Imogene Glover

Imogene Glover has had a lifetime of experiences. She retired in 1988, after teaching twenty-one years in the Guymon Schools. She taught Speech, Debate, English, Art, and Library Media, which included publishing the Junior High School Newspaper. But retirement is only one of few of Imogene’s experiences and accomplishments.

Imogene was born in Texas County, north of Texhoma, on November 4, 1924, to Gerald O. and Vinita Davison. She has one brother, John Riley Davison, and one sister, Doretta Gregory, both school teachers. Her father was a farmer, raised cattle, and ran Davison’s Dairy in Texhoma with her mother’s help from 1937 to 1943. Imogene started to school at Sunny Side School when she was five but only went six weeks as she had to stay with her grandparents and walk about a half mile. Her parents decided she was too little, so they took her home until the following year when a Kid Hack took her to school. She left at six in the morning and got home after six in the evening as the driver was a senior and played football. Imogene was class reporter in school and graduated in 1943 from Texhoma High School. This was during World War II. Following graduation Imogene was offered a job at First National Bank in Texhoma, a modeling job in Wichita, Kansas, and a job with the FBI in Washington, D.C. but decided to take a job with Boeing Aircraft in Wichita, Kansas. They sent her to Kansas University to take a crash course in Aeronautical Engineering during the summer. She worked the second shift at Boeing Plant II in Wichita in Final Assembly of the B-29 as an inspector until spring of 1944. Imogene injured her knee and following surgery went back to Texhoma to drive a tractor during harvest as men were all in the military service. Next she worked at Liberal Air Force Base in Liberal, Kansas, in the machine shop on B-24’s. In fall of 1944 she enrolled at Northwestern State Teachers College in Alva, Oklahoma. In 1945 she took a job with the Missouri Commission for the Blind, helping teach and driving a Blind Teacher to homes over the northwest part of Missouri. In 1946, she worked as a Coordinator for Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. in Kansas City, Missouri. She came back to Texhoma in 1947 and worked as a telephone operator on the switchboard until it closed. Then Imogene worked at The Palace Pharmacy as a salesperson, soda jerk and gift buyer until she went to work at the Texhoma Times as a linotype operator and job printer. Later she was editor and publisher, until she started teaching. She worked on the Texhoma Times, The Moore County News, The Guymon Observer, and The Guymon Daily Herald, edited and published The Goodwell Sentinel, and worked at the Tucumcari American Leader, selling advertising. Imogene was selected as an honorary member of the OU Journalism Fraternity.

In 1951, Imogene married Wallin T. Glover and moved to Guymon. They moved to Tucumcari, NM, in 1953, where the twins, Doris and David were born. The Guymon Post Office asked them to come back for the Christmas rush and they decided to stay. Imogene went back to work at the Guymon Daily Herald and at one time filled in as Back Shop Foreman until they could hire one. In the late ‘50s Imogene went to work at KGYN Radio Station as advertising saleswoman and did the daily Birthday Program during the noon hour for Harrison’s Fashion Shop. Their son Terry was born in 1961.

In 1962, Imogene quit work so they could go to Seattle to the World’s Fair. She worked as a substitute rural mail carrier for Howard Curtis on Rural Route 2 out of Guymon until she went back to college at Panhandle A&M College at Goodwell in 1964. One semester Imogene carried 20 hours and laughs when she tells it was the only time she made the dean’s honor roll. She graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and started teaching in Guymon that fall. Imogene became the Library Media Specialist at the Guymon Junior High where she taught until 1988. In 1970 and 1971 she went to summer school at OU and received her Masters Degree in Education. While teaching, Imogene served on the State Department of Education Board for four years, driving to Oklahoma City one weekend a month. She also served on many State Library Board Committees and on the North Central Evaluation Team.

During these years Imogene was always involved in civic activities. She was a member of Goodwell Farm Women’s Home Demonstration Club, Past District President of the Rebekah Lodge, Past President of the Panhandle Retired Teachers, President and Sweetheart of Epsilon Sigma Alpha Sorority, County Chairman of the March of Dimes, served on the Yucca Girls Scout Board, was den mother for Cub Scouts, served with Mothers of Demolay and wrote news releases for Guymon Swim Team for over ten years. Imogene served as counselor for Foreign Study on four trips to Europe in the 1980s. She was a charter member of the Artist’s Studio Northwest and helped organize Summer Workshops. She served on Texas County Irrigation Board and did news releases to get it organized. She also helped Alonso Philippe and others get the TV satellite dish installed on the Texhoma Elevator so farmers could have TV in Texas County. Imogene is a Past President of Sigma Club, a member of Goodwell Sorosis Club, Past President of Texhoma Historical & Genealogical Society, and is serving as Chairman of the Legal Advocacy Fund for American Association of University Women. Imogene at present is serving as president of the Texas/Cimarron Retired Educators Association, treasurer for Goodwell Panhandle Branch of American Association of University Women, and treasurer for the No Man’s Land Senior Citizens Club in Guymon.

Imogene always attended State Teacher’s Meetings, served as a representative of Guymon Schools at Classroom Teachers Meetings, went to Detroit to the National Education Association meeting and also to Los Angeles to NEA Convention. She went to National Democratic Convention as an Alternate Delegate to represent teachers the year Jimmy Carter was elected President. Imogene attended the Inauguration of President Jimmy Carter in Washington DC. She went again as Delegate to the Democratic Convention in New York City when Bill Clinton was elected President.

Following Imogene’s retirement in 1988, she and Wallin T. Glover traveled for about two years as he had retired in 1986 after 41 years as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. They went back to school at PSU and studied real estate. They went to work as Real Estate Sales Associates at Landmark Real Estate in Guymon. Following Wallin’s death in 1995, Imogene became a Broker and opened Dust Bowl Real Estate. In 1998 she married Jack P. Smith, a retired Navy Submarine Chief Petty Officer.

Imogene is very proud of her family. Daughter Doris Erickson works for Duke Energy Field Services as a Measurement Tech out of Guymon. Doris’s daughter Tammy (Jimmy) Cotter lives in Guymon with great granddaughters Kelsi and Karlee Cotter, Melissa (Shane) Anderson makes her home in Texhoma with sons Matthew and Cody. Son David and wife Vicky Furnish reside in Houston, Texas. David works for Conoco-Phillips as a Computer Analyst Specialist Consultant. They have two children, Lacey Nicole and Chris. Son Terry is a Test Pilot on the V-22 Osprey for Bell Helicopter in Amarillo, Texas. Terry and wife Kathy have three children, Tommy, Michael and Gillian.