It was a normal Tuesday for Cedric Tate Jr., until it wasn’t.
The 8-year-old second grader at Sudduth Elementary did his normal routine: go to school then grandma’s house until his mom, Catina Tate, got done with work.
Mary Anne Robinson, his grandmother, remembers spending the afternoon with Cedric. The last thing she recalled was washing dishes. Cedric said that around 6 p.m. on March 31, he noticed his grandmother was unconscious. He tried to wake her up, but she wouldn’t stir. Cedric called 911 and told the dispatcher everything they needed to know.
“It was frustrating,” Cedric said about waiting for help.
But help arrived shortly. Robinson, 73, was tended to in her home. She was told her blood sugar had dropped to 31, and that she was diabetic.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Robinson told The Dispatch of her diagnosis.
She said keeping a healthy appetite is difficult for her and she frequently skips meals. She’s working on changing that now, and keeping her grandson nearby just in case.
Cedric’s actions caught the eye of local first responders.
On Wednesday, leaders of the Starkville police and fire departments, along with Mayor Parker Wiseman, surprised Cedric in his classroom to shower him with praise and rewards, and to get Cedric’s classmates to learn from the incident.
“We’re here today to recognize him for a tremendous job,” SPD Lt. Mike Edwards said.
Cedric’s classroom was at maximum capacity Tuesday. Cops, firefighters, politicians and family crammed into the room to watch Edwards present Cedric with a prize bag of gift cards, admiration and cash.
“We’re here with the city of Starkville and the police department to show our appreciation on a great job,” Edwards said. “If y’all recognize something of that sort, dial E-911.”
A tall, handsome boy at his age, Cedric likes to play basketball — both on the hard-top and on his Playstation 4. But Thursday, the young man was recognized for acting beyond his age.
“We like to honor our heroes in this community,” Mayor Wiseman told the class. “Heroes can be many different things. What a hero always is, is someone that inspires us. Heroes come in all different sizes and ages, and today we recognize a hero who’s just eight years old. But he inspires all of us, young and old, and I hope he inspires you.”
Cedric got a goodie bag with a card of appreciation, a $10 gift card to Wendy’s, a $20 gift card to mugshots, a $10 gift card to MacDonald’s and some cold hard cash.
Afterwards, Cedric told The Dispatch he likes his gifts, but is happiest that his afternoon companion is OK.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.