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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2011)
church Vows Exchanged After Losing a Son Last Summer, the Walter Dines Family reaches Out to Help Portland Youth By helen Silvis of The Skanner News L ast June, two weeks after graduating from high school, 18-year-old Walter Dines died in a tragic drowning acci- dent in the Clackamas River. Talented and with a 3.8 GPA, the basketball player and track star had won a scholarship to the University of Newhaven in Connecticut. “He made a great impact on a lot of peo- ple,” says his god- father Paul Kelly, who is Walter Dines Sr.’s best friend. “It was a very difficult loss to accept because here was this handsome young man with so much promise.” Thanks to the Dines family and Kelly, Walter Dines continues to have a great impact. They created the Walter Dines Memorial Basketball League, a memorial they felt would truly reflect the spirit of their young son. “I couldn’t let his death pass by without turning it into something positive, because that’s what he would have wanted,” Kelly says. Now wrapping up its first season, the league offers a chance to play com- petitive basketball to high school stu- dents who attend alternative schools, are home-schooled, or who simply want to continue playing but don’t make it into their high school programs. This year eight teams competed – four from alternative high schools and four clubs that brought together unaffiliated teens. They played eight games in the regular season then came together for single elimination playoff tour- nament. Reynolds Middle School offers the league a place to play. It’s important, Kelly said because sports give young men a way to express them- selves in a positive arena. through the newly founded Walter Dines memorial bas- ketball league. The lessons you can learn on the court, Kelly says, can help you succeed in life. But too many teens lose the chance to play just when they need sports the most. “What made me the proudest was the way they conducted themselves, even in losing,” Kelly said. They kids were great, they had great attitudes and they embodied what Walter wanted to see in the world.” Originally from Portland, the fami- ly had moved to Maryland, but retained strong ties back home. In M a r y l a n d , Walter’s team retired his basket- ball jersey. A scholarship too has been created in his name. Last Friday, the league’s successful first season ended with the championship tour- nament. After a hard fought final, the Dragons triumphed over the Whosits. The Dines family were in Portland to present the first championship trophy. Coach Kelly says he hopes the league will expand as more players and coaches learn about it. “We are more than happy to work with any- one,” Kelly says. “There are so many lessons that kids can learn through games, versus real life. If we didn’t have this league, then they wouldn’t have the oppor- tunity to express themselves and learn those lessons.” Contact him at super-duper1@att.black- berry.net or call him at 503-866-6598 Visit the Skanner news You Tube Video Channel to see Paul Kelly and Walter Dines Sr. tell how they started the league. 18-year-old Walter Dines died in a tragic drowning accident in the Clackamas River the union of ronnetta Walker and A. Lee Wilson, Jr., at the Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles, Ca. in a private outdoor ceremony, was officiated by Pastor Fredrick k. Price, Jr. the couple’s daughters Loren Zaire, 20, stood as “best-person,” with her father and Aaliyah, 10, stood with her mother and “gave-her-away” during the ceremony. the couple met 30 years ago as performing artist during a theatrical production at Portland State University. page 6 The Portland Skanner April 20, 2011 They created the Walter Dines Memorial Basketball League, a memorial they felt would truly reflect his spirit
