A Life Lived: Ray Glover never outgrew his love for adventure and cowboys

Published 12:20 pm Tuesday, October 11, 2022

It was on a Saturday and Ray Glover, not quite yet 12 years old, had gone to the old Ritz Theater on Elk Avenue to see the Bowery Boys, and he only had nine cents to buy a child’s ticket…which he was only 11 years of age at the time. However, the manager took Ray to be at least 12, and tried to charge him the price of an adult ticket — 25 cents.

In a story I did for the STAR in 1978, Ray recalls racing down the street, yelling back at the manager, “I’ll show you.” And, somehow a dream was born that day to “get even” by having his own theater.

And, he did. He was a former owner of the Bonnie Kate Theater and Stateline Drive-In. But before he was owner, Ray was manager and operator of the theater.

But, during high school the Ritz Theater manager hired Ray to work, and it was the beginning of his career in the theater business.

By the way, Ray did get in at the Ritz to see the Bowery Boys. Mrs. Grace Gregg, knowing that Ray was not yet 12 years old, chased him down the street and brought him back to the theater, and he was allowed to see the movie on his nine-cent ticket.

That is just one of many “theater” stories Ray Glover could have told you.

Ray died at the age of 81 on October 1 at the Johnson City Medical Center from injuries suffered in a fall a few days earlier.

Ray Glover was always a little boy at heart, who yearned to be a cowboy and ride off into the Ole West. Instead, he watched cowboy movies and when the opportunity presented itself, Ray met a few of those old cowboy actors such as Tex Ritter and Sunset Carson, to mention a couple.

For several years, Ray was owner of both the Bonnie Kate Theater and the Stateline Drive-In, and he showed his fair share of westerns and classic movies of the 1930-’50s era. According to his son, Chip, Ray’s favorite actor was Randolph Scott and a couple of his favorite movies were “Casablanca” and “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

His son said Ray enjoyed watching classic movies of the 1930 through the 1950s, especially westerns. “He enjoyed going to western film festivals across the country in the 1970s and 1980s, where he had the opportunity to meet many of the actors he enjoyed watching. Sunset Carson even came by the Bonnie Kate one day back in the 1970s to meet my Dad,” said Chip.

As owner of the Bonnie Kate and Stateline Drive-In, Ray was a frequent visitor to the STAR. He would bring advertisements of movies and often took time to visit with Editor Bill Jenkins to talk sports.

Having grew up with the theater and movies, Ray watched westerns completely disappear from the movie screen as well as adult cartoons.

In addition to the Bonnie Kate and Stateline Drive-In, Ray also owned the Jolly Roger, the Flatwoods Drive-In, and the Cougar Drive-In.

Ray’s wife, Jeanette, shared that Ray loved his time at the Bonnie Kate and enjoyed the film business. “He was always for the down and out. He grew up poor, and he often admitted people free to the theater, and even gave them a bag of popcorn,” she said.

Ray was a people person, and enjoyed the mercantile business. He and Jeanette also owned and operated Capitol Discount and Brittney’s in Elizabethton. Ray also served as a mentor to his son Chip with his business, the All-Star Card Co.

In addition to movies, Ray also enjoyed baseball and was a lifelong Cincinnati Reds fan, especially during the heyday of “The Red Red Machine” in the 1970s. In the late 1980s he became involved with the Elizabethton Twins, and he became a fan of the Minnesota Twins. Ray also served on the City of Elizabethton’s Baseball Commission for a number of years and rarely missed an Elizabethton Twins home game.

During his retirement years he enjoyed working for Willie McVey at Valley Forge Auction and Wholesale. “Willie was like a second son to him, and the employees were like family to him. He traveled to China with Willie several times to visit trade shows and make purchases. Ray missed his time at the auction badly after he became unable to work,” his wife said.

Ray enjoyed meeting and talking with people. His businesses were an outlet for meeting people.

He really was a kid his entire life, enjoying old cowboys and western movies, and going to baseball games. His work was like playtime.

Ray leaves behind his wife, Jeanette, a son, Chip, and a daughter, Renee Erwin, and her husband, Jeff. And, also left to cherish his memory is a community of friends.