by Paula J. Baughn

Friends of Norman E. Wallace said posthumous accounts cannot even come close to capturing the passion—and compassion—of a man that inspired nearly everyone he met.

Norman E. Wallace

The way the 30-year-old Wallace lived and loved life had such a profound effect on those—like Onyero Onyeacholem, a second-year MBA student—who were close to him that she and seven fellow CWRU students set aside their grief less than a week after Wallace was killed in order to share a glimpse of the man they called classmate, friend and family.

"We can say so much about him, but you just can't do justice to how great he was," Onyeacholem said.

Appetite for life

The friends said a person couldn't help but be moved by Wallace's energy and in awe of his appetite for life experiences.

"He was so active, so outgoing. He would go to all the school events," said Darius Shah, also a second-year MBA student.

Wallace, who started in the Weatherhead School of Management MBA program in 2002 and was scheduled to graduate in 2004, was elected president of the Black MBA Student Association after serving as the first-year representative. He also was a member of the Finance and Investment Club and the Weatherhead E-Business Association, a club to promote student Internet business enterprises.

"He was always doing something. He was busy all the time," said Sumita Rai, also a member of the MBA class of 2004.

Wallace, a member of the Weatherhead Wine Society, which teaches the history, process and industry trends of winemaking, also loved to try new and exotic foods.

"It was a lot of fun to be with him. He was always trying new things," Shah said.

Kokil Agarwal, another second-year MBA student, recalled the first time Wallace tasted falafel, or deep-fried ground chick-peas. She said he enjoyed it so much that he ate falafel at nearly every meal for a whole week-and even wanted to serve it on Easter Sunday.

"He liked it so much we got him a gift certificate to the Falafel Cafe for his birthday," Rai said.

"But by then, he had started to tire of it and didn't want to eat it for a while," Agarwal said.

"But he still used that gift certificate," Nirali Sanghvi—another member of the MBA class of 2004—added with a smile.

Wallace's meals typically featured fast food before he and Satchin Goel, also a second-year MBA student, met. But then, with the help of Goel and other friends, Wallace extended his interest from Indian food to Indian cooking.

"He ended up gaining some weight," Goel laughed, adding that Wallace did enjoy jogging and playing basketball, so he didn't have too much trouble staying in shape.

Wallace's appetite for life went beyond food and drink. He seized the day during a recent class trip to New York City.

Agarwal said Wallace, who was so ultra-organized that he carried the largest planner she had ever seen, put that planner to good use when he showed up for the trip with a very comprehensive itinerary for the entire group.

"We got to see every part of New York-in addition to all the networking activities the school had scheduled-in three days," Shah laughed.

While sight-seeing in the Big Apple, Wallace would make the group stop every few minutes so he could snap pictures. He took a total of 450 photos in less than 72 hours.

photo by Mike Sands Flowers are placed outside the Peter B. Lewis Building in memory of Norman E. Wallace.

"And the prints were just beautiful," Sanghvi said. "He would have the sun setting in the background and the seagulls flying. They were just like a professional took them."

Always there

Wallace may have been able to take photos like a professional and map out nearly every minute of a class trip, but his friends said he still had a habit of being behind schedule.

"He'd always be late for everything, and he was always almost exactly 10 minutes late," Rai said with a smile.

But his friends still could always count on him coming through in the clutch.

"He was a procrastinator, but he still got everything done," Rai added.

On a day in late January, Goel recalled needing to be at the airport in time to catch a 5 p.m. flight to California. He had a class that day that did not end until around 3:15 p.m.

Goel said he was trying to decide whether to miss the seminar when Wallace, who was in that same session, volunteered to drive him to the airport after class and to make sure he got there on time.

"But then he was late to class, and I did worry," Goel said with a laugh. "But he was a friend you could always depend on. You always knew that he wouldn't let you down."

Lifelong learning

Wallace enjoyed life in the classroom almost as much as out, and he made the most of his MBA training. He received academic honors his first year in the program.

"It was easy to see Norman not only knew something about business, but he enjoyed it," said JosZ Antonio Rosa, CWRU assistant professor of marketing who teaches the marketing course required for the MBA. He noted that Wallace, with a brother, owned and operated a food distribution business in the Columbus area.

Rosa said students would gravitate toward Wallace because of his previous business experience and especially would seek his help on finance, accounting and statistics. Wallace, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, graduated from Youngstown State University with a bachelor's degree in finance.

