the lock fell out, leaving the glove box in a locked condition.
any suggestions welcome, I do not need to fix the lock, I just need to open the door.

 

Have you tried inserting the key into the lock and trying to put it back in and trying to unlock it that way?
You could also try feeling around for the mechanism that's inside with a small 90 degree pick tool and maybe get it to open that way.

 

thanks, I will poke around with it. As a last resort, will stop by my favorite auto shop.