Eugene Glock was part of the Ag40 action group providing key leadership in the development of the University of Nebraska’s IANR. He represented stakeholder interests and provided valuable input in restructuring the University Extension programs to better serve the needs of eastern Nebraska. There is no question that the University of Nebraska has been the benefactor of his sound and visionary input.
It is a distinct privilege for me to present this tribute to Eugene Glock in recognition of his being elected as a 2017 Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement Honoree. When our family moved to Nebraska in 1975, it didn’t take long to recognize that Eugene Glock was one of the highly respected leaders in Nebraska’s agricultural industry and it has been my privilege to rely on him as an advisor, mentor and personal friend for about 40 years. This is truly a special night for me because I had the privilege of working with both Eugene and Bob Andersen when I served as Dean of the Agricultural Research Division, IANR Vice Chancellor, and Secretary of the Agriculture Builders of Nebraska. Both of these Honorees have made very positive and lasting contributions to Nebraska’s agricultural industry and the members of the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement are proud to recognize them as this year’s Honorees.
When I first met Eugene Glock, he was the first President of the Nebraska Soybean Association and a founding member of the Nebraska Soybean Development Board. The creation of the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) took place a couple of years before I joined the University of Nebraska faculty, but Eugene was a member of the Ag40 action group that provided the key leadership to get that legislation passed.
I vividly remember the first time I had an opportunity to really interact with Eugene and that was when I met with a small group of Ag40 leaders in Omaha to explore the possibility of getting support to fund the completion of the Animal Science Complex. When I interviewed for the position of Head of the Animal Science Department, Duane Acker was the IANR Vice Chancellor and he indicated this construction project should be at the top of the Regent’s Capital Improvement Budget Request within 3 to 4 years. However, five years later this project was still far from the top of the Regents budget request and the department was in bad need of enhancing its departmental campus facilities.
After my meeting with this Ag 40 group in Omaha, I felt like I had gone through an oral Ph.D. exam again, but I also learned why Eugene Glock was recognized as such a highly respected leader in Nebraska’s agricultural industry. He put me through the paces, but that meeting laid the groundwork for us to put together a sound package that eventually gained Regents approval and was funded by the Legislature. The fact that you could always count on Eugene raising those challenging and tough questions in an effort to achieve the best outcome in any discussion, placed him in high demand over the years to serve on numerous boards and advisory committees at the local, state and national levels.
If you reviewed Eugene’s summary of significant accomplishments in tonight’s banquet program, you had to be impressed. One would conclude that Eugene’s impressive list of off-farm activities and accomplishments must have required the equivalent to almost a full time commitment, but at the same time the Glock farm was recognized as a premier operation adopting new and progressive soil and water conservation practices in raising corn and soybeans primarily for seed production. Eugene is quick to give much credit to his wife, Melba, for keeping things in order on the home front while he was off doing public service. So, in short, the Hall of Agricultural Achievement is honoring both Eugene and Melba tonight. The bottom line is that Butler County, the University of Nebraska, the State of Nebraska and our agricultural industry are all benefactors resulting from Eugene marrying so well. If my math is correct, that partnership has been in existence for 64 years.
Eugene and Melba took over his folk’s farm in 1955 when he was discharged from service after spending two years in the Army during the Korean Conflict. At that time, the operation included a 100-cow purebred Shorthorn herd and Eugene’s serving on the board of directors of the Nebraska Shorthorn Association in the early 1960’s was one of his earlier public service leadership endeavors.
Eugene’s contributions to the University of Nebraska are extensive. He currently serves on NU President Bound’s Advisory Council (PAC) and has been a member of every NU President’s Advisory Council dating back to President Woody Varner. That includes serving on six different NU President’s Advisory Councils.
Eugene has served on numerous IANR stakeholder committees and on the initial boards of directors for the Nebraska LEAD program and the University of Nebraska Ag Alumni Association. During my tenure, we were fortunate to have him representing stakeholder interests when there was strong pressure on the University to curtail its crop research programs in the Havelock area and move that research further from the campus to accommodate future expansion of the City of Lincoln developments. A more recent example of his valuable input was when he served on the Extension review committee that resulted in restructuring how University Extension programs could better serve the needs of eastern Nebraska. There is no question that the University of Nebraska has been and is the benefactor of his sound and visionary input.
Water conservation issues are a high priority for Eugene dating back to when he served as chairman of the Board of Directors for the Butler County Soil and Water Conservation District prior to the formation of the Nebraska Resource Districts. In 1982, he served as chairman of the conservation committee for Governor Kerrey’s Water Independence Congress. From 2006-2009, he served as a member of the Governor’s Water Policy Task Force and he is currently serving on the University of Nebraska Water Research Advisory Panel.
Eugene’s leadership contributions extend to all corners of Nebraska’s agricultural industry. He served 12 years on Senator Bob Kerrey’s staff as the Senator’s State Agriculture Representative; six years on the Board of Directors of the Agriculture Builders of Nebraska (ABN); and on numerous University of Nebraska advisory committees in addition to those already mentioned. Eugene also served on the board of directors for the Nebraska Ag in the Classroom program and on the Ag Advisory Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas for eight years.
In addition to Eugene’s wide range of state and national leadership roles, he was actively involved in serving at the local community level as well. That included serving eight years on the Board of Education for the Rising City Public Schools and six years as chairman of the board of the Farmers Coop Grain in Rising City until its merger with Farmers Coop Business Association of Shelby.
He is an active member of Immanuel Lutheran Church at Rising City where he served as chairman, treasurer, trustee, elder, Sunday School Superintendent and teacher. Eugene also served on the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska for nine years and as Finance Committee chairman for three years. In 2015, he served on the review committee for the Shelby/Rising City School facility expansion plan.
In recognition of Eugene’s impressive leadership contributions, he received numerous distinguished honors. A few of these awards include: Nebraska Agribusiness Club Service to Agriculture Award; Nebraska 4-H Alumni Award; Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben Agricultural Achievement Award; Nebraska Crop Improvement Association Premier Seed Grower Award; University of Nebraska CASNAR Alumni Achievement Award; Nebraska Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers Distinguished Service Award; and Nebraska Rural Radio Association KRVN Service to Agriculture Award.
Considering all of these impressive accomplishment and contributions, Eugene and Melba are most proud of their three children (Beverly Goodwin, Rosanne Glock and Ted Glock) and five grandchildren.
Based on Eugene’s outstanding public service leadership and contributions to his community, the University of Nebraska, the State of Nebraska, the field of agriculture and natural resources and our society in general, it is an honor to recognize Eugene T. Glock on his being selected as a Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement Honoree for 2017.
