Good Afternoon everyone.

I appreciate the opportunity to pay tribute to our good friend and fellow Rotarian Jaroslav, Jerry to us Glos who passed away on January 28, 2018 working until he was 89 years young. Jerry was married to his beloved Geraldine for 62 years and we are happy she could be with us today.

Jerry was a graduate of McGill University and the co-founder and senior architect with his brother Carl Glos of Glos Associates , a long established and respected Windsor firm. The list is long but to mention a few of Jerry's projects would include the Greater Essex County District School Board Administration Building , Leamington United Mennonite Church, the St. Clair Beach Retirement Residence and the Heritage Park Alliance Church. Also the Windsor Star Printing Facility, Windsor Transit Terminal, General Motors Trim Plant and several other GM projects. This was one very busy and dedicated professional man. Jerry was honoured by being named a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. On June 4, 2015 Jerry was inducted into Fellowship of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada – one of Canada’s most prestigious designations in the field of architecture.

Jerry was also a man of deep Christian faith and his dedication earned him the Charles Clark Award in
recognition of countless volunteer contributions.

Jerry was inducted into our Club 1918 in 1973 and was sponsored by the late member Hugh Geddes who was a prominent lawyer in Windsor and past president of our Club. In turn, Jerry sponsored his nephew Randy and his son Tim both members here at our Club. Jerry was a director of this Club from 1981-1983 and a Paul Harris Fellow with 3 sapphires and he was a Rotary International Benefactor. In 1997 and 1998 Jerry served on International Day committees and the Speakers Committee as well as several years on the Adult Assistance Committee.

Jerry loved music. He was a keen member of our former ad hoc Rotary Choristers and sang many years in the choir at Temple Baptist Church.
 

I would like to share a small personal experience I had with Jerry. I mentioned that Jerry was involved in many GM projects so when we were redesigning the new Pontiac Buick dealership I contracted Jerry and Glos Associates to be the architect. We had many meetings in my office and one day Jerry said "You know Bill the panelling is nice but you don't have any windows. I would like to build you a new office space looking out on Parent Avenue. and Tecumseh Road. We'll make one wall out of half round  glass blocks and you will love it and so we did build it and I did love it.

 

Well when July rolled around and the sun shone in it was much hotter than any of us including Jerry thought it would be. I called Jerry and said "Jerry I need some more air conditioning". "Well said Jerry I don't know about that but I will come over and study it".

 

So Jerry arrived with an arm full of thermometers and put them around the office and showroom, wrote down all the numbers with a tiny sharp little pencil and said he would be back in a few hours to check on the numbers.

 

In the meantime my daughter arrived with some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for me, passed them around to some staff and left the rest on a plate in my office. Jerry came back with his little pencil and started taking down the results from the thermostats. I said "Jerry there are some cookies there, help yourself. They were fresh baked here in the office"! Jerry paused for a moment, looked around and said "if these cookies were baked in this office you are right, I had better get you more air conditioning".

 

Jerry Glos was a good family man and a good Rotarian. He had a quiet kind, professional and efficient way about him and he was always, always a gentleman.

 

We will all miss him and be grateful for having known him.  Please stand with me for a moment of silence as we remember Jerry.

 

- Bill Howitt