It’s Happened Before - Baldwin Co. HS Suicide

By Debbie Williams Reporter

It's happened before. Almost ten years ago a student committed suicide on a Baldwin County campus. It’s Happened Before - Baldwin Co. HS Suicide

Published: Thu, March 06, 2008 - 6:58 pm

Debbie Williams

Today's tragedy hits close to home for folks in Baldwin County. In April 1999, a Baldwin County High School senior took his own life on campus. One man remembers that day all too well because the student suicide happened right in front of him.
This has been a difficult day for Ricky Ford, "It made me feel like it was yesterday with the news today."
But it was almost nine years ago when Ford was athletic director at Baldwin County High School and there was a report of a student on campus with a gun.
He walked right by Ford on his way out of the cafeteria, "The child took his shirt off went into an open field and turned and faced us pulled the gun out of his pocket."
Ford was standing there when the teenager pulled the trigger, "I've tried to put this try not to think about it a whole lot it was tough time it was a tough time especially for our staff and our kids. We were fortunate that no kids witnessed it but still they knew what was going on."
What happened on campus so many years ago still haunts Ford but he got through it and he knows Davidson will get through it too. But he says it won't be easy. "I never talked about it never mentioned it it made me so emotional but that was the wrong thing to do talk to colleagues or someone close to you a counselor , preacher or somebody to try and get through cause it's going to be a tough time."
Ford says that memory will be with him forever and on days like today, he realizes how far he's come and knows how far Davidson has to go.