Bill Arnold is Executive Director of the Quecreek Mine Rescue Foundation and owner of Dormel Farms, Somerset, Pennsylvania. On July 24, 2002, with nine miners trapped by flood waters in the Quecreek mine 240 feet below his dairy farm, Bill found himself on the front lines of a rescue operation which would span 78 grueling hours, involve hundreds of rescuers, volunteers, officials, media and suppliers, hundreds of tons of equipment, vehicles and technology, and dozens of anxious loved ones. Bill's contribution to the rescue itself was significant, but in many ways has been eclipsed by his ongoing work as witness to the miracles that occurred on his property during those four days. As host to thousands of visitors a year that want to honor and remember the event, Bill serves as caretaker of the memorial site that sits on his property, as international media consultant on the subject of mine rescue, and as a gifted motivational speaker who shares the story of the Miracle at Quecreek Mine with thousands of people each year. All of this falls after his daily duties managing a significant herd of cattle on his Certified Organic dairy farm. Bill would say he is just a common farmer who, like so many others that night, stepped up to the challenge when God called him to it. What he witnessed, what God brought about through the rescue, changed him, changed countless other participants, changed Somerset County, and for those shining hours focused the hopes of a nation and the eyes of the world on the power of God, the resilience of the American miner, and the relentless determination of the American Spirit. Now, the legacy is carried forward through his book and new audiobook, Miracle at Quecreek Mine.
Arnold has also been interviewed on multiple national and international television news broadcasts, as well as for newspapers and radio. In 2017, a 15-year anniversary celebration marked the event, renewing interest once again to the positive outcome of the inspiring story. Arnold was interviewed on that occasion, and most recently has published a series of articles in a Pennsylvania motivational magazine.