Monticello Live

To Reginald Glover, the University of Arkansas at Monticello – and Arkansas A&M before it – have always seemed like part of his extended family.

Glover, a retired banking executive, long-time volunteer fund-raiser and all-around booster for the university, is UAM’s 50th Distinguished Alumnus. Glover will be honored during commencement exercises this Friday at Steelman Fieldhouse.

“I can’t begin to tell you how much this means to me,” said Glover. “I love this university and attribute most of the success I’ve had in life to this place. When I went to school here in the 1950s, we were like a family. We borrowed clothes from each other, like a brother or sister would. Very few of us had automobiles so we lived and stayed on campus. You knew everyone and everyone knew you.”

Glover received a bachelor of science in business administration degree from Arkansas A&M in 1955 and after two years in the military began his professional career with the Bemis Bag Company of Crossett. He later became office manager for Textile Paper Products of Crossett before becoming business manager for Ryburn Motor Company of Monticello.

In 1967, he accepted a position as vice president and general manager of Ryburn Ford of Jonesboro before returning to Monticello in 1968 as a vice president and director of Commercial Bank. From 1976 to 1979 he served as president and director of First State Bank of Crossett before returning to Commercial Bank as president, a post he held until 1999. Glover retired from Commercial Bank in 2009.

“I can think of no one more deserving of the 50th Distinguished Alumnus Award than Reginald Glover,” said UAM Chancellor Jack Lassiter. “He has been a loyal supporter of the university, serving as an unpaid volunteer in the Office of Advancement as well as on numerous boards and committees connected with the institution. He has been instrumental in raising private funds for various campus projects, including the Indoor Practice Facility and the annex to the School of Forest Resources. The university, and southeast Arkansas, owe Reginald Glover a debt of gratitude for all he has done for this institution, for the city of Monticello and for the region.”

Glover was previously honored by UAM as the sixth recipient of the university’s Alumni Award for Achievement and Merit as well as the Continuing the Connection Award, presented to the person who best keeps alive the connection between UAM and Arkansas A&M. He was the third recipient of the UAM Spirit Award, is a past chair of the UAM Foundation Fund, and helped create the UAM Sports Association, a private fund-raising organization for intercollegiate athletics. He also helped found the UAM Sports Hall of Fame and served as vice chair of the UAM Board of Visitors.

Glover is a former Drew County Man of the Year, Outstanding Volunteer for Economic Development for the Fourth Congressional District, and the Distinguished Citizen of the Year for the City of Monticello. He is also a past president of the Drew County Chamber of Commerce and the Monticello Industrial Development Corporation (now Commission). Glover is also a member and vice chairman of the Southeast Arkansas Intermodal Facility Authority, a member of the advisory board of the Arkansas Good Roads Transportation Council, and a member of the board of the Southeast Arkansas Cornerstone Coalition.

 

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2012 at 7:22 am and is filed under UAM News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.