Hometown hero; Local Special Olympics athlete recognized for saving his family during a house fire

BUTTE— Glacier Morrow is a Special Olympics athlete, a buddy country music performer and an avid fan of the Denver Broncos. But more than all of that, Morrow is a son with a heart bigger than his smile, a son that saved his family during a house fire last year.

Glacier Morrow is a hero.

“I’m proud of him every day. He’s my everyday hero,” Glacier’s father, Mike Morrow, said.

Glacier spends time in both the home of his father and his mother, Jana Griffen. Both permeate love and support for all his hobbies, interests and big dreams. Glacier can be found, at least once a week, strumming on his guitar, practicing for his future career as a country music star. He said that he also likes gospel music and some of his favorite country performers are Jason Aldean, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw and the Band Perry.

On Sept. 8, 2018 Glacier said that he heard the fire alarm go off and went to investigate. He found the source of the commotion in the living room — a fire. He made his way to his mother’s room to wake her up. Once she was awake, Glacier called 911 and they all went outside.

“Then I saw the fire truck,” Glacier said.

Glacier was playing bocce ball for the Special Olympics earlier that day. Mike said that Glacier had a good day in the tournament, and normally Glacier’s team would stay the night in Anchorage. But Glacier had to commute back to the Valley, getting home late in the evening. Glacier was unwinding from the day while Griffin and her partner Daniel Droege were both asleep. Then fire broke out, engulfing their home in flames.

“So they didn’t get to finish up their tournament, you know?” Mike said.

Mike said that in spite of missing out on the rest of the tournament, Glacier and his teammate, Droege, still won the bronze medal because of the high number of points they acquired on the first day.

Glacier has won many medals, certificates ribbons, and other accolades in his life. He said that he’s been playing basketball in the Special Olympics for eight years and that’s his favorite event. He also participates in events like floor hockey, golf, bowling and bocce ball.

His room is dominated by two features, his coveted collection of Denver Bronco memorabilia and his many, many milestones.

On a normal day, Glacier would have two bedrooms. He is a die-hard Denver Broncos fan, inheriting the team adoration from his father. He lost a fair amount of his Broncos memorabilia along with other precious belongings like his guitar, microphone and amp.

Glacier is still waiting to christen his new bedroom. But when it’s ready, he’ll have plenty Bronco lore, guitars and other new things to spread between his two rooms. He proudly showed off his various Broncos items, including an autographed portrait of John Elway, one of the most famous quarterbacks in NFL history.

“It’s real memorabilia,” Mike said.

Glacier received the portrait, some signed jerseys, and other Broncos swag during the ceremony. It didn’t stop there, Mike said. Glacier’s brother Crosby Morrow created an account for Glacier after the fire. Mike said that once word got around, the community outpoured and donated money and numerous Broncos items.

“So many people were helpful in every way,” Mike said.

Glacier recently received another medal, but this one had the most important story off all his medals. This medal reflected three lives, lives so dear to him, lives that had to be saved. And he saved them. The American Red Cross awarded Glacier the Adult Good Samaritan Hero award during their annual Heroes’ Breakfast. He was celebrated alongside fellow heroic citizens honored for their bravery.

“Heroes don’t always wear capes,” Mike said.

Mike showed a recording of the ceremony. Glacier and Griffin were seen on a big screen in front of hundreds of people, sharing their stories about that fateful day.

“Fortunately, Glacier stayed up,” Griffin said in the video.

Griffin stated in the video that she and Droege tried to extinguish the fire but it proved to be out of their hands so they asked Glacier to call 911 and they evacuated the house.

“I don’t know how many hours we were; five, six hours standing outside, watching the house burn,” Griffin said.

Griffin thanked the Red Cross for arriving on the scene and giving them about $600 so they could get clothes, necessities and accommodations, calling them a “blessing.”

Griffin praised her son for his quick and brave actions, saving them from certain peril.

“My son’s my hero. He absolutely saved us, there’s no doubt,” she said.

Glacier rubbed his eyes under his glasses, just like he did at the ceremony, formally dressed in his black blazer, wiping his eyes after hearing his mother’s words. It was clear to see Glacier was glad that he heard the smoke alarm. Mike said that Glacier has always been a star, a bright blessing, and his daily hero.

Griffin’s house has been rebuilt and the final touches are nearly complete.

“Hopefully it will be six more weeks. We’re looking forward to being back home,” Griffin stated in the video.

American Red Cross Disaster Program Manager for the Mat-Su Valley and Kodiak, Bill Morrow (no relation) knows the Morrow family and was happy to see Glacier get recognized for his heroic actions.

“He absolutely is a hero for that otherwise, they may not have gotten out… He’s one those heroes that are everyday people that are stepping up to save a life,” Bill said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com