2006 Hero of the Year: Meet the Winner

"The Dad" is 2006 Hero of the Year.

We received a record number of votes this year and, in the end, our winner was clear.

Kevin Bardsley, known simply as The Dad, is the 2006 Hero of the Year. His heroism began by accident, when his 12-year-old son, Garrett, went missing during a Boy Scout camping trip in Utah's Uinta Mountains. Garrett's body was never found. Determined not to let another family experience such terrible pain, Kevin Bardsley set up a foundation in his son's name, bought GPS tracking equipment and trained a small army of volunteers to be ready to search in minutes. When another boy was lost, he led the rescue effort. We will honor Bardsley at a special ceremony later this year.