Governor Mary Fallin issues official commendation to state Rep. Brian Renegar for life-saving maneuver

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Speaker of the House Charles McCall, R-Atoka, read a commendation issued by Gov. Mary Fallin to state Rep. Brian Renegar, D-McAlester, during a ceremony Tuesday in the House of Representatives chamber. (https://youtu.be/3eRaLtwrBiw) 
The commendation praised Renegar for “service above and beyond” when he saved the life of A.J. Bristow, a rancher and Conservation Board member from McAlester. The incident occurred at a banquet held in Oklahoma City on Feb. 28 by the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts.
Mr. Bristow began choking on a piece of steak during the dinner and was unable to breathe. Renegar, who was seated next to him, performed the Heimlich Maneuver to dislodge the meat. Bristow’s son mailed a letter to the Speaker’s Office, applauding the legislator for his “heroic actions that night.”
Renegar, a McAlester veterinarian, said he learned the Heimlich Maneuver during a health and safety course he took while earning his undergraduate degree at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah.