Gales Ferry veteran, former state Rep. Glenn Arthur dies at 85
Gales Ferry — Ledyard Town Council Chairman Linda Davis credited longtime resident Glenn Arthur Jr. with her first experience in politics in the 1980s when he asked her to serve as publicity chairman for his run for state representative for the 42nd District.
She said he wasn't well known in politics at the time, and his win over popular incumbent Naomi Otterness in 1982 was unparalleled.
"He did it by knocking on every door in Ledyard," Davis said. All he had to do to get residents' votes was meet them and talk to them, she said.
Arthur died Aug. 26 at the age of 85.
His career of civil service, which included 10 years in the Connecticut General Assembly and time on the Ledyard Board of Education and the Ledyard youth baseball league, was an extension of his 22-year Navy career. He came to southeastern Connecticut twice during his Navy tenure, once to attend the Naval Submarine School in Groton and again as the commanding officer of the USS William H. Bates after it was transferred to Groton from Pascagoula, Miss.
He retired as a captain, and Ray Woolrich of Waterford remembered him for always being pleasant and willing to listen.
"He was the most approachable captain I think I've ever met," he said, recalling his days as a navigator when Arthur was deputy commander of Submarine Squadron 10. "You don't find people much better than that, and he was class."
Arthur was honored for his military service in 2015 when he was inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame, established in 2005 to recognize residents who continued to serve their communities after retiring from the military. Davis and former Ledyard Mayor John Rodolico attended the ceremony in Hartford.
State Rep. Mike France, R-Ledyard, said he met Arthur upon joining the Town Council. He also presented a citation from the Connecticut General Assembly in recognition of Arthur's nomination to the Veterans Hall of Fame.
"I certainly sought out his wisdom in serving as a state rep," he said, recalling many valuable conversations about serving the same district. "It was an honor to be able to know him."
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