Hometownstories.org

Hometownstories.org

Share this post

Hometownstories.org
Hometownstories.org
Jim McGlothlin never forgot where he came from

Jim McGlothlin never forgot where he came from

Ben Talley's avatar
Ben Talley
Aug 08, 2025
∙ Paid
10

Share this post

Hometownstories.org
Hometownstories.org
Jim McGlothlin never forgot where he came from
1
Share
Asset image

Bristol business magnate and philanthropist, Jim McGlothlin, passed away yesterday at the age of 85. I’ve been brewing on a story about him in my mind for a year or two now. Jim’s sudden and unexpected passing has led me to finish it.

Jim was born to Woodrow and Sally Ann McGlothlin, up in Buchanan County VA. Like so many folks of their time and place, Jim’s parents were staunch believers in hard work and keeping your word. But they went a step further than that - they instilled within their children the almighty value of education.

And their children ran with it.

If you have ever lived within a hundred miles of Bristol - in any direction - Jim’s life likely had a positive indirect influence on yours in several ways (whether you ever knew it or not).

I could go on and on about all of Jim’s astoundingly successful business ventures, all he’s done for our region, and all the money he has generously donated to countless regional charities and good causes.

But I’d rather just share a few brief personal stories. Such stories have a way of describing facts and data better than sheer facts and data do alone.

Jim wrote me a letter many years ago. I had just won the McGlothlin Award, a nationally prestigious education award, presented by the McGlothlin Foundation (headed up by his equally magnanimous brother, Tom).

Jim was a very busy man, so I knew he gave up time doing other important things to write me such a letter. He wrote, “Ben, I admire you for following your passion of being a school teacher. I know you could have been a very successful professional golfer, but you chose a different path instead. I understand. My family has always put a premium on education, so I greatly admire those who promote it in our youth. Thank you for doing it with the zeal you do.”

Several years later, in the fall of 2018, I received an email from Jim. He invited me to come take a personally guided tour with him of the proposed casino and hotel that he and his partner Clyde Stacy were putting together at the site of the old Bristol Mall. (Wow…Clyde Stacy…now there’s another great man I could write about sometime - you’d never know Clyde had a dime if you met him, he’s so humble.)

I took the tour with Jim and came away highly impressed. It was easy for me to see that this remarkable venture was more about creating economic opportunity for Bristol and the entire region than about making more money for Jim and Clyde.

Jim told me that day, “Ben, I’m 78 years old. My family and I have all the money we will ever need. I don’t need to do this. Clyde and I are doing this for the good people we came from.”

(As an aside note, some may question why a higher percentage of proceeds have not come to Bristol from the casino. I can answer that simply. Jim and Clyde were both homegrown products of the coalfield counties of Southwest Virginia, so they wanted to “share the wealth” with the entire region, not just one isolated portion of it. In short, they both remembered where they came from.)

Jim once invited me to drop by sometime and play golf at his private club, The Olde Farm. Now not too many people in their right mind would decline an invitation to such an exclusive club, but I politely did.

Ever sharp as a tack, Jim knew why. “Ben, I get it. You'd rather be out doing things to help behind the scenes in our community. Keep it up. Keep showing those families that education is the answer.”

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Hometownstories.org to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Ben Talley
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share