Gibbons, Packer Win Glander Scholarship Honors

By Anna Hodge

Nestled behind Fairfield Hills lies a baseball field, and on it, there is a plaque in memoriam of a man who was greatly respected by all those involved in Newtown baseball. Bob Glander was a baseball coach in Newtown, and his wife, Ginger Glander, describes him as an “out of the ordinary coach and a very special guy. He was the kind of person who always wanted to make sure the kids were having fun at practice or at games,” she said.

After his sudden death on October 20, 1997, Ginger Glander and her children decided to establish a scholarship in his name. “We put together the scholarship for athletes who exemplify the type of approach [Bob] took to sports; a good attitude and good sportsmanship,” she said.

When the Bob Glander Scholarship was awarded two years after his Glander’s death, it struggled financially until Newtown Babe Ruth Baseball began to fund it. Initially given only to male athletes, the Glander Scholarship is now awarded to both male and female athletes and is worth $1,000.

According to Glander, the scholarship is unique because it is not based on financial need, performance, or grades. Prospective candidates for the scholarship must have played in Newtown Babe Ruth baseball or softball as a child. They must also send an essay to the Newtown Babe Ruth committee that reviews applications.

“A qualified applicant is someone who can explain in the essay why they are special and how they approach sports the way Bob did,” Glander said.

A committee from Newtown Babe Ruth Baseball chooses the scholarship recipients after reviewing the applicants’ essays. Glander, who does not normally serve on the committee, participated for the first time this year in selecting the two winners.

This year, the Bob Glander Scholarship was awarded to two Newtown High School athletes, Megan Gibbons and Kyle Packer, both 2011 NHS graduates. They both received the award at the Senior Awards night held at Newtown High School in June.

Gibbons, a co-captain of the softball team, said she applied for the scholarship because she felt that she fit the criteria for the award. She added, “It stood out to me because unlike the other scholarships that were being presented by big committees and panels, the Glander Scholarship was very intimate and meaningful, not only to the Glander family but to Newtown’s history of involvement with baseball and softball.”

Gibbons will attend the University of New Hampshire, where she said she does not plan to play varsity softball. “UNH does have a club team, which I might try out for my sophomore year. Freshman year I just want to focus on getting accustomed to college,” she said.

Packer, who has been playing baseball for 12 years, said he applied for the scholarship for several reasons. “The Glander Scholarship stood out to me because as far back as I can remember, I spent the majority of my youth baseball career on Glander field,” he said.

Packer added that although he was not a captain on the NHS baseball team, he continued to motivate his teammates, exemplifying a good attitude, a characteristic that is the very cornerstone of the Glander Scholarship.

“I think a good attitude is a necessity when playing baseball,” Packer said. “If your mind is not totally clear, it becomes impossible to focus on what you are doing. I also feel that it is vital to have sportsmanship in baseball, and I try to demonstrate that every day on the baseball field.

“Sportsmanship to me is not only not putting yourself before the team,” he adds, “but having class and poise when playing a game against an opponent.”

Packer will attend Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Because he will be in the Corps Cadets following the NROTC track, he will not be allowed to participate in clubs or sports; come the spring, however, he hopes to try out for the college’s club baseball team.

As for the future of the scholarship, Glander hopes to get her three children more involved in the scholarship’s process. “They live too far away, but I’m hoping one day one of my kids could be there to present the award,” she said.

In the meantime, parents who sign their children up for Newtown Babe Ruth Baseball have the option to donate money to the scholarship. Such contributions will benefit the scholarship, helping to ensure that the Newtown community continues to support athletes who display strength of character when out on the playing field.