SENATE RESOLUTION EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF ASHBEL TINGLEY WALL, II

S2008

2026 -- S 2008
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LC003672
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N
EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF ASHBEL TINGLEY WALL, II

Introduced By:
Senators LaMountain, Lawson, Felag, de la Cruz, Euer, Patalano,
Tikoian, Quezada, Sosnowski, and DiPalma

Date Introduced:
January 08, 2026

Referred To:
Recommended for Immediate Consideration
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WHEREAS, It is with deep sadness that this Senate has learned of the passing of Ashbel
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Tingley Wall, II, better known to all as A.T. Wall, the long-time distinguished Director of the
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Rhode Island Department of Corrections. He was the beloved husband of Maria DeCarvalho for
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44 years; and
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WHEREAS, A.T. Wall was born on a United States Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan, in
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1953, where his father, John Wall, served as a Naval Officer during the Korean Conflict. Upon
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his father and mother Mary Wall's return to Providence, A.T. Wall attended the Gordon School,
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Moses Brown School and Phillips Exeter Academy. He later attended Yale University, where he
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graduated summa cum laude, before attending and graduating from Yale Law School; and
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WHEREAS, The summer after his sophomore year at Yale, Mr. Wall participated in a
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Study of the City internship in New Haven that introduced him to the juvenile justice system. Mr.
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Wall was mesmerized by many important issues present in the cases he handled, and this
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awakening led him to accept a position in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office after
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graduating law school. Mr. Wall later served as the Director of the Manhattan Community
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Service Sentencing Project, a program that provided job training as an alternative to incarceration
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for non-violent repeat offenders; and
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WHEREAS, Mr. Wall returned to Rhode Island in 1985, and after a short stint as a policy
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advisor in the Governor’s office, he began his distinguished public service career with the Rhode
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Island Department of Corrections, where he served with distinction and abiding integrity for more
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than three decades, including nearly two decades as Director. Upon his retirement, Mr. Wall was

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the longest-serving Corrections Director in the United States; and
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WHEREAS, As Director, Mr. Wall was an innovator who emphasized improving inmate
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health, education and rehabilitation, by supporting ex-offenders' reentry into civilian life. Under
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Director Wall’s direction, he initiated a nation-leading medication-assisted treatment program for
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inmates fighting addiction and substance abuse disorders. Another one of Director Wall’s
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initiatives was a program in which inmates, under the supervision of correctional officers, would
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train service dogs who would then be placed with injured military veterans and other disabled
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people to provide companionship and support. One of Director Wall’s most gratifying
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experiences was when he helped a young ex-offender to gain admission to Yale Law School; and
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WHEREAS, As a testament to A.T. Wall’s effective leadership as the Director of the
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Rhode Island Department of Corrections for nearly two decades, there were no homicides in his
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facilities, nor were there any successful escapes. Additionally, there were no efforts by the federal
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courts to intervene in the department’s operations or policies. In recognition of his vast expertise
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and experience within the corrections community, Mr. Wall was asked by the Civil Rights
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Division to evaluate confinement conditions in correctional facilities across the United States and
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was asked to testify before the United States Congress about the Prison Rape Elimination Act.
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Mr. Wall also took part in strategic conversations at the White House; and
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WHEREAS, In his free time, Mr. Wall enjoyed listening to Top 40 music, hiking in the
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White Mountains, and taking care of his beloved Labrador Retrievers, Chum and Charlie. Mr.
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Wall was a devoted family man who, despite his taxing professional career, always found time to
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have dinner at home with his family, to attend school concerts, plays, and sporting events, as well
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as spending quality time with his family on vacations; and
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WHEREAS, A.T. Wall was also a man of deep faith and compassion for his fellow man.
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He was a lifelong Episcopalian and his faith guided him and energized him as he navigated both
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his family life and professional career; and
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WHEREAS, In addition to his wife, Maria DeCarvalho, Mr. Wall leaves behind his
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children, Harrison Holley Wall, Ashbel Tingley Wall, III, as well as his son-in-law, Robert Jones,
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his daughter-in-law, Adrienne Healey, his grandchildren, Holley Jones and Alton Healey-Wall,
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and his sister, Mary Brooks “Polly” Wall. Mr. Wall also leaves behind his nieces and nephew,
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Mary Coe and her husband, Thomas Kuhn, Livy Coe, and Annie Daly and her husband, Jon
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Gentry, and Will Daly, as well as brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Mel and Carol DeCarvalho;
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now, therefore be it
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RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby expresses its deepest
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condolences to the Wall Family on the passing of Ashbel Tingley Wall, II; and be it further

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