Phil Wallace conducted his last choral concert at West High School much as he led other performances throughout his 30 years of teaching. He introduced acts, accompanied soloists at the piano, directed choirs and even raised and lowered the curtain when the backstage crew didn't get there fast enough.

The program last Monday took an unannounced turn, however, that brought tears to his eyes. First, West senior Lillian Moore declared that she would sing Hero "because Mr. Wallace is truly my hero." Then, Columbus Police Officer Brent Snyder, assigned to the school since 1999, serenaded Wallace with Find Your Wings. Finally, more than 100 alumni from West and from Walnut Ridge High School, where Wallace previously taught, sneaked onto the stage with the students for a heartfelt gospel version of You'll Never Walk Alone. Their beloved teacher, 52, is retiring at the end of the school year.

"I feel loved," Wallace said as he looked at his present and former students. "Because I've known you, my life has been blessed. I couldn't ask for a better family and better models for my own kids."

The combined choir was conducted by Jerry Maxwell, the principal and music director of Northside Christian School in Westerville, and another former vocal director at Walnut Ridge.

"We've had some rehearsals behind your back," Maxwell said to Wallace. "Congratulations on 30 years of teaching, and we wish you God's blessing."

Wallace has taught at West, his alma mater, since 1994. Before then, he directed vocal music from 1977 to '93 at Walnut Ridge. He grew up on the Hilltop, a working-class neighborhood dense with trees and houses on the West Side. He graduated from Judson College in Elgin, Ill.; then from the Ohio State University School of Music with a master's degree in 1976. In addition to teaching, he has served as music director of the Vaud-Villities variety show. And he composed the song There'll Always Be a Christmas, written in 1990 before the start of the Persian Gulf War.

Wallace has been honored by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra with a Music Educator Award and by The Dispatch with an Advancement of Culture Award. He still lives on the West Side with his wife, Jeri, and their two daughters, Lindsay and Laura.

"Phil Wallace was a huge inspiration to me," said Jay Walls, a 1985 Walnut Ridge graduate. "Because of his example as a teacher, I was inspired to go into the field so that I could inspire other people the way he has done." Walls, who flew in from Texas for the concert, is working on a doctorate in music composition at the University of North Texas in Denton. Fellow educators credit Wallace with building a musical dynasty at Walnut Ridge and with reviving a struggling program at West.

According to West band director Mark Sampson, Wallace has always had time for individual students -- such as Jonathan Strong, a West senior who in the fall will attend the OSU School of Music on a scholarship. Wallace encouraged the young man to take piano lessons, some of which the teacher paid for. After two years of instruction, Strong played Chopin's Waltz in C-sharp Minor, Op. 64, No. 2 -- found on the programs of professional pianists -- at the school concert.

Wallace "loves each and every student with no conditions," Sampson said. After three decades in education, Wallace plans to "catch his breath for a while," he said. He will keep his position as music director at Reynoldsburg United Methodist Church and maintain his voice studio. He also expects to "polish my skills in composition" and devote time to his hobbies -- golf and fly-fishing.

Meanwhile, Sampson said, West has hired a new vocal-music teacher. "Those are big shoes to fill."