PHOTO BY AARON ROSENBLATT / MPW.63 PHOTO BY AARON ROSENBLATT / MPW.63
  • Glen Stewart: Holding His Own
  • By AARON ROSENBLATT
  • The 63rd Missouri Photo Workshop / Clinton, Mo.
  • “I lived the good life when I was 24. I was making 19 bucks an hour.”

    Glen Stewart, 43, of Clinton, Mo., once had his own roofing business and made enough money to help out his parents and even fix up their house. Over the years, he ran into a series of events that changed his life: He lost his eye when a friend smashed a piece of firewood through his car window; he was involved in a car accident; and his father died in a tornado.

    “My father's death left me depressed,” Glen said.

    Today Glen lives in the same house he grew up in. He makes his money working odd jobs and living off of social security while his mom and three roommates help pay the utility bills. Glen finds a way to make the most of life with his unique charm and personality. Clinton residents familiar with Glen enjoy his company and revel in his oddities. Those distant from Glen are alarmed by the state of his house. Despite Glen's difficulties maintaining an everyday job, he gets by on his five acre grandfathered-house in Clinton.

    ***

    Glen Stewart smokes a morning cigarette inside his living room in Clinton, Mo. Glen, 43, lost his right eye after a friend got drunk and smashed a piece of firewood through his car window. Over the summer, Glen's glass eye fell out while riding a roller coaster in Kansas City. Glen's vision has been impaired since the accident but he is scheduled to get a new glass eye in November. Until then, Glen uses a porcelain eye.



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