Before They Became a Hospital CEO . . .
( . . . and a pro star in England) 

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  So, I'm checking out the paper today (Dec. 2, 2009) and an ad on page 12
catches my eye. It includes a picture and the guy looks vaguely familiar. A
look below reveals that the guy is Dr. Kenneth Glass and he's the new CEO
at Philly's Friends Hospital
. . . Oh, my goodness! That's Kenny Glass,
a third team All-City basketball star for Bartram (class of 1982). How
wonderful is this!? The archives yielded a combo story I wrote in January of
'82 about Kenny and a teammate. Below you'll find the portion of the story
concerning Kenny, and take note that he had his career mapped out even then.
Very, very, nice. Best of luck, Kenny!
-- Ted
  Meanwhile . . . I have a suspicion that the other guy in the story went on to
play pro basketball in England . . . He did! I found a website for pro basketball
over there and sent someone an email. He confirmed that "their" Trevor Gordon
was "our" Trevor Gordon. The part of the 1982 story concerning Trevor can
be found below.


 

  Glass yesterday contributed 20 points, 11 boards and four steals as the

Braves scalped winless Simon Gratz, 67-46, in a Public League mismatch. But

when Kenny discusses his goals, he's not referring to the kind he could score

with jumpers and scoop shots.

  "I want to be a psychiatrist. The mind fascinates me," said Glass, who had

900-plus in the SATs as a junior and stands near the top of his class.

  "Probing inside. Finding out how it works.

  "In seventh grade, when I started giving thought to the career I would like

to pursue, I leaned toward becoming a psychologist. But the road toward

becoming a psychiatrist will prove harder. That is what I want, a constant

challenge. Work harder along the way, you will feel more satisfaction when you

reach the top."

  GLASS' PARENTS never were able to enjoy the spoils of a college educations.

That didn't stop them from learning the lessons of life.

  "My parents always impress the importance of education," Kenny said. " My

older sister graduated from Pace (New York) and my brother is a junior at

Villanova. It is super to have examples in front of you. My brother and

sister attained certain academic goals. Now, I'm determined to achieve like

they did."

  Achievement in basketball, especially in reference to the 1980-81 Braves, is

a touchy subject with Glass.

  The team compiled a 6-9 mark, good (bad?) for a fourth-place tie in Division

D though Kenny assumed a high profile with a second-best average of 11.6.

  "Last year's team had more talent than this year's team," Kenny said, "but

dedication is the key to winning and certain seniors last year did not have

it. I tried to figure out those guys, tried to talk to them, but I eventually

quit. Some of them hardly ever came to practice. How could I talk to them?

  "My view became, 'These guys screwed up their year, but there is no way

my year will evolve into a joke. ' Zachary Williams (injured guard) and I

played the most among last year's juniors. We wanted to make sure that this

year's team toed the line. If someone starts messing around, we won't hesitate

to tell Coach (Jack) Farrell."

  Glass, though somewhat short on stamina, features a feathery jumper he can

hit from the corners and key. His leaping ability is above average.

  "Physically, my game has not improved that much from last year to this,"

Kenny said. "The difference has been in my mental approach. By this time

last year, I was disgusted. It was tough coming into the gym when you knew

that some of your teammates were not going to make a contribution toward

winning."

 

----

And here's the portion of the same story concerning Trevor Gordon, who
played at Gloucester County College (N.J.) before moving on to Boston College
and then enjoying a long career in England's pro league . . .

  For Trevor Gordon, contributions to a winning basketball team are mostly a

new phenomenon, although he played three years of varsity soccer, where he

made a helluva sight on the field for Coach Ed Tatoian.

  Gordon has played basketball, on an official basis, for only two seasons and

has resided less than five years total in Philadelphia, having migrated during

eighth grade from London, England, by way of Nottingham.

  "The schools in England had basketball," Trevor said, "but I had no

interest. Soccer and rugby were the big sports. I liked soccer, gave rugby a

try. I wised up, though. It made no sense to risk losing my head, literally.

I developed the basketball interest mainly because all the kids in my

neighborhood seemed to be playing."

  Gordon is stiff-bodied, but has the potential to blossom into a dynamic

rebounding and shot-blocking force at, possibly, a Division II school. He

yesterday posted 19 points and 14 rebounds in 25 minutes. Allen Berry (11

rebounds), Timmy Moore (11 points) and Clyde Peterson (five assists, three

steals) also contributed.

 "I LIKE IT here," Trevor said, "but the schools are much different. The

school day is much longer in England, with more breaks. Lunch is 1 1/2 hours

and students are allowed to leave the campus as long as they come back for

the rest of their classes. There is less discipline mainly because the

students are more inclined to discipline themselves. There is little failing.

It's almost unheard of."

  In case you meet him, don't make the false assumption that Trevor will blitz

you with his accent.

  "When I first came here," Trevor said, "I did not know my way and I had to

ask questions. I'd say three words and kids would burst out laughing. After

that, I kept my mouth shut and when I did speak, I tried to copy the way the

other kids talked.

 "It worked. No more accent. However, I kind of regret it. An English accent

is distinctive."

  After a shaky academic start, caused in some part because he works part-time

in his parents' fabric store near Broad and Erie, Gordon will graduate with

his class and, according to coach Jack Farrell, "can get into lots of places."