Deborah Richardson couldn’t look at her nephews when she walked up to 504 Broadway Saturday afternoon.
The boys, David and Dorian Rorex Jr., wore their shirts with “ROREX” prominently on the back and “Our Dads (sic) Life Mattered/ EOW 1-5-98.”
More Top Picks Best Waterproof Shoes With Arch Support
As they approached Broadway drivers asking them to sign the petition for the city to honor their late father, former Gary Police Department Det. Dorian Rorex Sr., she teared up.
“These young men always keeping their dad in their hearts …” Richardson said before tearing up again. “I couldn’t even speak to them.”
David, 18, and Dorian, 17, combined the petition drive with a food drive to benefit Catholic Charities. On Tuesday, they will present the food they collected to the organization.
But while collecting food is important — the boys enjoy doing charity work, their mom, Linda Carrillo, said — getting their dad memorialized by the city is their big goal before David heads off to the University of Southern Indiana.
They even have the corner all picked out: Ninth Avenue and Gerry Street.
“Their dad was from Tolleston, and I’m from Ambridge, but we both went to West Side (High School),” Carrillo said. “And even though I hope the boys come back here when their done with school, they might not, so it’ll be nice for them (to have something) to come back to.”
The boys don’t remember much at all about Dorian Sr., who was killed in the line of duty in pursuit of a drug suspect in 1998. David was only 10 months old, and Carrillo was still pregnant with Dorian Jr.
“We were preparing for David’s first birthday. Dorian was going to dress up as Barney because David loved Barney so much,” Carrillo said. “And I was on dispatch when the call came in.”
But they hear the stories and are so inspired by their dad that they’ve often considered following in his footsteps into law enforcement.
“I tell my mom I’m going to do it, but she’s all, ‘Nah,’ ” Dorian said. “I’ll probably be an electrician instead.”
Carrillo said they’ve talked to Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson about renaming Ninth and Gerry in Rorex Sr.’s honor, and they feel she is receptive to the idea. She said the mayor would help fast-track the petition once the signatures are gathered.
The Rorex boys will continue the petition drive at Fourth and Broadway in the next few weeks.
Quinn is a freelance reporter.