It would be impossible to sum up Glory June Greiff in just a few words. She is a broadcaster, environmentalist, architectural preservationist, historian, musician, chanteuse, film maker, women’s activist, actor and interpreter, explorer, animal lover, poet, author, and stimulating conversationalist, among other things. If the eyes are the gateway to the soul then Glory’s eyes certainly reflect her passion, creative energy, and artistic integrity. Glory June has been on the cutting edge of the growth of Indianapolis from Midwestern farm town to a cosmopolitan city with a vibrant arts and entertainment scene. She has also fought to preserve the rich architectural heritage of the city while encouraging the growth of new modern architecture that is both beautiful and safe. She is an advocate for the poor and homeless. She is an outspoken animal activist who demands humane treatment for the creatures who cannot speak for themselves. She has an admiration and reverence for all living things
Glory was born in northern Indiana. While growing up, she heard her mom play records and sing along with the pop standards of the 1930s and 40s which influenced her greatly. Glory loves all music but her greatest love is for those classic pop standards that her mother sang. She came to Butler to earn a degree in broadcasting. While there she became the first woman to have a weekly evening program featuring progressive jazz and pop on the school’s popular radio station WAJC. She went to Chicago to work in radio as a media personality and enjoyed some success, then briefly worked in Florida. She returned to Chicago to another radio gig but the station changed broadcast formats and she lost her job. She then started singing and playing as part of a folk duet called Uncle John and this is a time she recalls with great fondness They toured festivals, fairs, and small town inns, and taverns, as well as big city venues. Unfortunately, the sudden death of her partner for whom she had grown very fond left her devastated. She continued to sing and developed her persona at Medieval and Renaissance festivals. She used to perform at the Middle Country Renaissance Festival near Thorntown in the 1980s and 90s.
When WFBQ-FM Q95 left the robot radio format and went with live DJs, Glory was among the very first air personalities and she was with the station for the first several years of its existence. She decided to continue her education and attended IUPUI to earn her Master’s degree. She produced, wrote, directed, and filmed a documentary about Riverside Amusement Park. By the time she produced the film, the park had been closed and abandoned for a while. There were still remnants of some of the rides around the weedy, overgrown park and a few of the old buildings still stood. The film was mostly in black and white with some color segments; there was a gothic and haunting quality about it. There was also an air of sadness because it made the viewer realize that something beautiful, wonderful, and exciting had passed from Indianapolis that would never be experienced again.
While working on her Master’s degree in Public History, Glory traveled the highways, roads, trails, and paths of Indiana and the Midwest. She got to know Indiana as few people do. She has the most complete knowledge of the back roads, villages, beautiful places and undiscovered treasures of the state of Indiana. She has written articles, taken pictures, and lectured on environmental and architectural preservation and been a strong voice for eliminating waste and mismanagement on public projects, as well as those private activities that affect the public welfare.
Someone could write a book on Glory’s life and still not do justice to her personal accomplishments. But I want to shine a bit of light on what Ms. Greiff is doing now. She is currently authoring a book about the letters her parents wrote to each over during their courtship and World War II. She also presents a musical program in which she dresses in her mother’s WAVES uniform (she admits that this is not as easy as it once was) and sings some of those beautiful popular songs from the war era, which are among her favorites. The program is called “Songs My Mother Sang.”
Glory June as Gene Stratton-Porter
As a reenactor, she costumes herself and takes the personality of Indiana’s own Gene Stratton-Porter and reads and lectures about Ms. Porter’s literary works. I’ve seen the program and it’s truly amazing. She also does a poetry reading program called “Glory June Does Poetry” in which she recites poems from Shakespeare, James Whitcomb Riley, and Erica Jong, among others. Glory is available for hire to do one of her programs for any event or organization. You can reach her at 317-637-6163 or e-mail her at glory@indy.net for more information. Glory and her life partner Eric Grayson are among the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable film buffs you could ever meet. Eric is acknowledged as one of Indiana’s most accomplished film historians and movie critics and his collection of films and memorabilia would make most museums envious.
Glory June Greiff is an incredible ball of creative energy and her most productive days are still ahead of her. She’s like an oak tree with her roots grounded in the past and her limbs growing toward the future. She is an old soul with a forever youthful spirit. She is one of a kind and we who know Glory will always treasure her.
