Proud mother picks up posthumous award for son killed in bike crash
It was a touching and emotional moment at this years' second annual National Training Board's Merit Awards when the mother of one of the recipients accepted a prestigious award on behalf of her son who was killed in a motorcycle accident in May this year.
Ronnelle Simons accepted the Honourable C. Eugene Cox Apprentice Excellence Award on behalf of her son, Ronald Eugene Christopher who was killed on May 16 when his motorcycle collided with a truck at Zuill's Park Road in Smith's.
The 27-year-old was posthumously chosen to receive the award in recognition of his outstanding electrical technical studies achievement and excellence in personal conduct.
A proud Mrs. Simons said it had always been her son's dream to be an electrician like his father, who died when Eugene was only seven years old.
The former Berkeley student worked to put himself through college and graduated from Drake Technical Institute in Alabama five years ago.
He was taking courses at the College while working as an apprentice for Universal Electric Ltd.
The general manager of Universal Electric, Ray Beaulne said yesterday that Eugene first worked for the company as a summer student in the 1990s and the company happily sponsored him to attend Drake Technical Institute.
"When he came back in 2001 he started working with us full time, but was still willing to go through the formal apprenticeship programme," he said.
Mr. Beaulne described Eugene as a wonderful young man with big dreams and while working at the company became known as the "go-to-guy" for his efficiency.
"He had a lot of potential and was well on his way to peaking and could have been a very successful individual in the business if he had not been killed," he added.
He added that he could not think of a single person more deserving of the Honourable C. Eugene Cox Apprentice Excellence Award than Mr. Christopher.
The award is presented in memory of late Finance Minister Eugene Cox, a former electrical apprentice and career electrical engineer and administrator who died last year.
