Free Republic

MIDLAND, Texas - The 18-month old girl pulled from a backyard well two decades ago is now a young wife and mother — one waiting to collect donations given to her during her ordeal that are expected to total $1 million or more. The anniversary of Jessica McClure's rescue passed Tuesday like almost every other day in the 21-year-old's life, with no public comment from her about the event that once captivated viewers around the world. The young wife and mother is living quietly in this West Texas oil patch city, the same one where she fell into the backyard...

'Baby Jessica' Graduates MIDLAND, Texas, May 31, 2004 A rescue worker carries 18-month-old Jessica McClure in this Oct.16,1987 file photo, shortly after she was rescued from an abandoned water well at Midland,Texas. (Photo: AP (file)) (AP) She held the attention of the nation and the world as a toddler 17 years ago after she fell into an abandoned well. Crews struggled for 58 hours to rescue 18-month-old Jessica McClure from the eight-inch-wide pipe. On Friday night she became a high-school graduate. The 18-year-old Midland-area girl joined 113 other seniors from Greenwood High School near Midland in receiving their diplomas....