This past fall, Stockton alumnus Paul Glaser passed away suddenly; an active member of the Stockton community, Glaser served as WLFR’s Content Manager and Jazz music director–among other positions– for over 35 years. In addition to taking part in WSSR, WLFR’s predecessor, Glaser was also a firm supporter of The Argo. He kept a complete collection of Argo newspapers, which was discovered by his close friend of 35 years and fellow alumnus, Jeremy Grites, shortly after his passing. According to Grites, Glaser’s family–in junction with Grites’ father, Dr. Thomas Grites of the Office of Academic Affairs– has agreed to donate his Argo archive to Stockton University to “use in whatever way they see fit.” They are also collecting his materials from WLFR in hopes of archiving them as well.

Grites described Glaser as a “consummate archivist,” stating that “he saved everything and tried to document everything — be it on micro-cassette, video tapes he shot or recorded from the television, thousands of hours of recordings of radio shows, concert flyers… Naturally, the Argo was something he deemed worthy of saving and preserving –which he did.”

Glaser grew up in Ventor and was “fiercely loyal” to supporting businesses in his home county, according to Grites. “Paul was one of the first people I ever remember talking about shopping local–even hyper-local– and ‘keeping the money in the county.’ He patronized as many local-run businesses as he could and generally shied away from anything corporate,” said Grites. He attended Stockton University as a Liberal Arts major in the University’s early years and remained an engaged member of WLFR from its creation in 1984 up until his death.

“Although I knew Paul through the radio station, he supported all of the student-driven, art-oriented groups at the college as well as the college itself.  He was always involved in Earth Day or various other causes [and] clubs. Likewise, he always supported The Argo,” stated Grites.

Outside of his relationship with WLFR, Glaser was a member of what was known as the “Stockton Six,” a group of Stockton University students who had traveled to Nicaragua in 1986 to help peasant laborers harvest a coffee crop. The Stockton Six received intense backlash from conservative groups, who claimed that the project’s support for the Sandinista Government violated the United States’ foreign policy, according to Albert J. Parisi’s 1986 article in the New York Times about the incident. During the 12-day trip, Glaser and his colleagues started their days as early as 5:00 a.m. and worked until 4:00 p.m., with two meal breaks throughout the day, which consisted mainly of rice and beans.

Glaser is quoted directly in Parisi’s article, questioning America’s foreign policy and pledging to inform his community of his findings in Nicaragua through WLFR. ”What I saw for myself down there, and what I’ve been told about that country up here are two totally different viewpoints…I want to set the record straight, at least for myself and my own conscience,” he said.

Above all else, however, Glaser was Grites’ close, loyal friend. The two had met through WLFR; Glaser was a former student at the time, and Grites was a high school student interested in studying Communications at Stockton University. In the six years following the start of their friendship, Glaser and Grites played in a band called Noise Museum together. “Paul was super creative and a free thinker– his perspective was always outside of the normal box and often way ahead of the curve. He was a special person and a dear friend. Everyone loved him,” said Grites.

Grites noted Glaser’s impact on his local community, citing his passing as “a huge loss for the community here and the Stockton family in particular.” “Paul was truly one of a kind and we need people like him around us…his voice and ideas were crucial in an increasingly more homogenized world. Hopefully, little things like this will keep happening though– and his ‘work’ as it was will be noticed and appreciated. I certainly hope so, anyway,” said Grites.

To learn more about WLFR, their website can be accessed here.

Stockton University’s archives can be digitally accessed here.