ATHENS, Ala. — The family and friends of award-winning journalist Chauncy Glover laid him to rest in Athens on Nov. 16. Part of the celebration of his life at Lindsay Lane Baptist Church, many visitors to the service called him a monumental member of the Athens community.
A lifelong friend of Glover's, Krystle Johnson said, "I know people are coming from Columbus, Georgia, where his first news assignment was, all the way from Los Angeles." She said people came from around the country to celebrate Glover because he was one of those friends who sticks around through thick and thin.
"I could not get rid of him," Johnson said. "Met him in kindergarten, and we had a bond that never broke. We have a very, very tight childhood friend circle, and they'll be here today to celebrate our friend."
And one of Glover's teachers at East Limestone High School, Kaine Story said you couldn't help but to like him.
Story said, "As a student, he walked in with such a charisma that you couldn't deny; that he was going to be one of your favorites, whether you liked it or not."
And Glover carried that attitude with him after school, founding a non-profit organization to help the youth.
Krystle Johnson said, "I think Chauncy set the blueprint for our young men, in particular. I remember when he started the Chauncy Glover Project, which is very near to his heart. It was important for him to be the male figure that his dad was in his life."
The Chauncy Glover Project is a mentorship program for Black and Latino male youth, and member Jerry LeDoux, III, said Glover personally worked with him and showed him some important virtues.
"He sacrificed a lot, and he didn't expect anything in return," LeDoux said. "It was always genuine, from the heart. [He was] a positive spirit and a man of God. And just everything he did, he did it with intent."
LeDoux said more than that, Glover inspired him to pursue a broadcast journalism career of his own.
"Seeing how much we grew from the Chauncy Glover Project, even me not wanting to go to college my senior year of high school. Then, all of a sudden, going to college and him featuring that on a news story was something that means a lot," LeDoux said.
And that is a legacy worth celebrating.
