Our congregation honors Glenn Short, who cared so deeply for our church.

Glenn was born in Rochester, New York on August 8, 1924. He was the son of Ralph Bishop Short and Minnie Pauline Berner. He was preceded in death by his wife Carmen Cobena.

Glenn was an undergraduate at the University of Missouri and received his master’s degree in Journalism from UCLA. He served honorably in World War II both in the United States and New Guinea where he was severely injured, requiring extensive reconstructive surgery upon his return to the United States.

Glenn moved with his wife Carmen to Venezuela following his education at UCLA. While there he taught English, worked as the sports editor of the Caracas Daily Journal, and spent many years as a writer with Creole Petroleum, a division of Standard Oil of New Jersey. His final professional position was Publicity Director for the United States Chamber of Commerce, traveling extensively throughout South America.
Carmen and Glenn retired in Florida.

Following Carmen’s death in 2002 Glenn resettled in Charlottesville. He then traveled overseas several times as a volunteer with a group to physically build outdoor ovens for villagers who had developed life threatening health issues from cooking over open pits in their non-ventilated homes. Glenn became an avid defender of the environment and, in 2011, was awarded the Eco-Hero Award by his church, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church Unitarian Universalist, and the Unitarian Universalist Association. He became a valued member of the Senior Center Drama Group and wrote and published a very entertaining memoir about his and Carmen’s extensive world travels. Glenn also discovered a talent for singing which he put to work by regularly performing with a pianist friend for over 14 years at many of the nursing homes throughout Charlottesville.

Glenn R. Short passed away here in Charlottesville on Saturday, September 1, 2018 at the age of 94 years old.

In his will Glenn left $287,150.00 to our church for the exclusive purpose of capital expenditures such as replacing or repairing the heating and air conditioning systems, interior and exterior painting and upgrading roof and gutter systems. Glenn’s incredibly generous, forward-thinking and wise gift will ensure the physical structures of TJMC will continue to shelter his beloved community far into the future.