An H. Stephen Glenn Remembrance
By Bruce Colston
H. Stephen Glenn
1941-2004
Teacher, mentor, author, speaker, friend...the list is seemingly
endless with all the things that Steve was to me and to many others.
For his family, add father and husband. To the world at large, add
humanitarian. Steve gave so much from the heart to all of us; he was
generous to a fault. But then again, he had a wealth of gifts to share.
Memories—there are so many. Sailing on Heeling Spirit, sitting in the
hot tub, sharing jokes and stories (some of them true!), conducting
DCYP trainings, rushing to airports, sipping Dickel, and I will never
forget him holding and comforting me after my wife died. These are a
few of the many memories of Steve that will be with me forever. The
world is a better place and I am a better person because Steve Glenn
was here. I will always miss him.
Steve had a remarkable career. One of the things that make his major
works, Developing Capable People and Developing Capable Young People,
so unique is that they are applicable in many venues. The principles
are universal in all human relationships. Steve was always way ahead of
the curve. He started out in the field of chemical dependency and his
early work primarily applied to youth development and parenting. Then
as the DCYP program grew, people from the self-sufficiency movement and
business and industry began to see its merits too. By the mid 1990s,
Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline stressed the importance of
family/workplace inter-relationships. Others were calling for the need
to develop capable people in the workplace. One of the projects that
Steve was working on at the time of his death was "Lawyers Helping
Lawyers." This group gave him three standing ovations in what proved to
be his final public speaking engagement. That didn't surprise me. Steve
loved public speaking and he was great at it. He was seldom happier
than when he was before an audience. Steve could move listeners from
laughter to tears with his stories. Anyone who heard Steve, in person
or on his tapes, could see and hear his passion for his work and how
much he cared about helping to enrich the lives of others. Let all who
knew Steve honor his memory and life's work through living and working
the principles of Developing Capable People.
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