"Norman had a charisma about him, a presence," Rosa said. "He had a face that communicated caring and invited people to interact with him."

Some of Wallace's classmates even called him "professor."

"He had a gift when teaching us," Onyeacholem said. "He could figure out things and explain them in a way that we could understand. He broke it down so well."

Even though Wallace may have had an edge over his classmates academically—he had a 4.0 grade point average—he was always looking to learn from them.

"He was so relaxed and easy going," Rai said. "He was so intelligent but never made you feel inferior."

"He was very collegial," Rosa said. "He liked his fellow students and was always willing to help other people understand. And he was always hoping to learn from them.

"I've been teaching for a long time and have developed a sense about people," Rosa continued. "I liked him from the first time I interacted with him for five minutes because I could tell he was always going to be learning—and was going to be good to others along the way. He was going to be successful in a way that helped others."

photo by Susan Griffith The CWRU community is joined by Norman E. Wallace's family and friends at a memorial service in Amasa Stone Chapel, where the Mt. Calvary Pentecostal Church youth choir sang tribute.

Helping hand

While working with his friends on homework, Wallace taught them a lot more than management.

"He was so reassuring," Sanghvi said. "A class project might be do in a couple of hours, and he would be getting the group together for the first time. But you knew with his help you would get done in time."

"He was the kind of person who shared everything, even his confidence," Agarwal added. "He was fun-loving and always very supportive."

And he was always willing to lend more than a helping hand. He was working on a community development project in Lorain County through his Weatherhead course work.

"He was someone with a kind, gentle spirit. He was selfless. He would always take the shirt off his back for someone if they needed it," Onyeacholem said.

"Sometimes I would get real stressed out and my confidence level would drop. I'd get really hard on myself," she added. "But he had a very reassuring spirit. He would always tell me there's no problem you can't handle in life. He instilled that spirit in me. He made me start believing in myself."

Wallace, who had seven brothers and three sisters of his own, showed his classmates care and compassion usually reserved for relatives.

"From the first day of orientation when he came up to me and just started talking, he's been like a big brother to me," Onyeacholem said.

Wallace would walk Onyeacholem to her car if she stayed at the Peter B. Lewis Building late to study. She said she could talk to him about everything, and he would offer her advice on anything.

He had an encouraging word for everyone, any time of day or night.

"One time, it was really early in the morning and I called him," Onyeacholem said. "I expected to get his answering machine and was just going to leave a message, but he answered the phone. I was so surprised. I asked him if he slept with his phone."

Onyeacholem said she had a conversation with Wallace a few days before the incident at the Lewis building, and they talked about his plans for the Black MBA Student Association. He spoke to her of community service and fund-raising for charitable organizations and collaboration with other student organizations—all reflective of the University's new vision.

"I feel that everything he talked about should be lived out through the association," Onyeacholem said. "We want to create some type of legacy."

Divine spirit

Wallace's uncle, Rick Watkins, made note of the "rainbow of colors"—more than 400 students, staff, faculty and friends—who gathered in Amasa Stone Chapel during a candlelight vigil in honor of his nephew.

"He had a very unique way of reaching out to other people, other cultures especially," Onyeacholem said. "He was always participating in things, always learning something new."

Wallace would touch people with his bright smile and joyous laugh.

"What really impressed me was how sincere and generous Norman was," said Scott Borgert, president of the Graduate Student Business Association, "and he had such a great sense of humor. I would always tease him about things because that's just how I am, and he would always laugh. I could never imagine him saying a bad thing about anyone."

"I'll miss his laugh and his smile. He had the funniest laugh and this big, huge smile he always had walking in the halls," said Beth Younger, a member of the MBA class of 2004.

Wallace's friends say they will miss much about him.

"It's him I'll miss. Not just one specific thing," Agarwal said.

"He was so caring and sincere," Rai added.

"He had a very divine, sweet spirit," Onyeacholem continued. "I'll miss having my older brother watching out for me."

"I will miss him a lot," Goel said.

The friends also said the world really won't be the same without him.

"He lived his life so fully. He had a lot going," Rai said. "He was ready to make his mark on the world."

"He really was destined for greatness," Onyeacholem added.

"Norman had a very strong faith and would want people to think of him in a better place," Rosa said. "We feel sorry for ourselves because we lost him, but he wouldn't want us to feel sorry for him because he is in a better place.

"He was a good man," Rosa continued. "Our world is a little bit less—it's been diminished—by his absence. Now it's up to us to fill the hole."

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