Commander Albert Kent Glover, Jr., USN, Retired, unexpectedly passed away Sunday, January 28, 2024 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Kent was born December 20, 1930 to Albert Kent Glover, Sr. and Alice Snow Glover in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Even though he was born and raised in Charlotte, he had strong family roots in the Rockland/Thomaston region of Maine.  He graduated from Central High School in Charlotte, and then attended Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina before graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1954.  It had always been his ambition from an early age to attend the Naval Academy and have a career in the Navy, continuing family traditions rich in former Naval service.  While at the Naval Academy he sailed and raced the 40-foot yawls, further ingraining his love of sailing and the sea.

Kent met the love of his life and wife, Jane Barry Mobley, in junior high school and they became high school sweethearts.  They were married June 9, 1954, in St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte, North Carolina and began a journey that lasted almost 70 years covering both coasts of the United States.

After graduating from the Naval Academy, he served on the destroyers USS John R. Pierce, USS Gyatt and the Cruiser USS Boston.  In 1959, he went to the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA and received a Master’s Degree in Physics (he said that it could have been Electrical Engineering, but he thought Physics sounded better at the time).  He then pursued his dream of becoming a member of the “Silent Service” as a submariner. He was part of that “lucky group of candidates” that had the privilege of being selected by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover for the Nuclear Power Submarine Program, and the extensive training that ensued.  He first served on the USS Skate (SSN 578), followed by the USS Andrew Jackson (SSBN 619) and USS George Bancroft (SSBN 643).  He later served at the Armed Forces Staff College, CINCLANT Naval War College and the Norfolk Naval Safety Center before retiring in 1974.

Following retirement, he became a Marine Surveyor and later an IMS measurer for off-shore racing yachts (International Measuring System for US Sailing), that included former America’s Cup Contenders Endeavor and Shamrock, which thrilled him to work on them.  He was very active with area Sailing Associations, specifically Broad Bay Sailing Association and Norfolk Naval Sailing Association, as well was very active with coordinating numerous sailing regattas in the Hampton Roads Area over the years.  He was also the voice of the weekly “Sailing Report” that aired during racing seasons on WGH-FM Radio Station back in the day.

His love of sailing was infectious, and he was always happiest on the water in any type of boat.  Whether he was on his sailboat Wind Wagon with his family cruising the Chesapeake Bay, offshore, with members of the sailing associations, with scouts, or when he would be racing Sunfish with his family on Long Creek, he was always happiest when on or around the water.  He especially enjoyed teaching his grandsons how to sail, kayak, and canoe, as well as skills of mariners of old.  He had learned his skills from the best, as he came from a long ship builders and sea captains from Maine.  He loved to teach how to tie knots, marlin-spike skills, and any type of splice that was needed.  He was always in a teaching mode especially related to sailing and boating skills.  Whether on the water, in any type of boat, or in the woods hiking/camping, he was highly experienced and eager to share his wealth of knowledge.  You learned from him not only because of the knowledge, but by his example and how he could challenge you… you just could not help but learn from him.

Kent also was a voracious reader and would always challenge himself to learn new things.  He was a self-taught violinist (the violin was usually happy when he was done), he learned to ride a unicycle at age 65, and he learned to cook more than water on scouting trips (but would not admit that to his wife).

Kent lived by the motto “Make it do, Wear it out, Use it up, Do without”.  He liked to take things apart so that he could see how they worked.  Unfortunately, he also chose to save a lot of what he took apart because he, “might need that part in the future”.   The time that he would need that part was right after “someone threw it out”.  For those who knew him well, he was an avid collector, as well as very frugal. The family’s first Sunfish in 1966, and first color TV in 1972, were built from kits because he wanted us to learn but more so to save money.

He was very talented with woodwork and would carve intricate boat models that could sail, as well as build boats in a bottle.  These were skills he had learned from his grandfather, John I. Snow, when he would spend summers in Maine.  His grandfather also taught him the art of sailing, which he then imparted to his family, which was learning by “doing” and “making mistakes”.  The boat he learned to sail on in Maine was called the Mistake, and was frequently part of a of his memories and stories of sailing in Maine.

He was involved in the Boy Scouts.  He earned his rank of Eagle in 1946 and continued into Sea Scouts.  He was also a Pawnee, which was the equivalent of the Order of the Arrow in the “old days”.  In the 1970’s he was Scoutmaster for his son’s Troop 422.   In 1996, he was coaxed back into scouting to be his grandson Christopher’s Den Leader, which then led to him becoming much more involved with the Tidewater Council – Boy Scouts of America.  He was actively involved with Troop 306, participating in trips on the Appalachian Trail in the wintertime, as well as white water rafting on the New River in his 70’s.  He was a Commissioner, Commodore of the Sea Scout Program, and was instrumental in developing the Sail the James Program.  At age 73, he participated in the Maine High Adventure Trek, which included climbing to the top of Mt. Katahdin as well as two weeks of kayaking on rivers in Maine.  He participated in the Boy Scout Sea Base Training at the age of 80, much older than other participants, and was still very savvy at demonstrating that he could keep up with the best of them.

He impacted the lives of many through his involvement with the Boy Scouts.  He received numerous scouting awards including:  the Silver Beaver Award (2003), the Sea Scout Leadership Award (2016), named a Living Legend of the Tidewater Council (2019) and NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award (2022).

He was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach since 1970, serving on the vestry, as well as all around handy.  He would annually climb the flagpole to repair and paint, it even up into his 80’s.  (He was also called in frequently to fix the flagpole at the Boy Scout Office).

He served the city of Virginia Beach for 38 years as an Election Official.  Initially he was at the All Saints Episcopal Church polling place, and later was Precinct Chief at the polling sites for the Trantwood area.

Kent stayed very active in the sailing community and scouts up until recently.  He kept his brain active by doing calculus for fun and could challenge the best with his knowledge.  He would always explore your knowledge, and it was frequently known that if he challenged you on a topic, especially engineering or math related, he was usually right.  He would always push his family to be better than what they thought they could be.  He was always there for family and friends and will be missed by all.

He is survived by his wife Jane, and their children Richard B. Glover, Kathryn G. Bragg (Mark), as well as 2 grandchildren, Christopher C. Bragg (Cathryn) and Matthew A. Bragg (Sheri).  He is also survived by 5 great grandchildren, Wyatt C. Bragg, Waylon C. Bragg, Walker C. Bragg, Jacqualyn J. Bragg and Madilyn S. Bragg.  He is survived by sister Elizabeth G. Glover.

A memorial service is planned for Kent in the near future and will be held at All Saints Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.  If anyone is wishing to continue Kent’s legacy of promoting youth boating programs, please reach out to Wes Parker and Peter Anoia at wparker@pipsicobsa.com if you would like to contribute

We now wish smooth sailing and calm seas to a husband, brother, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend, mentor, and role-model who has touched the lives of many through service and commitment to others. 

A ship fades from our view; we wave good-bye.
Her sails grow small, then vanish from the sky.
And sorrowing, we bow our heads,
and then we mourn that sight we long to see again.

But others wait on some shore far away
and watch the lonely clouds, day after day;
till finally, they see a shimmering light,
reflection of that sail gone from our sight.

And as that ship sails in, their joy does grow,
just as ours did when first we saw her glow,
reflected by the sun against the sky,
its beauty speaking peace to every eye.

For this is truth, that though gone from our view,
the ship sails on, her glory seen anew;
just as one day our own ships will depart,
for so the voyage goes, from start to start.

Susan Noyes Anderson