N.C. A&T Alumnus Honored for His Heroism by the State of North Carolina 

On Tuesday, Jan. 25, the N.C. Department of Insurance honored Keith Mangum ‘04, a former Guilford County Sheriff Deputy, for his heroic act of saving two people on the same day. The ceremony took place at the Student Center on the campus of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. 

What appeared to be a normal day on Nov. 19, 2021, turned into a defining moment for Mangum when he was traveling on I-85 in Greensboro and witnessed a car that had made a U-turn and started driving north in the southbound lanes. The car crashed into a tractor-trailer and then hit a passenger car. After stopping his car, he jumped the guardrail in the median, pulled the unresponsive woman who had been traveling the wrong way out of the car and performed CPR on her until she began moving. Mangum and other motorist stayed with the woman until first responders arrived on the scene. 

“I didn’t think twice when I saw the accident, I immediately responded because it was a natural instinct to respond to adversity,” said Mangum. “I can remember seeing debris flying on the highway and I didn’t have time to be scared because I had a job to do.” 

Later in that day, Mangum was meeting his mother to celebrate his upcoming birthday when he entered a gas station in Mebane, N.C., and the cashier collapsed before him. He assisted the woman and called 911. 

“I was so grateful to be in the right place at the right time to help these two women,” said Mangum. 

During the honoring ceremony, Mangum received the “Commissioner’s Award for Heroism” from Commissioner Mike Causey and Chancellor Harold L. Martin, Sr. recognized him for his courage and service to the state of North Carolina.  

Mangum received his bachelor’s degree in electronic and computer technology in 2004 from North Carolina A&T. He currently resides in Greensboro, N.C. with his family.