• Internet Pays for Shooting Hero's Wedding Gifts: Jon Meis became a hero when he stopped a gunman at Seattle Pacific University this week, and now the world is showing its gratitude online. Meis is getting married this month, and someone put his gift registry on Reddit. Need we say more?
• When Homeless Pal Dies, Woman Pays to Bury Him: His name was Smokey, and Juanita Vega woke him up every day for 11 years. In return, he called her "sis" and gave her tchotchkes that he found—a sweet friendship between a homeless man and an employee at the New York City bank where he slept in the vestibule. So when Smokey, aka Richard Coleman, died in April at age 62, Vega stepped in to stop him from being buried in New York City's Potter's Field.
• Teen Carries Brother 40 Miles for Charity: Hunter Gandee, 14, has been carrying around his little brother Braden, 7, for years now. But this weekend, he outdid himself. Braden has cerebral palsy, and Hunter walked 40 miles yesterday with his little brother on his back to raise awareness about the condition.

• Autistic Teen's Graduation Speech Wows: Another one to add to the list of this year's memorable graduation stories: A nonverbal autistic teen got a standing ovation this week when he addressed his fellow graduates. He had some help from an iPad.
• Off-Duty Air Force Pilot Helps Land United Jet: Mark Gongol flies B-1B bombers for the Air Force in his day job, and he had to put those skills to use while returning from vacation with his family on a United jet. It started with that awful question over the PA system: Is there a pilot on board?

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