On Sunday Sept. 28, a funeral service took place at the Oakland University Credit Union O’Rena for a man that meant so much to the Oakland University community — Glenn McIntosh.
“Mr. OU”, “Glenn Mac” and “Big Mac”, as friends called him, was the Senior Vice President for Students Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer who passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at the age of 62. He is remembered as a man of faith, a devoted husband, brother (in-law), uncle, father figure and friend to many.
The service was a sacred, joyous celebration of a life well-lived. With over 1500 people in attendance, remarks were made by McIntosh’s fraternity brothers from Omega Psi Phi Inc. and Sigma Phi Pi (Boule), OU President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, Oakland County Executive David C. Coulter, Student Body President Marcus Johnson, McIntosh’s nephew Quontez McCroy, pastors and reverends of McIntosh’s church.
An Omega Service opened the evening, a ceremony transferring fraternity brothers into the next chapter of life. McIntosh was strong in his faith, and even served as a reverend. The two churches he was affiliated with — Little Rock Baptist Church and Renaissance Unity Church — were a part of the service. Mourners glanced through the beautiful purple pages of tributes given by family members.
McIntosh’s nephew, Quontez McCroy shared his deep gratitude for his uncle’s constant presence.
“I love you, thanks for making me into a man; thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me; I’m forever grateful for the impact you had in my life; I’m forever grateful for you, thank you for playing catch with me in the backyard; thank you for taking me to every one of my sports events growing up; thank you for supporting every dream I had; thank you for being there supporting me no matter the circumstances…thank you for being the only father figure I needed. I love you so much I can’t say thank you enough,” said McCroy.
Receiving his B.S. in Sociology/Business Administration from Central Michigan University in 1986 and then his M.A. in Mental Health Counseling from Wayne State University, he went on to dedicate over 40 years of his life to higher education — 31 years at OU. His professional life was defined by “…advocacy, equity, and empowerment,” as mentioned in the funeral booklet.
Students and faculty would often see McIntosh in the Oakland Center, donned in a tailor made suit, a gorgeous silk tie and a matching pocket square. His infectious smile could be seen from a mile away, always there to brighten someone’s day.
He was a man of discipline who serviced those around him and overcame any adversity that stood in his path. When he was bullied for being overweight as a child, years later he would train hard and become Mr. Michigan. When he lost his father, mother, brother and twin sister to heart-related conditions, he would donate and walk in Detroit Heart Walk every single year. McIntosh made sure everyone felt loved and important, often saying, “I love you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“To have known Glenn is to have come in contact with a higher force, a force of good, a force for always doing the right thing, a force of compassion and understanding and a force who had a love of and for people, regardless of race, religion, age, nationality or viewpoint,” President Pescovitz said.
“Glenn was born in southwest Detroit in a rough neighborhood. Many of his childhood friends were dead from violence, or they were incarcerated…One would think that growing up in that environment would make a man angry and resentful, but not Glenn; Glenn had too much love in his heart. He was influenced by the love of incredible and remarkable women in his life. His mother, his aunt and you Lia. And in his quest for justice, he always said that he was determined to be an agent for positive change in his neighborhood and the broader community, and that’s exactly what he set out to do,” President Pescovitz said.
“When I won my role as Student Body President, he was the first person to declare loudly, ‘Mr. President’, in only a way he could. He had manifested that I’d get the job well before I stepped into it. He always believed in me,” said Marcus Johnson, OU Student Body President.
“I first met Glenn when I was a student at OU, and he had just started in what is now the Center for Multicultural Initiatives (CMI). My most treasured memories of him are when I was here as staff, and I actually trained for a figure competition. He supported me and helped train me. My legs are still sore, and that was many many years ago, but my quads are still sore from training with him at the gym. But like everybody said here tonight, you could walk right into his office and he was the most attentive person around,” Bridget Green, OU alumna, former CMI faculty member said.
“Glenn was one of the first people from OU who directly told me, ‘you should come to OU’. I was at a community center dinner as a senior in high school, and he told me I’d grow so much at the school. I’m so glad I took his advice because my time at OU was so great. And when I think of all the really big events at the school, like my graduation for both of my degrees, winning the Keeper of the Dream award and so many other events, I remember him being there. He was there for so many of the students here, and it’s so true that he was so loved. When I think of how much time I spent with Glenn, it’s so small in comparison to many of the people close to him and yet he left such an impact; and I think many of the students at OU would say the same,” Zoe Rosario, OU alumna, said.
