The man to be sworn in Friday as the colonel of the North Carolina Highway Patrol used to be known as one part of Frick and Frack.
Randy Glover, 49, a New Bern resident, served in the New Bern patrol district office first as a trooper, then as a first sergeant.
The Frick and Frack name was shared with former state trooper Ray Leggett. Leggett is the president of CarolinaEast Medical Center.
Glover will be given the oath by Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. Gov. Bev Perdue, who appointed Glover to the highest post with the patrol, will be at the 10 a.m. ceremony at the state Capitol.
Many of Glover’s friends and fomer co-workers plan to attend the event.
Former district highway patrol secretary Faye Willingham said she would not miss the event.
“No matter where he goes he will always be my son. All of those guys are my sons,” Willingham said. She was the patrol secretary from 1988 to 2004.
“He had a quiet sense of humor. He followed the patrol manual to the tee,” Willingham said.
She recalls Glover as a great father and husband. Willingham said Glover’s wife Cindy was always supportive. Cindy works in the Craven County tax office.
“He will never forget to be a trooper and I hope he will always remember the difficulties the troopers encounter each day. I expect nothing but good things from him,” Willingham said.
“He may be the colonel of the highway patrol but his youngest daughter Taylor has him wrapped around her finger,” Willingham said.
Former patrol line sergeant David Garrish was once the boss of Glover and Leggett in New Bern during the mid-1980s.
Garrish is now captain of the CarolinaEast Medical Center police force.
“I tried to keep Randy and Ray on the same shift. They were like Pete and Repete. Randy is a country boy and has those values. He was a good trooper. While he went by the book, he had a soft spot and would use discretion in his decision-making. He had a humane side to him,” Garrish said.
Garrish named Glover and Leggett Frick and Frack.
“It makes me proud to see how both Randy and Ray moved up. It speaks well for the young troopers who have served here. Randy will make a fine colonel,” said Garrish.
“I wished him well and we talked about many things. I told him I had to help with some in-laws and I would probably miss his ceremony,” Garrish said.
Leggett and Glover could not be separated as they worked the roads of Craven and Pamlico counties in the mid-1980s.
“He was an outstanding person and outstanding trooper,” Leggett said of his friend.
“He always did the right thing and cared. He will be an outstanding leader,” Leggett said.
Leggett said he did not think at the time of how the two men would continue their careers.
Part of the caravan to Raleigh on Friday will include the pastor of First Baptist Church of New Bern, Dr. Steve Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald is the chaplain for the New Bern district office and pastor of the church that Glover and his family attend.
Fitzgerald is honored that he will give the closing prayer of the swearing-in ceremony. He said the prayer would be for Glover and his job and for all the first responders in the state who put their lives on the line for the people.
“It is a dangerous job to be a trooper. Think about stopping on a rural road at 2 a.m. You never know what you will be faced with,” Fitzgerald said.
Some members of the New Bern district office of the state Highway Patrol will travel to the Friday morning ceremony.
Who is Randy Glover?
He is a Nash County native.
Joined highway patrol in 1980 as a member of the 60 th Basic Patrol School and was first assigned to Harnett County. He was transferred as a trooper to Craven County in 1987.
He was promoted to line sergeant in 1992 and first sergeant in 1995, lieutenant 2002, captain in 2004, major in 2007 and lieutenant colonel in 2008.
His duty stations included Dunn, New Bern (in 1987), Jackson, Morehead City, New Bern (in 1995), Monroe, Greenville and Raleigh.
He graduated from the Southern Police Institute in Louisville and is a member of the First Baptist Church in New Bern. He is a Mason and Shriner.
Glover and his wife Cindy have three children, Taylor,Tiffany and Paige.
