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Proud dad an angel for another
2 families celebrate Fathers Day months after house fire rescue
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Harold Johnson Jr. was rescued Nov. 21 by Tray Ross, 20, from fire that destroyed Johnson’s house on Purina Drive in Gainesville. - photo by Scott Rogers | The Times
The most important lesson Tray Ross said he learned about fatherhood from his own father was this: “Anybody can be a daddy, but only a real man can be a father.”To him that means being a provider, a protector and someone who is there when his child needs him.Ross, 20, is best known in Hall County for rushing into a smoke-filled, burning house last November and pulling out Harold Johnson Jr., a 76-year-old blind man who was trapped in the kitchen of his burning home. Both men were taken to the hospital and treated for smoke-related injuries.Officials say Ross saved Johnson’s life.“We’re truly blessed,” said Johnson’s daughter, Janet Williams, days after the rescue. “There is a God, and Tray was an angel.”Despite Ross’ reputation and his dreams of becoming a professional firefighter, his No.