PROFILE
Sharon Reese-McGlory Connecting a Community by Sarah Leslie Gagan The willingness of America's veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude. They have served to protect our freedoms and our lives. We live with a quality of life that exists because of the expense paid by our veterans, yet when their service is complete, it is their own quality of life that is often sacrificed. Bartlesville native Sharon Reese-McGlory has made it her life’s purpose to advocate for the veteran population, and in turn, improve and restore their quality of life. Born the fourth of five children to Kermit and Wanda (Cookie) Reese, Sharon enjoyed an active childhood playing softball. Her father, Kermit, was an area softball coach, and sports became a family affair for Sharon and her siblings. Sharon’s older brother, Walter Hays, was a popular football player with the class of 1976. Sharon’s younger sister, Arlene Reese Sutton, was a member of the 1985 girls track team and was inducted into the Bartlesville Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. Sharon and her siblings are third generation Bartians, as her grandparents also resided and worked in the community. Four years after graduating high school in 1980, Sharon joined the U.S. Navy and was on active duty from 1984 to 2004. She was stationed in Washington State for five years, then spent 15 years stationed in San Diego, California. She has one adult son, Dwight Jenkins II. Sharon is an active member of Spirit Church and enjoys sharing their community focus of selfless giving. She has also had the recent honor of being selected as the first African American female board member of Arvest Bank in Bartlesville and looks forward to the opportunity to be a part of their organization. Sharon is a current newlywed, having recently married Charles McGlory in June of this year. After Sharon’s retirement from the military in 2004, she worked at the VA hospital in Oklahoma City, in the social services department homeless program. She was the supportive coordinator for veterans with severe mental illness. She had many veterans on her caseload, but time only allowed her attention to focus on those with severe mental illness. This trend was unsettling to Sharon, as she desired to be able to help all veterans find the care and services they needed.
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bmonthly | NOVEMBER 2021
Due to the struggle within her, Sharon resigned from the VA in 2011 and started her own non-profit, Veterans Connection Organization. This allows her to focus on assisting all veterans, rather than only those with the most severe needs. As a disabled veteran herself, Sharon is equipped with the compassion and care required to empathize with other veterans in need. She relates to their situation and strives to help them live a better life. In 2018, Sharon retired from her job with Housing and Urban Development to focus on her non-profit venture full time. This also entailed a God-directed move back home to Bartlesville from Oklahoma City. It had been over three decades since she had lived in Bartlesville, but hearing the Lord speak to her heart, she knew it was time. She clearly recalls God telling her that she was coming to Bartlesville to change the minds of others, and to change the landscape of Bartlesville. She
