If you could not attend our event but would still like to Donate,
Dear Friends,
We would like to take this time to wish you all Happy Holidays and to share some information about an exceptional man, Lance Corporal Mike Glover, USMC. Mike was a loving member of his large and extended family who graduated near the top of his class as a A+ student at Xavier High School in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. He then went on to graduate from SUNY Albany with a 4.0 G.P.A. "Glover," as he was affectionately known to his countless friends, had decided to pursue a career in law and was enrolled at Pace University Law School. Inspired by the deathof his close friend, Charlie Heeran '96, as well as his numerous neighbors and members of the FDNY from his hometown of Rockaway Beach, NY who were killed in the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center, Mike joined the United States Marine Corps to fight for his countrymen.
Mike received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for conducting numerous rescue missions in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when he traveled ofhis own accord and expense to Louisiana to help those most effected. He volunteered to engage in combat duty in Iraq before he was ordered to do so by his superiors. Glover was always willing to put other people before himself, no matter what the circumstances. Lance Cpl. Mike Glover, USMC, was tragically Killed In Action while on patrol in Fallujah, Iraq on August 16, 2006. To help keep his memory alive, the Friends of Mike Glover have established a scholarship in his name to be awarded annually to a student at Xavier High School. Xavier has further recognized the exceptional sacrifice Mike has made as a true exemplification of Xavier's Jesuit Motto of "Men for Others," by creating the LCpl. Michael Glover '97 Medal, which will be awarded annually during graduation ceremonies to a Xavier senior that best defines Mike's selfless characteristics.
While we realize that the economic climate during this holiday season has changed drastically since last year, we ask you to please help us in our efforts to carry on Mike's honorable life and his love of Xavier High School by becoming a donor to the Lance Corporal MikeGlover '97 Scholarship Fund. We are currently soliciting donations of financial support as well as goods and services, which are TAX DEDUCTIBLE, for our FOURTH ANNUAL FUNDRAISER AND CHINESE AUCTION to be held at Xavier High School on Saturday, January 22, 2011. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DONATE. Thank you for your support.
Mike's Sister Liz Doherty Remembers Him:
My family and I would like to give a big thank you to the Friends of Mike Glover who have worked so hard to make tonight happen. I am also grateful to them for the opportunity to share how proud I am of my brother, Michael. Thank you to all who took the time to come here tonight and to those who have prayed with us & reached out since the loss of Mike. Most of you are here tonight, your support has been an enormous comfort.
It will never be okay that you are not here with us, but I read something that I intend to make true. “What man intends for evil, God will intend for good.” What took you from us will not become your legacy, our legacy. This here tonight is the essence of you. People with Love in their hearts wanting to do Good with a big dose of FUN. Good is happening here tonight, a night that you would have enjoyed immensely. I know you expect things to get a little ridiculous, I am sure you won’t be let down!
My brother’s years at Xavier were very special to him. It is here that he forged friendships that are so strong that these relationships have obviously transcended death. When I think of Mike’s time here what comes to mind are his friends. Reflecting on his many friendships my thoughts went to the beginning and wondered how did these young men he met when he was 15 stay so close to his heart till his very last day. I believe the answer lies here, at
I have a vivid memory of Mike sharing how much the Kairos Retreats Xavier had the students take throughout their four years meant to him. He shared how intensely they bonded over the couple of days they were away. What I remember most was how surprised he was when other students began to open up about the things they struggle with. Mike had his, like all adolescents, but when you are a teenager it isn’t common to have a safe place to discuss your weaknesses with your peers, Xavier provided that safe place. The bonds created were the beginning of a brotherhood for Michael. His realization that other’s had struggles I believe made such a difference for him and I am sure for the others. Looking back I think it allowed him to feel comfortable in his own skin. I also believe one of the results of those retreats was Mike’s ability to transform his weaknesses into the strongest part of himself. Michael’s respect of this Brotherhood amongst his peers and the strength he received from it is what helped him be such a good friend and (Xavier’s motto) a man for others.
That ability to transform his weaknesses into strengths enabled Michael to excel in his studies, be good to the people he loved, become a lifeguard when he couldn’t swim, quit a high paying job to pursue a life where he could figure out how he could best give back to our world, apply to law school and join the United States Marine Corps. You would never guess by your interactions with Mike how hard he worked for the things he wanted to achieve. When you spent time with him, he never used any of it to talk about himself, explain how much time it took to learn how to swim in order to pass the lifeguards test, how much time it took him to decide to leave his first job out of college while still uncertain of what path to take, or how much time he spent wondering if it would be ok to never serve his country. When you spent time with Mike, he focused on you. He was genuinely interested in what you were up to. I realized how little Mike spoke of himself after his obituary came out. It was incredible the amount of people who wondered aloud how they couldn’t believe that they didn’t know Mike graduated with honors from SUNY Albany, had an academic scholarship to Pace Law that paid half his tuition or went to
As I reflect on my brother’s actions over his lifetime I have noticed a common theme. The common theme being Michael was a protector and a big believer in justice. A protector of people who could not protect themselves. This theme also brings back memories of Michael’s younger years when a night out would occasionally result in an altercation. Asked why his night out ended in these shenanigans the usual response was “Lizzy my buddies were in trouble I had to back them up” or “Lizzy the jerk was disrespectful to a girl , can’t have that.” He never thought of his own welfare first or the consequences. He couldn’t stand a jerk and certainly couldn’t stand not letting the jerk know he was a jerk!
Michael’s love of his fellow man was evident when Hurricane Katrina hit
Our last phone call, 3 days before his death, we were talking as normally as we could. He was entertaining me with stories about him and his buddies, as he always had. His friends brought him such joy. Except now he could only tell what he was receiving from letters, stories without him in them. For the first time since Mike began his journey as a Marine I heard sadness. He said “Lizzy, I feel like life is just passing me by while I am here.” It startled me because he had always been so nonchalant about the sacrifices he had been making for the past 2 years, I had learned that the sacrifices begin a long time before a person in the military gets deployed, for the first time I realized he was suffering from being without us just as much as we were without him, so I did my best to comfort him, as he had been comforting me since he broke the news about his deployment. I said “Mike you will be home before you know it and jump right back into your life. It will be like no time has passed. You will finish school, get a job as an assistant DA and marry the love of your life & finally give my kids cousins!” “Give me five years Lizzy, just five years.”
I will always be heartbroken that Mike will never get the chance to jump right back into our lives, as he wanted to and how we needed him to. But my heart is healing knowing that we will not allow our lives go by without thanking, honoring and loving my dear brother Michael Dennis Glover.
Children are our message to a world we will never know. This scholarship in memory of Michael will ensure that the young men of Xavier & their families will benefit from knowing Michael and the way he lived his life, and especially how much he was loved and honored in return, loved & treasured even before he sacrificed so much for all.
As the Sons of Xavier will keep marching, As the United States Marine Corps will keep marching into harms way to uphold our Freedoms, we will keep marching, sharing the lessons Mike left us, with each other and especially with our children. If we do that, Michael’s goal of protecting all from that is evil in this world may one day be accomplished. Michael, your 28 years with us have forever changed our lives & will continue to change the lives of others.
Happy Birthday Mike, You are missed and loved.
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