The tragic deaths of 18-year-olds Matthew Lopez and P.J. Galvan
have hit our community hard.
The recent San Benito High School graduates were full of life
and very popular. They had their whole lives ahead of them until
the fatal accident off Fairview Road.
At each young man’s funeral, their lives were celebrated and no
doubt their spirit will always be alive in the hearts of their
family members and many friends.
The tragic deaths of 18-year-olds Matthew Lopez and P.J. Galvan have hit our community hard.
The recent San Benito High School graduates were full of life and very popular. They had their whole lives ahead of them until the fatal accident off Fairview Road.
At each young man’s funeral, their lives were celebrated and no doubt their spirit will always be alive in the hearts of their family members and many friends.
But their memory will also help save future lives, especially thanks to two San Benito High School administrators.
Athletic Director Randy Logue and athletic trainer Dave Tari have moved quickly to institute a program where athletes at SBHS will receive anti-drug and anti-alcohol training.
Student athletes in winter sports will be up first and the sooner the better.
Superintendent Jean Burns Slater has offered her full support and we expect the program Logue and Tari are putting together will be quickly approved, even if there are a few logistics to work out along the way.
So many times we sincerely mourn these tragic deaths and then go back to our busy day-to-day lives and jobs without taking further action.
This time, our most precious resource, our young people, need to have as much serious teaching as possible to combat the deadly combination of drugs, drinking and driving.
Athletes are by design potential role models across high school campuses. With the proud athletic tradition at SBHS and the large number of students who attend our main high school, this is a good place to hammer home the truth about such abuse.
Before long, spring and graduation will be upon us and more high school students will be tempted to drink or use drugs and drive.
It isn’t too early to start planning true sober graduation festivities.
We salute Randy Logue, Dave Tari, Jean Burns Slater and everyone at San Benito High School who decided today is the day to add more muscle to the message that drinking and using drugs and driving can end lives in a few horrific seconds.
We hope the message through the student athletes quickly spreads to all corners of the SBHS campus.
If it saves even one young life, the deaths of Matthew Lopez and P.J. Galvan will not have been in vain.
