Nat Glover said his one run-in with the law — for stealing two napkins from a Woolworth’s in Downtown Jacksonville — was a miscarriage of justice.
But Glover said being arrested was one of the best things to ever happen to him.
“One could make the case that it was a blessing in disguise because it focused me and it caused me to reach out and get some help,” the 72-year-old Jacksonville native said.
In 1966, then-Jacksonville Mayor Lou Ritter learned of Glover’s experience and advocated for the recent Edward Waters College graduate to take a police-officer civil service exam.
It’s something his longtime friend, attorney Steve Pajcic, also believes in.
“The rest is history,” Glover said. “I ended up being sheriff of this county.”
He later became president of his alma mater, a position he’s held since 2011.
“It’s a classic case of redemption,” Glover said.
And return on investment. ROI — that’s a Glover mantra these days. When a community invests in young people, marvelous things tend to happen, he said.
He said Jacksonville invested in Glover as a young man and has been capitalizing since.
Glover capped a nearly 38-year law enforcement career as Jacksonville’s first black sheriff — Florida’s first since Reconstruction. He was elected in 1995 and served two terms.
He then helped launch The Jacksonville Commitment, a higher-education partnership that provides scholarships to low-income students.
Now, with the help of generous donors like Pajcic, Glover is leading an institution at which 98 percent of the students receive financial aid.
He also co-chairs the New Town Success Zone, which helps children and families achieve healthy development and academic success.
“Nat may not have made much money, but he’s probably helped more people and helped Jacksonville more than anyone I know,” Pajcic said.
On Tuesday, Glover received the Junior Achievement of North Florida Thompson S. Baker Solid as a Rock Award.
Named after Florida Rock Industries’ founder, the award recognizes people who positively influence business and education in Jacksonville through leadership, hands-on deeds and philanthropy.
Previous recipients include Preston Haskell, Wayne and Delores Weaver, Shad Khan and Harry Frisch, who presented the award to Glover during the organization’s annual Hall of Fame luncheon at the University of North Florida.
“Here I go again desegregating,” quipped Glover, acknowledging he is the first African-American to receive the Baker honor.
Pajcic, who introduced Glover at the luncheon, noted the previous Baker winners were affluent.
“Nat may not be an entrepreneur, but he’s a trailblazer. He may not be a businessman, but he’s a leader who knows how to affect great change,” Pajcic said.
Glover’s also generous.
After being elected sheriff, he donated about $250,000 of his pension to a scholarship fund.
Glover said it was often with a heavy heart that he put young people in jail during his law enforcement career.
Most of the arrestees, Glover said, were from challenged neighborhoods.
Just like him. And just like most of his EWC students.
For Glover, seeing young people at EWC is seeing a reflection. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in social science there in 1966.
Glover said he is especially gratified to receive an award from an organization that, like him, is focused on investing in young people.
“It would be awfully criminal if I didn’t look back and give back,” Glover said.
A big part of his job at EWC is to convince Jacksonville leaders to contribute to the college.
Among the people he turned to was Pajcic and his wife, Anne, who donated $2 million to the college. It’s the largest single donation Edward Waters has ever received.
Pajcic often jokes that Glover is his only friend — something an EWC faculty member recently asked Pajcic about.
“They said, ‘Mr. Pajcic, is President Glover your only friend?’ And Steve said, ‘You know, I just gave Edward Waters College $2 million and I don’t think I can afford another friend like that,” Glover said at the luncheon, prompting a roomful of laughter.
Rob Sandlin and Bank of America/Merrill Lynch were inducted into the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame on Tuesday. A longtime Junior Achievement board member and chair, Sandlin has helped raise more than $3 million for the organization.
Also Tuesday, Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti and the school system workforce received the Richard Maxwell Volunteer Pioneer Award. Junior Achievement financial literacy programs were recently instituted into the school system curriculum.