Ralph Galvan, III

Ralph Galvan III, 16, schoolboy, died attempting to save Debra J. Doughty, 14, from drowning, Corpus Christi, Texas, May 9, 1968. Following very heavy rain, a number of young people were swimming in water five feet deep which had accumulated in a gully leading to a drainage duct at the bottom of a retaining wall. Debra jumped from the wall into the water, which by then had begun to drain, creating suction on the narrow opening at the bottom of the wall. She was submerged. When she did not return to the surface, Ralph entered the water from the wall. His hand twice was seen briefly at the surface. Firemen and police arrived. By then the water depth had fallen to two feet. The bodies of Debra and Ralph were found against the drainage duct opening.