Glenn Hollister, '73, Defining Golden Moments Through Generosity
By Lia Kizilbash Gillet
Glenn, '73, and Sharon, '92, Hollister pose for a photo at the Golden Huskie 50+ Reunion in 2023.
(Photo: Glenn Hollister)
Glenn Hollister, ’73, has fond memories as a first-generation college student, but as an alumnus, the golden moments at NIU are more profound.
“I truly believe I have had more ‘NIU highlights’ after graduating,” Hollister said.
As a proud alumnus and donor, Hollister has served on Huskie Athletics and College of Business advisory boards, visited classrooms as a guest lecturer, and started a program to offer NIU students real-world business experience. He enjoys sporting events, including attending several MAC Football Championships and Bowl games, fall weekends at Huskie Stadium, performances by the School of Music, and basketball and concerts at the Convocation Center. Most notably, Hollister served on the Golden Huskies Reunion committee and celebrated his 50-year class reunion at the Golden Huskies 50+ Reunion in 2023, igniting a desire to champion the next generation of Huskies through scholarships.
Hollister and his wife, Sharon, M.A. ’92, have since committed to establishing the Glenn and Sharon Hollister Golden Huskies Endowed Scholarship for First Generation Students and contributed to the Golden Huskies Scholarship Fund.
Golden Huskie Challenge
Today, Hollister is challenging fellow Golden Huskies (NIU alumni graduating 50+ years ago) to make a gift of their own. Any gift, to any area of interest, from a Golden Huskie counts toward the $19,740 goal to unlock Hollister's $50,000 gift to start the endowment.
The Golden Huskies Scholarship Fundraising Campaign was launched this year to raise scholarship funds to support students who demonstrate the most need across all NIU colleges and departments. As witnesses to the rise in tuition costs since the 1970s, when the cost to attend NIU was roughly $330 per year, the Golden Huskies have come together to show their support and Huskie Pride by establishing a pathway for fundraising.
Hollister raised his hand high, not only to support the Golden Huskies Scholarship but also to encourage and nurture first-generation students. With 50 percent of the students in the latest freshman class being the first in their families to earn a degree, many students are working their way through school while assisting with family obligations. The Glenn and Sharon Hollister Golden Huskies Endowed Scholarship for First Generation Students will ease financial burdens for these students and support NIU’s mission to be an engine for social mobility. As an endowment, Glenn and Sharon’s investment will provide ongoing support for countless generations of Huskies and their families because the gift itself is invested, and a portion of the earnings will be used to fund scholarships in perpetuity.
“I felt I had accomplished a major milestone within our family when graduating,” Hollister said. “I knew how much it meant to my parents. Through the Golden Huskies Scholarship and our scholarship for first-generation students, we can support students in need for years to come. I hope the recipients can continue or complete their education while enjoying their time at NIU. I also hope they will be as thankful as I was for the opportunity and that their degree will bring as much joy to their family as it did to mine.”
Hollister said giving back is a core value to his generation. With this focused campaign approach, and by increasing awareness of giving options for NIU alumni, he wants to see more Golden Huskies help students reach their lifetime goals. Without having received his own scholarship, Hollister may not have attended or graduated from NIU.
Scholarship Impact
Growing up in Bristol, Wisconsin’s small, rural community, Hollister learned early on the importance of a strong work ethic and education.
“In addition to my dad’s full-time job as a truck driver and county highway worker, he worked two to three other part-time jobs to help make ends meet,” Hollister said. “I spent most summers working on my uncle’s dairy farm, where I learned about long days, hard work, and taking on responsibility at an early age. I was driving tractors and pickup trucks at the age of 12.”
Hollister’s parents, Glen and Myrtle, were both high school graduates; they encouraged their two children to do well in school and go to college despite not having the financial means to help. Working at Bristol Oaks Country Club golf course while also playing varsity golf all four years at Salem Central High School—and winning some tournaments—paid off for Hollister. He was recruited by NIU Golf coach Jack Pheanis, and with a partial scholarship in hand, Hollister came to DeKalb in the summer of 1969 and lived with three other NIU golfers.
The lessons Hollister learned growing up helped him to balance the time demands of collegiate golf, classes, and studying while working part-time.
“My parents instilled upon me the importance of hard work, living up to your commitments, and finishing what you started,” Hollister said. “So, I came to NIU with a partial scholarship, worked at the Kishwaukee Country Club to pay for the rest, played on the men’s golf team, lettered during my junior and senior years, and graduated in four years with no college debt as a first-generation college graduate.”
