Glenn Hart ’78 began ice skating in an unconventional way. His relationship with the ice began in childhood when his family visited ski resorts in New Mexico and Colorado. With only $5 and one hour available, Hart and his brother seized the opportunity to teach themselves how to skate on the resort’s ice rink.
“In my eighth-grade year, the Dallas Blackhawks hosted a free hockey clinic for the minor league hockey team,” Hart added. “There, professional hockey players instructed me. Then I got into the junior hockey program in Dallas and played until college.” But hockey, and the Aggie identity he would soon discover, would follow him for life.
An Education Beyond the Rink
Similar to his relationship with ice, Hart’s relationship with Texas A&M University also began at a young age. With an Aggie dad who took him to Texas A&M football games when he was still in diapers, Hart knew early on that the university was his dream school. Inspired by his father’s degree in geology, he decided to major in petroleum engineering, and, also like his father, he joined the Corps of Cadets. Although initially uncertain about his place in the Corps, a pivotal conversation with his father steered him to a commitment that shaped his collegiate journey and life.
“I called my dad and told him the Corps wasn’t for me,” Hart recalled. “He drove straight from Dallas and said he’d do anything if I stayed in the Corps until Bonfire. First, I asked him to pay my car payment to test how much leverage I had. Then, I asked him to quit smoking, and he did.”
