John Hershel Gladney Jr., the first of three children, was born February 5, 1946, in Nashville, TN, to John Hershel Gladney, MD and Agnes Clarice Taylor Gladney.
The Gladney family moved to St. Louis in 1956. John (Johnny) was in the gifted program at Ashland Elementary School and revealed his strong leadership abilities as he became the first African-American President of the Student Council at Beaumont High School in 1962. John received his BA from Williams College in Williamstown, MA, in 1967 and earned an MBA from Harvard University in 1971.
The union of John and Lydia Mischeaux resulted in the birth of their incredible daughter, Greer Alison Gladney. He truly adored his daughter and was proud of her accomplishments, whose career led them out of St. Louis and back to the East Coast.
John’s passions were music, politics, reading, hiking, horseback riding, sailing and spending time with family and friends. The last 18 years of his life, he made his home in Scottsdale and then Tempe, AZ and enjoyed the desert climate.
In Phoenix, John helped establish the District 8 Democratic Club. He wrote the strategic plan which helped grow and develop the organization.
John will be remembered for his wealth of knowledge, wit, warmth, humor and that infectious laugh.
John is survived by parents, John and Clarice Gladney; daughter, Greer Gladney of Brooklyn, NY; his sisters, Constance Agard and Judy Vickers; nephews and nieces, Lamar Agard, Brianna (Danny) Agard Stewart, Erica (Warren) Vickers Cage, Aaron Ahmad Jordan and Danielle Stewart. He leaves behind a host of treasured extended family and friends.