Capt. Harold A. Glovier Jr, USN (ret), formerly of Waterford, VA, died of complications arising from pneumonia and influenza on January 10, 2015. He was 83 years old.
Capt. Glovier was born at home in Cranford, N.J, the only surviving child of Harold and Mary Jane Glovier. He graduated from Cranford High School and entered Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst. with the class of 1953. Following Freshman year at Rensselaer, he was appointed to the United States Naval Academy by then Congressman Clifford P. Case of New Jersey. While at the Academy "Hal" played lacrosse and graduated "with distinction" as a member of the class of 1954.
After graduation Capt. Glovier was assigned to the USS Deuel, where he served as a Deck Division Officer and Gunnery Officer prior to attending Submarine School in 1956. Upon graduation from Submarine School he reported to the USS Sterlet (SS392) in July 1956, starting 27 years of continuous duty in the Submarine Force. He was detached from the Sterlet in Sept. 1958 and served three months as Submarine Division 72 Engineer enroute to Advanced Nuclear Power School in New London, CT. Upon graduation from this school, Capt. Glovier reported to the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit in Idaho Falls, Idaho, where he was a trainee and subsequently served as Training Officer at the SIW Nuclear Propulsion Plant Prototype. Capt. Glovier then served on the first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus (SSN571), from March 1961 until June 1963, during which time Nautilus made her first three extended operational deployments. In July 1963, he reported to USS Theodore Roosevelt (SSBN 600) for duty as Engineer Officer, during which time Roosevelt made three Polaris Strategic Deterrent Patrols. He then reported to the USS Flasher (SSN 613) Precommissioning Unit as Executive Officer in Dec. 1964. During construction after the loss of its ill-fated sister ship, the USS Thresher (SSN 593), the Flasher was extensively reengineered. Subsequent to the Flasher's commissioning on July 22, 1966, Glovier served as the First Executive Officer until late 1968, during which time USS Flasher transited to the Pacific and was subsequently awarded a Meritorious Unit Citation and Capt. Glovier a Navy Commendation Medal for undisclosed operations in the Pacific during the Cold War. In August 1968, Capt. Glovier took command of the Blue crew of the USS Sam Houston (SSBN 609). Under his command the Houston made Strategic Deterrent Patrols operating out of both Holy Loch, Scotland and Rota, Spain. During this time USS Houston conducted an operation for which it was awarded its only Meritorious Unit Citation and Glovier his second Navy Commendation Medal. He was also awarded a Meritorious Service Medal for his command of the Houston, which ended in Jan.1972. Then Capt. Glovier served as Deputy Squadron Commander of Sub Ron 15 on the island of Guam. Following a subsequent tour in the Pentagon as a Branch head in the Attack Submarine Division, he took command of the USS Hunley (AS -31) in Nov. 1976. During his command, the submarine tender Hunley completed several repairs of Nuclear Submarine Steam Generators, completing the repairs in 1/6th the time and at 1/10th the cost of shipyard repairs, and deployed from Charleston, S.C. to Guam, making the 19,000 mile transit on its own through the Straits of Magellan at the bottom of South America. USS Hunley was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation during Capt. Glovier's command, and he was awarded a second Meritorious Service Medal for his tour on Hunley, which ended in June 1980. Capt. Glovier's last tour of duty was as Strategic Analysis Branch head in The Systems Analysis Division of OpNav in the Pentagon, where he played a significant role in bringing the D5 submarine ballistic missile into the Navy's arsenal. He was awarded a third Meritorious Service Medal for this final tour. He retired in March 1983 after almost 29 years of commissioned service.
Capt. Glovier earned an MBA from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1982 and upon retirement from the Navy he was employed by the New York Power Authority as Vice President -- Nuclear Support, and Interim Resident Manager of the J.A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant.
From 1986 thru 1989 he was the director of Plant Consulting Services for NUS Corporation, a nuclear service corporation.
The final stage of Capt. Glovier's career, from 1989 through retirement in 1999, was at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he served as Director of the Research Reactors Division. One of the division's reactors was the High Flux Isotope Reactor, the free world's most powerful reactor, used in scientific, industrial and medical research and in the production of medical, industrial and research isotopes.
In retirement Capt. Glovier followed his hobbies of model railroading (he was a member of Potomac Division of the National Model Railroad Association) and gardening (he was a Master Gardener Volunteer with the Loudoun County Extension Office). He also served as a Blue & Gold Information Officer for the U.S. Naval Academy and was a member of the Loudoun County Civil War Round Table. He was an active member of Leesburg Presbyterian Church, serving in the Choir and as an Elder and a Trustee.
He is survived by his wife of over 60 years, the former Mary Elizabeth Coffee of Cranford, N.J; daughters Margaret and Kathryn and son-in-law Glenn Richard Moore; son Curtis A. and daughter-in-law Sophie,four grandchildren: Benjamin, Margaux, Grace A., and Clay A.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11 A.M. on Saturday, January 17th, at the Leesburg Presbyterian Church in Leesburg, VA.
Final Interment will be in Arlington National Cemetery at a future date. The family asks that donations in Capt. Glovier's memory be made to the National Stroke Association.
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