Hollister graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics and continued working at the Kishwaukee Country Club, where he had worked his way up from mopping the floors and cleaning the bathrooms as a student to tending bar. After reaching out to companies for a career in sales, a country club member who worked at IDEAL INDUSTRIES INC in Sycamore suggested that Hollister apply to work there.
“I applied for a sales position, and after interviewing and taking some profile tests, they said I had some analytical skills and asked if I would be interested in an Assistant Product Manager position,” Hollister said. “I immediately said yes. My first 12 months W2 was slightly under $8,000, and I was in heaven.”
Hollister spent his entire 41-year career at IDEAL, holding sales, marketing, management, and general management positions. Although he relocated only twice, once to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and then to the Toronto, Canada, area, he logged over three million miles flying during his career. In 1986, he returned to DeKalb, where he has remained since. In 2015, he retired as senior executive vice president.
Glenn and Sharon Hollister stand with Victor E. at Huskie Stadium. (Photo: Glenn Hollister)Finding the IDEAL Connection
About a month after joining IDEAL, Hollister was invited to a coworker’s retirement party. While there, Hollister met one of his coworker's two daughters, Sharon, a recent Purdue graduate working as a speech therapist in the Sycamore School District. Eventually, the two started dating and were married on June 14, 1975, about a year from when they first met.
Sharon earned her master’s degree in speech pathology from NIU and spent several years as a speech therapist in DeKalb schools before working at NIU as a clinical supervisor in Communicative Disorders. There, she focused on school-age speech and language and worked with the hearing impaired.
“I consider Sharon as much of a Golden Huskie as I am,” Hollister said. “When we returned to DeKalb in 1986, with our two sons Brett and Eric, ’05, we rekindled our relationship with NIU and immediately got season tickets for football and men’s and women’s basketball games. NIU was part of our family.”
IDEAL not only allowed him to meet Sharon but also offered ways for Hollister to build a stronger relationship between IDEAL and NIU.
He initiated a sales associate program at IDEAL, where they hired graduates of NIU and other universities to come to IDEAL and enter a six-month overall training program. After that, they were assigned to a U.S. sales territory.
“IDEAL employs dozens of NIU students as interns every year, many of which are offered full-time employment after graduation,” Hollister said.
After retiring, Hollister spent two years helping to create and oversee the IDEAL – NIU Intrapreneurship Program. The program was designed to give NIU undergraduate students real-life experience designing products, conducting market research, and developing a business plan. The ultimate goal, however, was for students to be hired by IDEAL and for the company to create a business unit to manufacture these products and bring them to the market. IDEAL had a facility dedicated to this program in DeKalb.
NIU Golden Years
Enriched by his experiences in DeKalb and at NIU, Hollister has become a key contributor to the growth and development of both communities. His professional and philanthropic endeavors are woven into the DeKalb community and garnered recognition from NIU.
Glenn and Sharon are also committed to supporting NIU Athletics and NIU Golf, which are still very close to Glenn’s heart. Over the years, they have contributed to various capital projects, and in 2018, they created an endowment that would award an ongoing annual academic scholarship for both the men’s and women’s golf programs. In 2018, Hollister was honored with the Huskies Legend Award from NIU Athletics for his contributions to and support for the athletic program and in recognition of his involvement with students and faculty over the years.
In 1994, Hollister received the William J. Hendrickson Award for Outstanding Contribution from an Alumnus from the Department of Marketing.
“I was honored to be recognized for my contributions,” Hollister said. “NIU was the springboard for successful careers, and many of us found ways to give back or still want to find ways to give back. Today, I'm excited to continue my support while working with the Golden Huskies Committee to bring awareness of how to get involved and give back.”
“Last year, we had a lot of fun attending all of the events during Homecoming,” Hollister continued. “While I only knew a few of the attendees at the reunion, I had made several new friends by the time the night ended. It was great to share stories of our time on campus, from concerts, athletic events, protests, and overall life on campus.”
Hollister said he remains an active Huskie because NIU helped define who he is today.
“Whether it be by volunteering, providing financial support, promoting the quality of getting an education at NIU, proudly wearing the Cardinal and Black, and most importantly, believing in Forward Together Forward, we all can represent and champion NIU with pride. I am extremely proud that I was and will always be a NIU Huskie!”