Glenn Emery
Memorial
12-23-06
at
Old St. Andrews
by Wayne W. Wood
It is an honor for me to speak about Glenn Emery and to pay tribute to
his life.
Like most historians, Glenn spent much of his time studying and getting
to know people from the past, people who are no longer around.
Nonetheless, history is very much about life and the living of it. We
learn from the lives of others.
The more we study history, the more we realize that all of us as human
beings are moving through time. We are part of a great continuum. Our
lives are finite. Historians understand this better perhaps than anyone.
We also understand that history is not just about the generals and the
presidents, the heroes and the stars, nor is it only about the events
that shake the world. History is about people and their impact on the
place in which they live. Only a few people can actually change the
whole world. But history reminds us that bright and courageous people
who have the gifts to change a smaller world, that is, their own
community, often leave behind a legacy that effects people more
personally and just as memorably as the giants of nations.
Glenn Emory was such a man. He loved history with a great passion, and
he had the desire to help others understand and appreciate it. He knew
his stuff. He was wonderful resource. He devoted thousands of hours of
his life as a librarian, leading inquiring children as well as
dedicated scholars to the facts and meaning of history. He also spent
thousands of hours more disseminating his knowledge into cyberspace
through his website, “JacksonvilleStory.com”.
I’m sure most of you visited Glenn’s website. It was like traveling
through a vast network, starting out with simple menu of categories
about Jacksonville history, and then branching out and branching out
even more through hundreds of pages of photos and stories about our
city’s past. Even the most seasoned Jacksonville researcher could
always find something new and interesting that Glenn had dug up.
The website was a treasure trove for students writing research and term
papers on local history. There was information on nearly every topic
you could think of. Thousands of teachers and students used his website
as a resource. Glenn’s brother Scott told me that his niece in Orlando
used it extensively for a term paper she was writing, without even
realizing until later that this rich source of history was created by
her Uncle Glenn!
The website was much like an electronic version of the Jacksonville
Public Library’s Florida Collection, of which Glenn was once in charge.
It is a repository of information, which is of limited use without a
knowledgeable person such as Glenn to help retrieve its nuggets of
history. While researching each of the last three books that I helped
to write for the Jacksonville Historical Society, I would call Glenn on
a regular basis with morbidly arcane questions, for which he could
nearly always help me find the answer or point me toward the proper
resource.
Helping others was like a reflex for him, and his generosity with his
time and talent was amazing. He always went above and beyond the call
of duty.
Barely eight months ago, I stood here in this room one morning with
Glenn as he was preparing a slide show for the Jacksonville Historical
Society’s quarterly program later that evening. Only a few people are
selected to present these programs each year, and they are usually
prominent authors and scholars. You could tell Glenn was excited about
making the presentation but also a little nervous. His Powerpoint
presentation was one of the most elaborate I have ever seen, and he
practiced it over and over again until he had his timing down perfect.
The topic was highly unusual – it was about the giant ape King Kong and
his creator, moviemaker Merian C. Cooper, who grew up in Jacksonville
before going on to becoming one of Hollywood’s top directors. I had
just written an article about Merian C. Cooper, so I thought I knew a
lot about him. Glenn blew me away with all of the information he had
dug up on Cooper’s extraordinary life.
Frankly, I was a little worried that our sometimes staid membership
might not be too intrigued with Glenn’s scholarly discourse on the big
gorilla and Cooper’s exploits. Glenn’s Powerpoint program was quite
long, which also worried me a little, knowing how restless some of the
more elderly members of our group become after sitting on these wooden
seats for more than 45 minutes.
Well, let me tell you, Glenn had them eating out of his hand. This
self-professed shy librarian who didn’t think too highly of public
speaking gave one of the best Historical Society programs I have ever
witnessed! He made them laugh. He dazzled them with his animated
graphics. He mesmerized the audience with his story-telling about one
of the world’s greatest story-tellers.
Here in this 119-year-old church, one of Jacksonville’s most
magnificent historic buildings, Glenn Emery stood triumphant. The
applause reverberated throughout these walls.
Now Glenn was usually a quiet man, working hard behind the scenes, not
accustomed to the limelight. I remember thinking in that moment that I
hoped Glenn understood that everyone in the room was saying to
themselves, “What a treasure this man is!”
Now that he is gone, I often wish we could have thanked him more for
the gifts he gave to us. He was a kind and gentle and thoughtful
person. Remember also that he was a historian. Historians know full
well that people’s lives go on after death, recorded in the words of
books and pages, as well as in the memories of those who remain behind.
Let us keep him long in our memories.
One of Glenn’s legacies is his website, The Jacksonville Story. I am
pleased to announce that Glenn’s family and the Jacksonville Historical
Society have agreed to continue this website by returning The
Jacksonville Story to the Internet in early 2007, as a tribute to his
vision for spreading knowledge to everyone and as memorial to Glenn
Emery and his love of Jacksonville.
It is a beautiful irony that Glenn has now truly become part of history.
Glenn's Obituary:
Emery, Glenn Brian
Glenn Brian Emery, 44, passed away December 16, 2006. He was originally
from Ocala, and had resided in Jacksonville for the past fifteen years.
Glenn was a librarian for the Duval County Public Library. He was
preceded in death by his father, Robert S. Emery, Sr., and grandmother,
Clara Link. Survivors include his mother, Velma Emery; step-mother,
Carol Emery; two brothers and their wives, Rob Emery (Marsha) and Scott
Emery (Sue); nieces and nephews, Ryan, Becca, Chris, Kearstin, Jason,
Robbie and Christi. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m.
Saturday, December 23, 2006, at the Jacksonville Historical Society
(St. Andrews Church), 317 A. Philip Randolph Rd. In lieu of flowers,
memorial contributions may be made to the Big Brothers and Big Sisters
Organization, 3100 S. University Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32217.
Arrangements are by Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home, 4115 Hendricks Avenue.