Humorist and inspirational speaker Glen Ward left a comfortable job at a bank 25 years ago and took a leap of faith into a venture he’d long been doing as a sideline – public speaking, including both inspirational messages and impressions of well-known personalities. It worked out, because a quarter century later, he travels the country bringing South Carolina humor to 36 states and counting. Whether he’s imitating famous Palmetto State politicians such as former U.S. Senators Strom Thurmond and Fritz Hollings or singers from Johnny Mathis and Aaron Neville to Willie Nelson, he always entertains, and always takes pains to keep his presentations family-friendly.
Longtime friend Jerry Pate tells us that Ward has the ability to connect with something within every group of people he addresses. The speaker developed his talent as a child, mimicking relatives at family reunions, people at his church or his school teachers. "I began doing this, and got laughs, and it’s something that's just stayed with me all the way along," he says. But in the end, Ward wants to inspire, not just entertain, and leave his audiences with a message "not in a power point, not in a handout, but just from my heart to theirs."
