Father creates scholarship to honor his son's memory

A Kings Mountain man is honoring his son's memory with a scholarship.

Ryan Jackson died in 2020 at the age of 21.

The young man from Kings Mountain was born in Gaston County and working in Texas at the time of his death.

Jackson graduated from the lineworkers academy at Cleveland Community College in 2017 and was tragically killed in an on-the-job accident.

His father, Joe Jackson, has since established the Ryan Jackson Electrical Lineworker Academy Annual Scholarship Fund to benefit students in Cleveland Community College’s Electrical Lineworker Academy.

The scholarship will be awarded annually to help an Electrical Lineworker Academy student pay for registration, books, supplies or fees.

On Friday, June 7, during the graduation ceremony for the spring Electrical Lineworker and Heavy Equipment Operator academies, the first Ryan Jackson Electrical Lineworker Academy Annual Scholarship was presented to Alexander Bohay. This is the first scholarship of its kind at CCC to benefit a short-term job training academy.

Joe Jackson said he hopes his gift will encourage other donors to support these high-demand, short-term training programs by creating other scholarships.

According to his obituary, Ryan Jackson was employed with Primoris T & D and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed doing anything that kept him outside.

“He will be missed dearly by his family and many friends,” the obituary said.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Father creates scholarship to honor his son's memory