Spring/Summer 2000 One Year Later

Spring/Summer 2000 - One Year Later

Grand Slam
by Amy Codispotii

Wade King’s passions can be summed up in two words: food and baseball. But, for many people, Wade will be remembered as a rare star that graced the sky for too short a time. His bright smile didn’t merely light up his own face, but the faces of anyone who laid eyes on him. Loving to be loved and to entertain, Wade touched people’s hearts in unexpected ways.

Father John Gibbs of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church says he knew Wade before the boy was born. He was one of the first Mary King called when she discovered she was pregnant. When Wade was 6 weeks old, Gibbs baptized him, and when Wade was in the hospital dying at the age of 10, Gibbs was with him. Gibbs says Wade was no saint, but the young boy did have an unearthly, almost angelic quality about him.

"Sometimes you run across a child that seems to hear a different voice than the rest of us hear, who hears music we cannot hear," Gibbs says. "Wade was one of those kids. He always seemed to know more than anybody else about those things that you cannot quite put your finger on."

Wade was raised in a small community of teenagers giving him a sophistication that distinguished him from his peers.

"He could ask some of the hardest questions about theology, and I’d have to say, ‘Wade, I don’t know the answer to that. I’ll have to pray and think about it and get back to you next week,’" Gibbs recalls.

When Wade was 5 years old, he came home from a day at Fir Creek Day Camp, sat down at the dinner table with his mom, dad and sister and announced that he had accepted Jesus into his heart and life.

David Hallegren, the program director at Fir Creek Day Camp, says that Wade understood how much Jesus loved him, and wanted Jesus to be his best friend.

"Wade knew it was okay to share his faith," Hallegren says. "He grasped the meaning of the gospel right away and wanted to know Jesus personally."

Hallegren says Wade was a rambunctious little boy who always did everything 100 percent but that he was also just a normal, mischievous 10 year old who played hard, ran around and got in trouble.

Wade defined the word energy, says Sheryl Binning, Wade’s third and fourth grade teacher. And this passionate energy immediately drew Binning to Wade.

"Wade’s sense of humor and mine just connected; we were very in sync. I must say, he got away with a lot more than the other kids did because of his sense of humor."

Constantly telling jokes and ad-libbing, Wade was popular among his classmates.

"Wade always loved to perform and make people laugh," Binning says. "I’d have to remind him to think before acting, because he was so impulsive. I could be angry with him, and he’d come over to me and smile, making me smile. I’d have to turn away from him to make sure he knew I was serious."

His impulsive and impromptu abilities proved to be beneficial on the stage, one of Wade’s favorite places to be. In the fourth grade, Wade landed the role as Cornelius Washborn in "The Music Man." Although he had the lead role, he was not spending time learning his lines. During rehearsals, he’d ad-lib lines, and periodically read off the script he was holding behind his back. Binning was a bit nervous, wondering if Wade was going to be able to carry the role. Much to Binning’s surprise and relief, Wade came through and learned all his lines. He played the part perfectly, with all the gusto and animation Binning could have hoped for.

Wade was affectionate. Every morning when his mom or dad dropped him off at school, he’d give them giant hugs and yell, "I love you!" Binning recalls. This little boy loved physical affection, and proudly lavished it on those he loved.

"Wade was very tactile," Binning says. "And he was a big kid for his age. It didn’t matter if it was a boy or a girl, he was very physical with the way he interacted with the class. He was like a big puppy. He was a hugger. You had to brace yourself when he hugged you, because of his size."

Binning’s daughter, Shannon, often volunteered in the classroom, and it was no secret that Wade had an enormous crush on her.

"You’d have to pry him off Shannon," says Lyndsay Gordon, Wade’s neighbor and classmate. "He was, like, in love with her. As soon as she’d walk in the room he’d get out of his seat, even if we were in the middle of class, and he’d run over to her and start hugging her. It took literally the whole class to get him off her. It was so funny."

Chris Kwiatkowski and his twin sister, Carley, live next door to the Kings, and both were in Wade’s class. "He always shared his things," Chris says. "He got a nice new, orange BMX bike for his birthday about a week before he died, and he said, ‘Hey, Chris, do you want to try my new bike?’"

"Yeah, he always shared things, but when he was in his rowdy mood he just really wanted to wrestle," Carley adds.

Chris and Carley agree that Wade’s favorite sport was baseball. Wade was a left-handed hitter, and the team’s catcher. His teammates nick-named him the "Golden Catcher" and attest that he was also a strong batter. The week before he died, Wade hit his first and only grand slam at his Little League game. It was the bottom of seventh inning, and the score was three and two with two outs. Stepping up to the plate, Wade gripped his bat and gritted his teeth. As the ball came soaring toward him, Wade swung and made contact.

"He hit it to the moon. It was like one in a million. It was awesome," Chris recalls.

Wade will never have the opportunity to hit another grand slam or to carry off the lead role of a school play. His life abruptly ended on June 10, 1999, leaving many friends with a vacancy difficult to fill. Wade’s classmates say things are significantly different now that he is gone — quieter. Many of Mrs. Binning’s former students come back and visit her classroom in hopes of holding on to a solid piece of what they once shared with their friend, Wade.

Spring/Summer 2000 - One Year Later

Grand Slam by Amy Codispotii

Grand Slam
by Amy Codispotii