We didn't know Garrett Ryan Salter; that's probably a shame. We've probably covered him in football and baseball games, but we didn't know him as a person.
After the T.R. Miller High School graduate died in a single-vehicle crash last Wednesday just outside of Brewton we reached out to people who knew him.
There was a single theme: He had a big heart and a big smile and people liked to be around him. When we talked with David Jennings who coached him and coached against him in youth baseball Jennings said that while Salter's athletic ability was one reason coaches wanted him on their team, it was his attitude and discipline that coaches really wanted as an influence on the rest of the team.
Jennings and others talked about the smile that was always on Garrett's face, even if he had just struck out or made an error. But Jennings said Garrett used that attitude to help other players on the team who may have been in a batting slump or just committed a costly error.
“He was a great teammate,” Jennings said.
Salter died way too young at the age of 20 last Wednesday in a single-vehicle crash just north of Brewton. He was going to school at Reid State and working at T.R. Miller Mill Co., when he died in the 4:50 a.m. crash. As news spread, it hit people who Salter hard, but it also hit people hard who simply knew a young man had lost his life in a tragic accident.
It's obvious to us that Garrett touched the lives of a lot of people while growing up. But we also know the accident report received from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Garrett was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash that claimed his life.
The family has requested donations be sent in Garrett's memory for juvenile diabetes research at JDRF, 212 Eleventh Ave., South Suite 520, Birmingham, Ala., 35205 or at http://www.jdrf.org/alabama.
It's a great cause, but if you really want to honor the life of Garrett Salter, fasten your seatbelt. From what we heard about Garrett this week, he'd be proud and have a smile on his face if he helped save one life.
