Glen Miller: Every Man’s Uncle Steve Adams
Suppose you were to pick up a device that held random snapshots of Glen Miller’s life, and suppose you turn it on and press play, here’s what you’d see. It’s sunday morning and the people are coming out of second service at church. You see them start gathering into circles, and some stand alone or in pairs. Then one man catches your eye, his hair tells you he is getting older, but his demeanor and his energy tell a different story. He bounces from person to person, and group to group, meeting, greeting, catching up, sharing and listening to stories. Sooner than you know it, he’s talked to everyone you can see and yet he’s still shaking hands and making people feel welcome. You see his eyes glance around looking for more people to greet, he spots someone he doesn’t recognise and heads over. “Hi, what’s your name?” he asks “I’m Emmanuel” says the man. He responds by introducing himself, and faster than you can say “extroverted” they have become friends. The device moves on to the next snapshot. For the sake of time in this essay, the device you are holding suddenly blows up and you decide that the best way to learn about him now is to read this paper that has conveniently fallen into your hands. Who is Glen Miller? This man is many things, but at heart, he is a man of action. Everything he preaches, he puts into practice to the best of his abilities. Helping those in need is an instinct