Glynn Memory Preserved Through Engineering Scholarship
December 11, 2008
John M. “Mike” Glynn and his wife, Dona, established a $60,000 endowment at the Texas A&M Foundation to fund the Jack and Nell Glynn Scholarship. The award is part of the Nelson Scholars Program, started in 1987 to attract exceptional freshmen students to the petroleum engineering profession.
“My Dad always told me, ‘Son, you have a chance to become what I never could be — a professional man,’” said Glynn, senior operations engineer for Plano-based Denbury Resources. “Those words were a motivation to me every day as I pursued my degree in petroleum engineering. I have been blessed with a wonderful 33-year career in the oil industry that was made possible by the values and support that my Mom and Dad gave me. I am also thankful and proud that I can give back to the school I love and give deserving students some of the opportunities that were given to me.”
“The petroleum industry is in need of well-educated young men and women to meet the growing demand for oil and gas around the world. These Nelson Scholarship gifts allow us to recruit and retain the brightest students in order to meet that need,” said Dr. Stephen A. Holditch, petroleum engineering department head and holder of the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Endowed Chair.
Mike Glynn earned a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M in 1975. While a student, he was a member of the Corps of Cadets and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve.
He started his career as a Conoco engineer in several South and East Texas oil and gas fields and worked briefly for Houston Oil & Minerals. After joining Moore McCormack Energy Inc. in 1979, he helped the firm through its acquisition by Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd., reorganization as CXY Energy Inc. and transition to Nexen Petroleum. At CXY he was vice president of engineering for ten years and then served Nexen as vice president of engineering and development, vice president of exploration and development and vice president of production.
In 2006 Glynn pursued opportunities with several small start-up oil and gas companies prior to accepting a senior operations engineering position with Denbury. Dona Glynn is retired from the Plano Independent School District after serving as an administrative assistant at Plano West Senior High School.
Dona and Mike married five years ago after losing their spouses to cancer. Their blended family encompasses five children, including two Aggies, and five grandchildren. At Texas A&M the Glynns have contributed to the Association of Former Students Williams Building Fund, Corps of Cadets and the 12th Man Association. They are 27-year members of the Century Club.
“The Glynns are loyal and committed Aggies, and their support of many programs proves that. This latest gift, a Nelson Scholarship, will help future Aggies become great former students and leaders in the petroleum industry,” said Brady Bullard, director of development for engineering with the Texas A&M Foundation.
The Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering is home to nearly 550 undergraduates and is ranked first in undergraduate studies according to U.S. News & World Report. The magazine ranks the Dwight Look College of Engineering ninth in undergraduate and seventh in graduate studies among U.S. institutions of higher education.
By Emily L. Whitmoyer
Texas A&M Foundation
The Texas A&M Foundation matches donors and their interests with the university’s priorities. Our donors provide the resources that help faculty excel in their fields and students become confident professionals. The Foundation’s wise management of these generous gifts fuels Spirit and MindSM. It helps Aggies leave their mark on the world in productive and inventive ways, and ensures a bright future for Texas A&M.
