Condolences on the Passing of Ashbel Tingley Wall, II

WHEREAS, It is with deep sadness that this Senate has learned of the passing of Ashbel Tingley Wall, II, better known to all as A.T. Wall, the long-time distinguished Director of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. He was the beloved husband of Maria DeCarvalho for 44 years; and

WHEREAS, A.T. Wall was born on a United States Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan, in 1953, where his father, John Wall, served as a Naval Officer during the Korean Conflict. Upon his father and mother Mary Wall's return to Providence, A.T. Wall attended the Gordon School, Moses Brown School and Phillips Exeter Academy. He later attended Yale University, where he graduated summa cum laude, before attending and graduating from Yale Law School; and

WHEREAS, The summer after his sophomore year at Yale, Mr. Wall participated in a Study of the City internship in New Haven that introduced him to the juvenile justice system. Mr. Wall was mesmerized by many important issues present in the cases he handled, and this awakening led him to accept a position in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office after graduating law school. Mr. Wall later served as the Director of the Manhattan Community Service Sentencing Project, a program that provided job training as an alternative to incarceration for non-violent repeat offenders; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Wall returned to Rhode Island in 1985, and after a short stint as a policy advisor in the Governor’s office, he began his distinguished public service career with the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, where he served with distinction and abiding integrity for more than three decades, including nearly two decades as Director. Upon his retirement, Mr. Wall was the longest-serving Corrections Director in the United States; and

WHEREAS, As Director, Mr. Wall was an innovator who emphasized improving inmate health, education and rehabilitation, by supporting ex-offenders' reentry into civilian life. Under Director Wall’s direction, he initiated a nation-leading medication-assisted treatment program for inmates fighting addiction and substance abuse disorders. Another one of Director Wall’s initiatives was a program in which inmates, under the supervision of correctional officers, would train service dogs who would then be placed with injured military veterans and other disabled people to provide companionship and support. One of Director Wall’s most gratifying experiences was when he helped a young ex-offender to gain admission to Yale Law School; and

WHEREAS, As a testament to A.T. Wall’s effective leadership as the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections for nearly two decades, there were no homicides in his facilities, nor were there any successful escapes. Additionally, there were no efforts by the federal courts to intervene in the department’s operations or policies. In recognition of his vast expertise and experience within the corrections community, Mr. Wall was asked by the Civil Rights Division to evaluate confinement conditions in correctional facilities across the United States and was asked to testify before the United States Congress about the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Mr. Wall also took part in strategic conversations at the White House; and

WHEREAS, In his free time, Mr. Wall enjoyed listening to Top 40 music, hiking in the White Mountains, and taking care of his beloved Labrador Retrievers, Chum and Charlie. Mr. Wall was a devoted family man who, despite his taxing professional career, always found time to have dinner at home with his family, to attend school concerts, plays, and sporting events, as well as spending quality time with his family on vacations; and

WHEREAS, A.T. Wall was also a man of deep faith and compassion for his fellow man. He was a lifelong Episcopalian and his faith guided him and energized him as he navigated both his family life and professional career; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his wife, Maria DeCarvalho, Mr. Wall leaves behind his children, Harrison Holley Wall, Ashbel Tingley Wall, III, as well as his son-in-law, Robert Jones, his daughter-in-law, Adrienne Healey, his grandchildren, Holley Jones and Alton Healey-Wall, and his sister, Mary Brooks “Polly” Wall. Mr. Wall also leaves behind his nieces and nephew, Mary Coe and her husband, Thomas Kuhn, Livy Coe, and Annie Daly and her husband, Jon Gentry, and Will Daly, as well as brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Mel and Carol DeCarvalho; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby expresses its deepest condolences to the Wall Family on the passing of Ashbel Tingley Wall, II; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Maria DeCarvalho and Family.