An MTSU student’s moral dilemma is the subject of a recent “MTSU On the Record” radio program. 

Phillip Dean

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Phillip Dean, a junior aerospace major from Roswell, Georgia, first aired Oct. 22 on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org. You can listen to their conversation above.

On July 9, Dean was traveling on Interstate 285 in suburban Atlanta, on the way to his parents’ house, when he noticed paper money in the air and on the road. People were stopping their cars and getting out to reap the bonanza left when an armored truck’s door malfunctioned, spilling bills all over the highway.

Dean, a veteran of six years in the U.S. Air Force who began attending MTSU this fall, said he initially prepared himself mentally to offer first aid to anyone who might have been struck by oncoming traffic while chasing the money.

Eventually, he got out of his vehicle and collected some of the cash, too.

After 48 hours of soul-searching, Dean turned the $18 he’d retrieved over to the Dunwoody, Georgia, Police Department.

He says he thinks both his military honor code training and his upbringing led him to the decision.

“I was raised very well by both my parents, and they taught me always to do what’s right,” Dean says. “With the Air Force, we have three core values — integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. It’s always doing the right thing when no one’s around.”

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, visit the searchable “Audio Clips” archives at www.mtsunews.com.

For more information about the radio program, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.