The Rev. Glen Warner honored with Whittier College's 2021 poet award

Shelley Terry, Star Beacon, Ashtabula, Ohio
·2 min read

May 7—ASHTABULA — The Rev. Glen Warner, a religious and business leader from Ashtabula, is a recipient of Whittier College's 2021-22 Poet Award.

Warner, a 1963 graduate of Whittier with a bachelor's in philosophy, received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement award.

"I am so privileged to have gotten the opportunity to graduate from Whittier," Warner said. "It continues to increase my blessings throughout life."

In a prepared statement, college officials said, "The poet awardees represent some of the best of the Whittier College community and extended family."

As a student, Warner was a member of the Whittier College choir while working numerous part-time jobs and serving as a student pastor in Los Angeles and Riverside churches.

He continued his studies at Claremont School of Theology, graduating in 1968 and ordained as a Protestant minister in 1971. He served churches in Los Angeles, Riverside, Seattle, and Denver before beginning a bi-vocational career as a successful marketing executive Molded Fiber Glass Company in Ashtabula.

Warner served numerous churches in northeastern Ohio. As an ordained pastor, he performed the full range of ministerial and community activities for more than 40 years. Projects included building programs, mission initiatives, and various funding challenges. Warner is also the author of four books.

He said attending Whittier College was a wonderful opportunity which set the positive course of his life.

Warner now resides in South Carolina, his greatest joy is his family: his wife, Nancy; son, Garth; daughter, Bethany; their spouses; and five grandchildren Tyra, Mac, Jalen, Emma, and Ben.

For decades, the Poet Awards have been presented to select members of the alumni body, chosen for their outstanding service, commitment, and loyalty to Whittier College, and for individual professional and personal achievements that best reflect Whittier College's ideals and values.

Warner and the other 2021-22 Poet Award recipients are being honored throughout this spring semester at key engagement opportunities with the poet community.

This year's recipients include business and civic leaders, officeholders, community advocates, artists, and educators who have had a significant impact on a local, national, and international level.