Meyer makes a comeback to serve

Above: Sen. Glen Meyer makes a new friend on a Louisiana bayou tour.

The fact that District 17 Sen. Glen Meyer is able to serve as a member of the 109th Legislature is itself a small miracle. The freshman senator had a stroke just one week before the session convened and was released from Madonna rehab in Lincoln on the morning he was sworn in.

“They scraped me off the basement floor,” Meyer said. “I didn’t fall or anything, but the vertigo was so bad that I couldn’t stand or even sit up.”

Luckily, Meyer’s home in Pender is only four blocks from the local hospital so the rescue squad was quick to reach him for evaluation and treatment. Later, he was flown to the Nebraska Medical Center, followed by rehabilitation at Madonna. As a cancer survivor also, Meyer is no stranger to medical issues or the need to keep going in spite of them.

“I was released on the first day of the session and have been going ever since,” he said.

That work ethic and toughness have served the senator well. Meyer grew up on a farm in Wayne County and worked for local farmers and feedlots during high school. After graduation, he worked construction, building livestock confinement buildings across the Midwest before settling down to raise crops and livestock on his own farm.

Recognizing an opportunity in 1998, Meyer went to work for Crows Hybrids, which grew into Channel Seeds, from which he retired in 2016.

In addition to his careers in agriculture, Meyer found time to serve on the Thurston County Board of Supervisors, five years as chairperson, and on the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Board and Region 4 Behavioral Health Board. He also served nine years on the District 25 School Board.

While higher office was not on his “bucket list,” Meyer said the experience has been a good one so far. He was recruited to run when the legislative seat became open due to term limits and, although initially reluctant, he’s now glad that he was convinced.

“There are times in life when something is put in your path and you realize that it’s the course you were meant to be on,” Meyer said. “I feel now that I was the right person at the right time.”

He got some unexpected help during the campaign season from his wife of 45 years. Lorie, a retired third grade teacher, told him she was OK with him running but didn’t want to participate in the public part of the process.

“She told me no speeches, no parades,” Meyer said. “As it turned out, Lorie was my driver in the parades and was out on the campaign trail with me. I wouldn’t have been successful without her.”

Now that he’s getting into the swing of things at the Capitol, Lorie and her twin sister Linda follow the proceedings closely. So much so that they have a group text titled “As the Legislature Turns” in which they share observations on the daily happenings in Lincoln.

“They have really taken an interest in what the Legislature does and offer suggestions and insight regarding the issues we’re discussing. They are good sounding boards for me,” Meyer said.

One of the skills he brings to his public service is the willingness to engage with those whose worldview differs from his own. For example, he recently participated in a town hall in his district with the Wayne and Thurston County Democratic parties that was open to the public.

“I was the target,” Meyer said. “We had a good turnout; it was a diverse group and we had a really good conversation. They appreciated the fact that I would listen and talk with them and it gives us an opportunity to understand each other, especially when we disagree on issues.”