‘SUCH A POSITIVE GUY’
Western Tech mourns beloved teacher and coach,
Less than two weeks after their head coach died of injuries from a terrible cycling accident, the Western Tech Colts football team paid tribute to him at centre field following their season opener Wednesday afternoon.
It was a tough 32-20 loss at Downsview Secondary School, but that they played at all was a victory for a team so recently shattered by the loss of coach Peter Cram, 29, described by many as a friend and father figure, on and off the field.
“It’s just not the same without him,” said Jamel Crooks, 18, a running back at Western Technical-Commercial School. “He was just one of those guys . . . always smiling.” Cram was cycling home from a Toronto International Film Festival event around 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 when he fell just blocks from his Parkdale apartment.
It’s unclear how he came off his bike, but passersby soon found him lying near the corner of Queen and Dufferin Sts., unconscious and bleeding from his head. He was not wearing a helmet.
He was rushed to St. Michael’s Hospital and spent two weeks in a coma with serious head injuries. His parents, Dave and Ann, drove to Toronto from Port Lambton, south of Sarnia, to keep a vigil by his side. On Sept. 21, exactly two weeks after the accident, Cram passed away.
“It was our worst nightmare . . . words just don’t help to describe it,” said Cram’s father, recalling the phone call from police the night of the accident that would turn their lives upside down.
As police continue to search for eyewitnesses, many of Cram’s friends, relatives and students are trying to find ways to cope with the loss.
Just over a month ago, Cram and his only sibling, Alec, 33, had gathered at the family home in Port Lambton for their annual end-of-summer salsa-making event. Using fresh vegetables from the garden, they made 48 pints.
“They were each other’s best friends,” said Dave Cram.
Jim Costello, the former principal at Wallaceburg District Secondary School, which Cram attended, said he was known in his high school days for his leadership and charisma, traits that helped earn him the position of student council prime minister in his final year.
“It’s unusual to find that in somebody so young,” said Costello. “Peo- ple just gravitated toward him . . . he was such a positive guy, an absolute joy to be around.” After high school, Cram completed an undergraduate degree in English with a history minor at Wilfrid Laurier University. He then decided to follow in his mother’s footsteps and enrol at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. “He always wanted to do something he was passionate about,” said Dave. “And he and his mom were very similar when it came to teaching. They were born teachers. It was their natural path.” About four years ago, Cram landed a position at Western Tech. It was there, as a teacher, librarian and head football coach, that he found his niche. “It was the passionate experience he was looking for,” said Dave. “He just loved going to school every day.” And students loved him. Crooks said Cram, his math teacher and football coach, debated with him over NBA teams — Crooks is a diehard Boston Celtics fan and his teacher was a New York Knicks fan. Daniel Olebode, a Grade 12 linebacker, described the news of Cram’s death as devastating. “He was the only one who believed in me when the other (coaches) ignored me,” said Olebode. “He was a father figure to me . . . it’s tough knowing that he’s gone.” After their game Wednesday, both the Colts and the Downsview Mustangs gathered on one knee at centre field for a moment of silence before raising their helmets in honour of Cram.
“It’s been difficult for the kids,” said Cram’s fellow coach Mukul Jalhan. “We’re missing an integral part of the team.”