Wallace Dean Foote died attempting to save Michael R. Higgins from drowning, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, June 4, 1973. While standing in a backwater pool at the end of a dam in the Arkansas River, Michael, 9, lost his footing and was carried toward the river’s mainstream by a strong current. Foote, 25, schoolteacher, who was standing nearby with Michael’s father, also lost his footing as he grasped Michael. The father lunged toward his son. With Foote and the father holding Michael, all three were carried to a submerged wall at the end of the dam. Foote and the father managed to get onto the wall with Michael but had difficulty retaining their positions because of the stronger current there. Foote lost his hold on Michael and was swept into the boil of water below the dam. The father also lost his hold on Michael, who likewise was swept into the turbulent area. Foote and Michael drowned. Others later aided the father to safety.
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