Bettendorf celebrates a kind spirit at play

A new merry-go-round in Bettendorf’s McManus Park is being dedicated to a woman whose playful spirit is being remembered and celebrated throughout the month of March.

Jan Glancy served as secretary at Mark Twain Elementary School for 25 years and retired in 2014. In August 2022, she passed away unexpectedly at the age of 68. Jan is described by school leaders as a “caring and kind person to everyone she met and always had a twinkle in her eye,” according to a city of Bettendorf release Thursday.

Mark Twain Elementary is spending every school day in the month of March engaging in kindness activities. The school is holding a schoolwide assembly on March 28th, Jan’s birthday, to commemorate all those acts of kindness for what they’re calling Jan Glancy Day of Kindness.

To coincide with this special day, the city of Bettendorf is holding a Dedication Ceremony at 11 a.m. at McManus Park, 1200 Mississippi Boulevard, where the new merry-go-round will be officially named in Jan’s honor and memory.

Her husband, Denny Glancy, serves on the Friends of Bettendorf Parks & Recreation Foundation and worked with the Foundation, the Bettendorf Parks & Recreation Department, and his wife’s memorial to pay for the new piece of playground equipment that will spread Jan’s joy around and around for generations to come, the city said Thursday.

“I was fortunate to work with Jan at Mark Twain many years ago,” Kim Kidwell, Bettendorf Culture & Recreation Director, said in the release. “Her smile was infectious, and she always had a positive word or kind thing to say. I am honored to be representing Bettendorf Parks & Recreation as part of this celebration.”

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