Farewell to My Professional Mentor and Hero
Note: This is not one of my routine Great Blue Heron photo essays. View it as my brief tribute to a man who will live within me through the years remaining.
Dr. Glenn O. Workman, a lifetime professional mentor, and hero, reunited with his forever sweetheart Shirley along a spring wildflower-lined woodland trail two nights ago. Friends and family will memorialize Doc on October 16, 2024, in his hometown of Keyser, WV on what would have been his 95th birthday.
I won’t repeat the tale of our 55-year relationship. Instead, I refer you to my 2018 Great Blue Heron Post: https://stevejonesgbh.com/2017/11/28/sowing-seeds-tomorrow/
Judy and I helped establish a forestry scholarship in his name at Allegany College of Maryland in 2014. Here we are with the 2019 scholarship awardee.
My respect, appreciation, and admiration for Doc strengthened across the years. Somehow, I began to realize that he shared the sentiment, often telling others that I was one of his top two students…ever. I’ll take that feeling of satisfaction and reward to my own endpoint.
Currently co-teaching an OLLI course on great conservationists, I am preparing a lecture on Aldo Leopold, my personal favorite American conservation exemplar. I learned that Mr. Leopold graduated in the first cohort of students at the Yale Forestry School, founded in 1900 by Gifford Pinchot, another conservation great. Ironically, I entered Allegany Community College’s new two-year forestry program in 1969 with the first class Doc recruited. Doc faithfully tracked and cheered me as I secured my forestry BS, established a career foundation in the forest products industry, secured a forestry PhD, and then served across 30+ years at nine universities.
Gifford Pinchot opened a gateway for Aldo Leopold in the same way that Doc opened a door for me. Although I do not claim Aldo Leopold status, I do acclaim Gifford Pinchot-level reverence for Doc. At age 91, he still offered a smile from a forest edge seat, fueled by a mug of coffee and a warm blanket. Emanating from his aging frame, I could still sense the young forestry professor who tirelssly spirited us on field trips.
Doc epitomized an essential truth, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Doc cared. He believed in me, and that made me far better.
I will never forget this fine gentleman. He altered my course. Perhaps some day we will once again search the vernal forests for spring ephemeral wildflowers, somewhere on the far side of a central Appalachian ridge.
Here is an abbreviated form of Doc’s obituary:
Cresaptown, MD – Dr. Glenn Orrick Workman, Jr., 94, of Cresaptown, passed away peacefully at his home with his children and family members by his side.
Born on October 16, 1929, in Keyser, WV, he was the only son of the late Glenn Orrick Workman, Sr. and Mildred Martha (Barnard) Workman. He is also preceded in death by his wife Shirley Y. (Mills) Workman.
Dr. Glenn O. Workman, Jr. graduated Keyser High School in 1947. A Bronze Palm Eagle Scout, he went on to earn an AA degree at Potomac State College and his BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Biology at West Virginia University. in the field of Biology. Other academic awards and accomplishments include:
Science Department Chair, ACM, 1968-92
Founder & chair, ACM Forestry Department, 1970-92
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Allegany College of Maryland, “Glenn O. Workman Forestry Scholarship Fund.” The fund was initiated in his honor as a co-founder of the College’s Forestry Program. Memorial donations may be made to the Dr. Glenn O. Workman, Jr. Memorial Scholarship, Allegany College of Maryland Foundation, 12401 Willowbrook Road, Cumberland, MD 21502.
