No one here at the Tri-City Ledger knew Curtis Roberson Glaize. We learned a lot about the young man this week as we talked to fellow classmates and others who knew the 24-year old graduate of T.R. Miller, who was killed in a single-vehicle crash early Sunday morning.
Last week we did talk about the importance of wearing a seatbelt while driving. We'll talk about it again and we will continue to talk about it. It's kind of like talking about fireworks safety around the the Fourth of July and New Year's Eve with the hope that someone pays attention and recognizes the dangers.
Glaize was apparently a great person. Everybody who knew him loved him and he loved everybody. He'd just recently got engaged and was going to serve as a groomsman at one of his Brewton friend's wedding. He had a new job teaching school and coaching football.
We talked to some of his friends and they tried to hold back tears as they talked about their relationship with Curtis. He always had a smile on his face and he always made other people happy.
A scholarship fund has been set up in Curtis' honor with donations being accepted at Brewton's First United Methodist Church at 820 Belleville, Ave., Brewton, Ala. 36426.
The people we talked to said Curtis always liked to help other people. This scholarship will help other people achieve their dreams.
We didn't get a lot of details about the wreck that claimed his life, but the one detail we saw was that he was not wearing a seatbelt when he crashed. Would it have helped? We don't know, but we'd like to think that he and his parents were now arguing over a totaled vehicle rather than the family planning a funeral.
If you really want to give a memorial in honor of Curtis Glaize, buckle your seatbelt.
From what we learned about Curtis over the past few days, that would be his greatest advice. He always looked out for others and you can pay tribute to him by buckling up.
