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Sgt. Anthony Wallace, slain officer, honored locally | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle
Sgt. Anthony Wallace would tell anyone who listened that if you worked hard enough at something, you could make it happen.
He was the proof.
Wallace, a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, was on-duty as a police officer in Hoonah, Alaska, when he and off-duty colleague Matt Tokuoka were shot and killed Aug. 28 while responding to a call. Wallace was 32.
Two events have been scheduled locally this week to honor Wallace and his mother, Debbie Greene of Florida, who was visiting her son in August and witnessed the shooting.
A home health nurse who has worked in emergency rooms, she said she held the hands of her son and Tokuoka as they waited for help.
"He was my best friend, he was my whole world," Greene said Tuesday from her home in Florida. She arrives in Rochester today.
Of a long list of accomplishments in his life, Wallace was most proud of becoming a police officer, his mother said.
"That's all he ever wanted to do, from the time he was a little kid, that's all he would talk about."
Diagnosed deaf after contracting spinal meningitis, he eventually realized his dreams — first becoming a three-time All-American wrestler and later becoming one of the few hard-of-hearing or deaf police officers in the country. Most police departments do not even consider candidates with hearing problems.
In high school in Ohio and in college, Wallace's determination and personable nature came to define him, his friends and colleagues said.
"He was a guy who believed he could win every match he was in," said Lou Spiotti, RIT's athletic director. "But as tough and resilient as he was, he was equally kind."
Ryan Hicks, a close friend of Wallace and an RIT Public Safety senior officer, agreed.
"He was just that way. If he said he was going to do something, he would do it," said Hicks, who worked with Wallace helping train area police recruits about working with individuals who are deaf.
Wallace received a degree in applied arts and sciences from RIT and worked as a public safety officer at RIT from 2003 to 2006 before moving to Hoonah. He was a boater, hunter and fisherman.
He will be remembered at a service at RIT's Gordon Field House at 3 p.m. Thursday.
A bowling fundraiser has been planned to raise money to help Greene settle her son's affairs in Alaska.
The event is sponsored by the Badge of Honor Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in Western New York, according to its web site.
The tournament will feature cash and door prizes, a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction to be held Sunday at AMF Fairview Lanes, 1407 Fairport Road. A motorcycle ride will also take place that morning.
To sign-up, call Fairview Lanes (585) 377-5330.
To read more about Anthony Wallace, go to RIT - NTID - NTID News -
Sgt. Anthony Wallace would tell anyone who listened that if you worked hard enough at something, you could make it happen.
He was the proof.
Wallace, a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, was on-duty as a police officer in Hoonah, Alaska, when he and off-duty colleague Matt Tokuoka were shot and killed Aug. 28 while responding to a call. Wallace was 32.
Two events have been scheduled locally this week to honor Wallace and his mother, Debbie Greene of Florida, who was visiting her son in August and witnessed the shooting.
A home health nurse who has worked in emergency rooms, she said she held the hands of her son and Tokuoka as they waited for help.
"He was my best friend, he was my whole world," Greene said Tuesday from her home in Florida. She arrives in Rochester today.
Of a long list of accomplishments in his life, Wallace was most proud of becoming a police officer, his mother said.
"That's all he ever wanted to do, from the time he was a little kid, that's all he would talk about."
Diagnosed deaf after contracting spinal meningitis, he eventually realized his dreams — first becoming a three-time All-American wrestler and later becoming one of the few hard-of-hearing or deaf police officers in the country. Most police departments do not even consider candidates with hearing problems.
In high school in Ohio and in college, Wallace's determination and personable nature came to define him, his friends and colleagues said.
"He was a guy who believed he could win every match he was in," said Lou Spiotti, RIT's athletic director. "But as tough and resilient as he was, he was equally kind."
Ryan Hicks, a close friend of Wallace and an RIT Public Safety senior officer, agreed.
"He was just that way. If he said he was going to do something, he would do it," said Hicks, who worked with Wallace helping train area police recruits about working with individuals who are deaf.
Wallace received a degree in applied arts and sciences from RIT and worked as a public safety officer at RIT from 2003 to 2006 before moving to Hoonah. He was a boater, hunter and fisherman.
He will be remembered at a service at RIT's Gordon Field House at 3 p.m. Thursday.
A bowling fundraiser has been planned to raise money to help Greene settle her son's affairs in Alaska.
The event is sponsored by the Badge of Honor Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in Western New York, according to its web site.
The tournament will feature cash and door prizes, a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction to be held Sunday at AMF Fairview Lanes, 1407 Fairport Road. A motorcycle ride will also take place that morning.
To sign-up, call Fairview Lanes (585) 377-5330.
To read more about Anthony Wallace, go to RIT - NTID - NTID News -