DESERVED MEDAL OF HONOR & FOUGHT MARCIANO THRICE
Wallace Collier
San Francisco, CA– Being of the belief that few real American heroes get their acknowledgment and propers, it gives me great pride to to tell you about Wallace Collier. A three war veteran, Collier who fought Rocky Marciano, served the United States in World War II, the Korean conflict, in addition to being deployed in Vietnam.
CHAMPION OF MINNEAPOLIS COMMUNITY
Collier passed away a fortnight ago at the age of 92, this after beating Colon Cancer in a lifetime that was dedicated to “public service.” His obituary said, “Wallace H. Collier was a three-time war veteran, a black belt in taekwondo and a boxer who fought and beat Rocky Marciano. He was not one to boast about his feats of strength as he didn’t have to.”
CHAMP’S BIGGEST MUSCLES “BETWEEN EARS”
His strength was not only reflected in his muscular build but in his commitments: in the line of duty, to his wife of 62 years, as a dad to his two sons and a father figure to the students at North High School who called him Mr. Wally.
GENEROUS MAN APPRECIATED BY “YOUNGER” GENERATION
Collier’s garage door was never closed to the neighborhood. Children would often stop in to hit his punching bag or ask Collier to fix their Rollerblades. Talking through a cigar, Collier would teach them how to throw jabs and perfect their
Sgt. Wallace Collier
stance. While the children knew he was a boxer, they didn’t know that Collier had fought Rocky Marciano three times before Marciano turned pro and beat him once.
REAL AMERICAN HERO IN HEARTS OF MANY
With Collier’s help, Cornell Richardson, who lived down the block, became a junior Golden Gloves boxer. “He always had time for the kids,” said Richardson, 44, of Brooklyn Park. “He stood for respect and integrity. He had such strong values, and it rubbed off on a lot of young men.”
IN CLOSING….
They, people in general, well they just don’t come much better than Mr. Wally! We are honored to include Sgt. Collier on the Ring Talk “Wall of Fame.”
Pedro Fernandez
Note: Mr. Fernandez is an award-winning writer, TV commentator, radio talk show host, former San Francisco Policeman and four-time Golden Gloves champion, who also pens feature stories for the R & B band Tower of Power. Comments regarding this submission can be left below.
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