Byron Glore passed on March 11, 2024, and his devoted daughter Gabrielle Glore offered the following tribute letter to her beloved father, a native St. Louisan and producer of entertainment for the first national UNCF telethon,“The Lou Rawls Parade of Stars” sponsored by Anheuser-Busch.
Dearest Dad,
As we celebrate your life and legacy, I want to memorialize the man you have been for so many, and the incredible father you have been for me.
You have navigated your journey on this planet with social consciousness, business acumen, political savvy, and above all, with humanity. Your emotional intelligence, always acting in parallel with your keen intellect. A timeless, ageless classic with a profound purpose while on this earth. Never perfunctory, always boundless brilliance.
Who Are You In The World?
Entrepreneur…Creator…Futurist…Inventor.
Your tenured career included stints with Time Inc. and Mobil Oil, with a 10-year arc at Anheuser-Busch encompassing many firsts; you often navigated as an “only.” Once you flipped the script and became owner of your own destiny, your wingspan widened, and you charted a path for many blue-chip brands, mentees, and legions of fans. Through a lens of advocacy, you moved mountains and made a difference, not only with the work, but also for those with whom you worked, leaving lasting impressions all along the way.
Television became your medium of expression and activism. Whether you were redesigning and executive producing a television franchise as longstanding as the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars, or co-creating and executive producing the Emmy Award-winning game show series, Win Ben Stein’s Money, your imprint was immense. From A Celebration of Black Music to Rosa Parks’ 75th Birthday Celebration at the Kennedy Center, you reminded us of our enduring contributions to the world.
Never relegating yourself to one lane in life, your curiosity led you forward, to the future, where you worked alongside world-renowned futurist, Alvin Toffler. As a start-up co-founder dedicated to “future focused” programming, you helped craft a vision for what the populace would consume on various platforms. Data fascinated you, but transforming it into valuable information is what propelled you as a marketer. Obsessively connecting the dots while examining all the forces at work. It’s no surprise that you ultimately added “inventor” to your list of titles, with a patent granted and sold that allowed people to store content on the Internet under a privacy shield. I never took this lightly…you were a passionate visionary architecting the future you imagined.
Author of Ideas…Scholar…Strategist…Storyteller.
You had so much to say about the world, so many ideas that required interrogation. You were working on your first book; thought leadership framed as C-Forces—critical forces all starting with the letter “C,” illustrating an interstellar connectivity within the world order. Culture…Corruption…Creationism…Climate…Conservatism…you have eloquently unpacked these carefully curated concepts and more. Much more than musings, this work became puzzle pieces you were assembling into scholarly work, to be shared beyond your multitude of handwritten notes. You have passed the torch on to me, encouraging the continued exploration of these ideas in my own way.
A brilliant mind has always been at work in your approach to leadership, whether giving strategic guidance as a corporate board director for the NYSE traded Earthgrains Company, or giving invaluable counsel to a friend, family member, or colleague. You will remain a trusted advisor, even from above, pointing us all in the right direction.
Storytelling excited you, whether it was my work as a filmmaker or your own co-written animated screenplay, Noah’s Art. You always appreciated a morning screening in a dark movie theater to inspire you. In your honor, I promise to make more movies that feed this escape.
Space Enthusiast…Naturalist…Global Citizen.
Always giving reverence to the universe we inhabit, acknowledging supreme forces greater than you. In spiritual conversation with the stars. Not just a stargazer, but a student of the solar system, traveling to NASA space centers to further frame your perspective. But never overlooking your earthly surroundings existing in nature, appreciated through your ritualized morning walks, whether in the hills of Beverly or the valleys of Jackson Hole. Always in awe of the uninterrupted serenity and your picturesque surroundings.
We traveled the world, together and separately. You modeled for me the significance of diverse experiences, better understood through our connections with other people and places, different than ourselves… China, New Zealand, Paris, Barbados. You exposed me to so much, with the promise that I’d have a fuller life with these experiences as part of my journey.
Who Are You In MY world?
Simply put, an extraordinary human being, faceted with so many dimensions that shaped who I am today, and who I will continue to become. You have supported me taking the path less traveled and fostered my sense of independence. You instilled in me a sense of fierce, yet friendly competition, whether on the basketball court or the monopoly board. My moral compass and mustered courage have been shaped by your example. You have shown me what sensitivity and caring look like in the purest sense; the consummate gentle man, unafraid of tenderness. You became my best friend, without compromising the qualities of a parent, but you certainly passed on your sense of mischief, which I deeply cherish.
Edward Byron Glore, my beloved Dad, you have been the hero in your own life story, a role performed beautifully and memorably, ever so authentically you. The magnitude of your impact is vast, with a mark that is profound—as father, brother, son, uncle, friend. What a gift you have been to everyone blessed to have you in their orbit. Now, you bless us from a higher place, with a higher power, exuding a heightened vibration. Always a force and always a reminder to surrender to the stars.
I love you to the moon and back!
Gabrielle
The family invites you to honor Byron’s legacy by suppporting Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals and mention, “Byron’s passion for aerospace knew no bounds.” Your donation will support aspiring students and young professionals pursing opportunities in aviation and aerospace. To donate, please visit https://obap.org/ByronGlore.
My friend, my mentor, my hero!! This world will always feel your presence I will miss you forever