Parents trust them to safely transport their children to and from school and now First Student bus drivers and monitors who have passed away will be honoured in a Memorial Garden. It was unveiled during the company barbecue June 23 at the First Student St. Thomas office on Gaylord Road.
Kevin Murray, branch manager at First Student in St. Thomas explains the concept behind the garden.
Each individual is recognized on a personalized black granite marker in a grassy area at the office entrance.
While the job entails tremendous responsibility, social interaction between school bus runs is also important to the drivers and monitors. That was the rationale behind the unveiling of the Memorial Garden. Murray was assisted in the unveiling by the family of Wilson Faulkner a popular driver who passed away in 2018.
Murray adds the driving force behind the Memorial Garden is Will Alden, long associated with Royal Canadian Legion – Lord Elgin Branch 41 in St. Thomas.
It’s an idea Murray hopes catches on at First Student branches across North America.
The plan is to make this a permanent memorial with the black granite markers affixed to a concrete base.
