Alvin Halbur, 12, farm boy near Halbur, drowned Tuesday, August 30, when he and a group of St. Augustine grade school boys attempted to launch a row boat in Swan Lake near Carroll, during an outing.

Deputies said Alvin stepped into a deep hole in the weed-filled lake and disappeared. A search party recovered his body with dragging equipment about two hours later.

Jerome Heinrichs, 10, also of Halbur, attempted to find Alvin, who couldn't swim, and almost drowned when he developed a cramp. George Davidson, Los Angeles, California, who was fishing nearby, pulled Jerome out.

Alvin is survived by his father, William, three brothers, and one sister.