In November 2011, a young Gainesville man saved the life of a man caught in a fire. And his good deed has now changed his life.
Tray Ross worked at a chicken plant in Gainesville. He was on break, standing outside, when he noticed the home across the street was on fire. He rushed in and rescued a 76-year-old blind man.
“It’s just something I done that I didn’t intend to do,” said Ross. “And, you know, getting this award is just a blessing.”
That award is the Carnegie Medal which is given by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission for saving the life of another at great risk to one’s own. Ross is one of 22 Carnegie Medal recipients in the United States and Canada named this week.An audio version of this story
The medal comes with a cash award. Ross says he will use the money to fix up the house he recently bought for his young family. But he may not have time to spend the award now, because he is busy training to become a Hall County firefighter.
Ross says, after the fire, people heard about his wish to become a professional firefighter. He had put that wish on hold to work at the chicken plant to support his wife and a baby, then on the way.
He says Hall County helped him get his GED in order to become eligible to apply for firefighter training. “And now that I’ve actually pursued this opportunity that they have gave me and putting 100% into it and I’m actually here, for me it’s crazy. It’s awesome.”
Fire Captain Skip Heflin, Ross’s training supervisor, says Ross is doing well in his classes. “He’s got great heart for doing this and strong desire to do it and do it well. And it shows.”
Heflin says it is also typical of Ross that he did not tell anyone at work he had won a national award.
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