Wayne Glanton: Tribute to a man who helped build Minneapolis’ Black community

 Wayne Glanton, a successful Black businessman in Minneapolis, passed away on May 27 at the age of 101.

One of the founders of Sabathani Community Center in South Minneapolis, Glanton was committed to his family, his faith, and his community. Born on April 24, 1922, he attended and graduated from Minneapolis Central High School in 1941 and attended Dunwoody College to study construction. He was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Forces (now the U.S. Air Force) in 1943 during World War II and mainly served his time in Florida.

After being honorably discharged, Glanton returned to Minneapolis and completed his college education at Dunwoody and the University of Minnesota. He was employed by Hennepin County for 21 years as a land engineer.

Three years after marrying Clodeal Richardson, Wayne founded Glanton Construction Company in 1954, and he and his late wife later became owners of a True Value Hardware franchise in South Minneapolis. His company was also involved in the construction of the current MSR building at 4th Street and 38th Avenue South.

“He was a pretty busy guy,” said Minneapolis native Andrew Rose of Wayne Glanton. Rose said he was Glanton’s “adopted” son, as Glanton was the father of three daughters. The two were active members of the Johnnie Baker VFW Post in North Minneapolis, and Rose said he often drove Glanton around the state to check on his construction projects. 

“He was a very decent guy. He was a good businessman,” said Rose of Glanton, who was also a very active member of Calvary Baptist Church in South Minneapolis.

Glanton was preceded in death by his wife Clodeal, daughters Elaine Dyer and Jackie Scott, parents Rosalind and Herbert, brothers Jack and John, sister Vera Wright, and grandson George Dilliard, Jr.