Fremd grad killed in motorcycle crash
A 21-year-old Naval Midshipman from Palatine has been killed in a motorcycle crash in Maryland.
Tony Valliere, who was attending the Naval Academy in Annapolis and hoped eventually to become a Marine, died Saturday afternoon about 50 miles from the school.
According to Maryland State Police, Valliere was riding fast on a 1993 Yamaha motorcycle in Gaithersburg.
He lost control of the bike and it struck a concrete barrier wall as it was exiting the highway. Valliere was thrown from the motorcycle and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities say.
"He had everything going for him. He was doing everything right," said Jimmy Critchfield, a friend from Fremd High School.
The two were in the marching band drum line together at Fremd, from which Valliere graduated in 2005. While there, he also competed in football, baseball and gymnastics.
"Tony was a very gifted young man," said his father, Claude. "He was intelligent and one of the top academic students at Fremd."
He had completed two years at the Naval Academy and had two more to go, hoping eventually to become a Marine Corps infantry officer, his father said.
Claude Valliere is a captain in the Navy Reserve who was on active duty during Tony's childhood.
"All he ever wanted to do all of his life was to be in the military and serve his country," Claude said of his son. "He was the kind of kid that everyone dreamed they could be."
Up through high school, Tony Valliere stayed active as an Eagle Scout, always lending a hand to others in need.
His father recalled one time he was driving downstate on a Boy Scout trip. He was running late to the event and, while en route, noticed a motorist broken down on the side of the road.
"Tony pulled over and helped him, to the point of bringing the guy back to his house," his dad said.
His parents said they didn't know where he was going on his motorcycle last weekend.
The family moved to Palatine in 2001 from New York. Funeral arrangements are pending.
"He would never pass up an opportunity to give you a good hug," said his mom, Pamela. "He had a great, infectious spirit."