Hall of Fame
Bernie Rees came to Glenville State from Ravenswood High School. During his time as a Pioneer he majored in marketing and management and participated in basketball, track and field, and was a member of Phi Beta Lambda. He graduated in December 1990. Bernie completed an MBA through Marshall University after leaving Glenville State. He also served as a graduate assistant for their track and field program.
On the basketball side, Rees is still ranked 5th all-time for three-pointers made at Glenville State. He holds the record for going 10-10 in a game with a 100% field goal percentage on three-pointers and for single season three-point percentage. He is also in the top five for career three-point percentage. He earned an All-Conference Honorable Mention as well. For track and field, the team grabbed three championships all three years Bernie ran track. He was also All-Conference each year.
These days, Bernie is Vice President of AMI Metals. AMI is the world’s largest provider of aluminum products into the aerospace market. They provide all the aluminum for Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Airbus, Dassault, Gulfstream, Cessna, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and many others. AMI has won Boeing Supplier of the year three times and Gulfstream Supplier of the year six times. The company has also won multiple awards from every major aircraft and space company. He previously worked for Kaiser Aluminum Corporation.
A CrossFit athlete, Rees was ranked 16th worldwide in 2022 as part of the CrossFit Games for his 50-54 age group. He also enjoys traveling, working out, shopping for antiques, spending time with his wife, and watching his grandkids and adult kids in everything they do.
He also works with For Him, Inc., which is a faith-based community center in Ravenswood, WV. It offers a free soup kitchen, clothing, baby needs, assistance for the elderly with projects, a venue for meetings, weddings, and whatever else its members are led to do.
Bernie says Glenville State was the first school that expressed interest in him as an athlete and that meant the world to him. “I was recruited by other schools for sports but I never wavered on wanting to attend Glenville because of that first interest and what a great decision it was!” he said. He also notes the friendships he made, including with Paul Grier ‘92. He says they still vacation together and their kids refer to each of them as Uncle Bernie and Uncle Paul.
“Glenville was perfect for me and it shaped the person I became as much as it did educate me for what I needed to know to be successful in life. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I still love the town and school,” he said.
Bernie and his wife Kristine reside in Franklin, Tennessee; they have six successful children.
