Post by greeky on Aug 13, 2011 13:58:19 GMT -5
Ex-DKE Wake Forest pres dies a hero
www.ajc.com/news/nicholas-val-napolitano-23-1103055.html
Looking down from a rocky Rhode Island promontory 25 feet above where the Atlantic Ocean and Narragansett Bay converge, Nick Napolitano could see Greg Minetti, a friend and Wake Forest fraternity brother, was in danger of drowning as eight-foot waves pounded the shore.
Mr. Napolitano considered himself a strong swimmer, said his father, Val Napolitano of Atlanta, so he didn't hesitate. He jumped in and managed to pull his friend to relative safety, but he lost his own life in the process.
The incident took place Sunday afternoon at Brenton Point State Park in Newport, R.I. Mr. Minetti had leaped from a jumping-off spot popularized by locals as "12 O'clock High" and immediately found himself in trouble amid the pounding surf.
Once Mr. Napolitano reached his friend, he gradually pulled him away from the cove that was taking the brunt of the battering waves. At that moment, another wave upended Mr. Napolitano and slammed him into a rock.
Thomas Coleman of Boston, a longtime friend from Atlanta school days, had jumped in to assist Mr. Napolitano. He said he saw his friend was seriously injured and held him for "what seemed like a couple of minutes" until a strong undertow snatched Mr. Napolitano away.
Mr. Napolitano's body was recovered Tuesday. His father said the family was told death was caused by head trauma....
Mr. Napolitano went to CIT Healthcare after earning a bachelor's degree in finance from Wake Forest University last year. He was on the dean's list each semester at the Winston-Salem, N.C., school and the recipient of the William Brigman Scholarship for academic excellence and leadership. He also was president of the local chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
www.ajc.com/news/nicholas-val-napolitano-23-1103055.html
www.ajc.com/news/nicholas-val-napolitano-23-1103055.html
Looking down from a rocky Rhode Island promontory 25 feet above where the Atlantic Ocean and Narragansett Bay converge, Nick Napolitano could see Greg Minetti, a friend and Wake Forest fraternity brother, was in danger of drowning as eight-foot waves pounded the shore.
Mr. Napolitano considered himself a strong swimmer, said his father, Val Napolitano of Atlanta, so he didn't hesitate. He jumped in and managed to pull his friend to relative safety, but he lost his own life in the process.
The incident took place Sunday afternoon at Brenton Point State Park in Newport, R.I. Mr. Minetti had leaped from a jumping-off spot popularized by locals as "12 O'clock High" and immediately found himself in trouble amid the pounding surf.
Once Mr. Napolitano reached his friend, he gradually pulled him away from the cove that was taking the brunt of the battering waves. At that moment, another wave upended Mr. Napolitano and slammed him into a rock.
Thomas Coleman of Boston, a longtime friend from Atlanta school days, had jumped in to assist Mr. Napolitano. He said he saw his friend was seriously injured and held him for "what seemed like a couple of minutes" until a strong undertow snatched Mr. Napolitano away.
Mr. Napolitano's body was recovered Tuesday. His father said the family was told death was caused by head trauma....
Mr. Napolitano went to CIT Healthcare after earning a bachelor's degree in finance from Wake Forest University last year. He was on the dean's list each semester at the Winston-Salem, N.C., school and the recipient of the William Brigman Scholarship for academic excellence and leadership. He also was president of the local chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
www.ajc.com/news/nicholas-val-napolitano-23-1103055.html