In Memoriam
Joseph C. Glass III
Joe Glass
1963 graduation
Joseph C. Glass III died of colon cancer on February 25, 2016 in Montclair, NJ. Joe grew up in Brownsville, PA, and was a state champion debater in high school. Accepted at Brown, Harvard, and Yale, he felt immediately at home at Yale, and his attendance there was his proudest achievement.
After his first year at Yale, he lived for a year in New York City, working as a bank teller and spending every penny he made going to the theater and attending concerts. When he returned to Yale he was ready for success.
After graduating from Yale, Joe enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, and was stationed for several years at a weather station in Alaska. From 1968 to 2008, Joe worked for major financial institutions, including Hutton, UBS, and several others.
He was one of the first Black men to have a seat on the NY Stock Exchange. He earned an M.B.A. from Columbia University. Joe continued to work part time as a broker with Royal Alliance until December 2015, when he officially retired.
Joe and his first wife, Muriel, had two daughters, Jessica and Rachel. When the girls were approximately six and eight years old, Muriel died, leaving Joe to raise his daughters alone, with the help of his mother. A few years later Joe married again and had a son, Phil. This marriage ended in divorce, and Phil moved with his mother to Delaware. Joe did not remarry.
Nuala Pacheco, Joe’s friend during his last five years, wrote: “Joe had an amazing memory for people and events. He remembered the name of every person he’d ever met, going back to Kindergarten days. He loved music, and was quite an accomplished classical pianist. His grand piano was one of his cherished possessions. His other great passion was reading. Joe was a lifelong learner, and could turn his mind with interest to any topic. He enjoyed travel and was very interested in art and architecture.
When I met Joe in 2011, he had already been diagnosed with the colon cancer that took his life. He was diagnosed at Stage 4, and had several surgeries before he began biweekly chemotherapy. Despite all this, he maintained his positive attitude, and he never let the diagnosis get him down. He’d recently had his DNA tested and was tickled pink to learn that he had a 28% European heritage, and was 66% Bantu. When I’d ask him how he was doing, he’d respond, ‘“Bantu Guy” hasn’t given up the fight!’ He died with the same dignity with which he lived, grateful for the fulfilling life he’d led, in full control of his senses, refusing all pain medication, and accepting death peacefully.”
Leonard Chazen recalls: “Joe was one of the most interesting people I met at Yale. He rejected political correctness even before the term was invented, and proudly intended to make his mark on Wall Street, which he eventually did. For me the highlight of our 50th Reunion was getting together over lunch with Joe and Yale Kneeland, and it’s sad to think that they’re both gone.”