KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Deputy Elijah Ming’s former high school principal says his character and integrity stood the test of time.
“There's that big, inviting smile that he always had,” said Douglas Bolden, principal at F.L. Schlagle High School from 1997 to 2010.
Ming graduated in 2009, one of the last classes Bolden had before leaving Schlagle.
“That was a good class,” he said.
Bolden said Ming’s smile was something he could recognize anywhere — in a yearbook and in an announcement about his passing.
“When they finally revealed the name and the picture, I had to take a seat,” Bolden said. “I said, ‘I don't believe this.’”
Deputy Ming died Saturday responding to a domestic dispute.
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Ming was on the scene to ensure a woman could move out of a home safely.
“If you know anything about his character, the last thing he would want to do is hurt somebody,” Bolden said.
Ming was just 34 when he died.
Even as a teenager, Ming left an impression on Bolden.
“I would definitely put Elijah in my Mount Rushmore of students,” Bolden said. “He inspired me.”
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Bolden says Ming’s character stayed consistent with age.
“Willing to give of himself, as he did that day,” Bolden said. “He knew what the circumstances were, and yet he forged on.”
But there’s a particular memory that stands the test of time.
“We’d just talk about all things. If you wouldn’t believe it, for a young man his age, we’d talk about his faith and about God,” Bolden said. “And that impressed me because when you’re at that age, you don’t think a kid would really be thinking so conscientiously about his faith. I found even more solace knowing that he was with God, 'cause I knew of his faith.”
Even as a student, Ming taught Bolden some of life’s greatest lessons.
“Try to live a life of integrity the way that Elijah did because he certainly set a standard,” Bolden said. “He'll be one of those guys that we'll talk about for a very long time.”
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KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
