Earl Joseph Glade Jr., age 89, died May 14, 2001, in Salt Lake City.
Born in 1911, he became a pio-neer in broad-casting, a devot-
ed church leader and a loving fa-ther. He married his college sweet-heart, Alice Beardshall, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple in 1934. Together they raised seven chil-dren. He was the son of the late Sarah Elizabeth Rasband and Earl Joseph Glade, Sr., a KSL Radio pioneer and former Salt Lake City mayor.
For 53 years Earl's career kept him vitally involved in communications and broadcasting. It started while attending East High School where he was sports and news editor of the school newspaper. Later at the University of Utah, he was editor of the Utah Chronicle, the college newspaper. He held his first radio job while in college in 1926 at Ogden's KLO. These experiences changed the direction of his life. In his junior year Earl changed from studying law to major in English and follow in the steps of his father, Earl J. Glade, Sr., who started KSL. Upon graduating from the University of Utah he went to work fulltime at KSL Radio writing copy and programs. He became their first news editor. In 1947, after 14 years at KSL, Earl moved his family to Boise, ID. He put KDSH radio on the air and became station manager and in 1953 started KBOI Television. Earl also organized and was the first president of the Idaho Broadcasters Association. He was deeply involved in industry and community activities. In fact, he was involved with so many organizations, when he left Boise in 1966 he had to write 13 letters of resignation.
He served as director of the Boise Chamber of Commerce and as director of the Salvation Army Advisory Board. He was a board member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Hospital, the Lyons Club, Idaho Heart Association and the Red Cross, to name a few. In 1966 Earl left Boise to take a position as director of broadcast services at Brigham Young University, to launch KBYU-TV and further develop the campus radio station. He worked there until his retirement in 1976. While at BYU he also taught communications and broadcasting classes. Toward the end of his career he served as the executive director of the Utah Broadcasters Association from 1975 to 1988. In recent years, Earl served on the Utah Valley Medical Center board and two boards for senior citizens. Since 1965 he has awarded BYU students with the Earl J. Glade Award for broadcasting, in memory of his father.
Earl Glade commented many times about how advertising and broadcasting was in the Glade family blood. Not only were he and his father in broadcasting, he passed on the communications blood to two of his sons and a daughter. Currently, a fourth generation carries out the legacy. Several of his grandchildren work in a number of different fields, such as: radio station promotion director, newspaper sports reporter, PR media relations director and advertising agency creative director. Others in college work towards breaking into the "Glade business."
"A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he magnified his callings as bishop twice, bishop's counselor twice, a counselor in a stake presidency, high councilman and numerous other church positions. In 1979 Earl and his wife, Alice, served a mission for the church in the Florida, Tallahassee Mission. Until his death he was a worker in the Provo LDS Temple and member of the Provo Edgemont Sixth Ward.
Earl was well known for his writing and particularly his poetry. His wife, Alice, was the recipient of many of his heartfelt poems and his Glade Family Tidings Christmas cards are collectibles. While he served as Bishop in the Boise 2nd Ward he wasn't a "snoozing bishop" on the stand. At the close of most sacrament meetings he recited a poem he created during the meeting, in which he summarized the Sunday happenings with his clever rhymes. He was also a passionate gardener who took great pride in his home orchard and hundreds of tulips and daffodils.
Even with all his amazing accomplishments, Earl's greatest joy still came from family reunions and activities. He was the proud father of seven children, one foster daughter, 29 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchil-dren, and one great-great-grand-child. He leaves behind six children: Joan (Brian) Williams, Douglas
(Sandy) Glade, Boise; Steven (Dorene) Glade, Seattle; Carol (Gary) Haroldsen, Portland; Thomas (Sandy) Glade, Ashburn, VA, and Kristi (Robert) Hobson, Midvale; and a foster child, Karen (Ken) Mills, Afton, WY. Earl is also survived by two brothers and a sister, Richard and Keith Glade, and Patricia Curtis.
There will be a viewing Mon. May 21, 6-8 p.m. at the Berg Mortuary in Provo, 185 E. Center St. The funeral will be the following day Tues. May 22, 12 noon, Edgemont LDS Sixth Ward chapel, Provo, 4000 N. 650 E (Timpview Drive). A viewing will precede the funeral, 11a.m. Interment, Salt Lake City Cemetery.