Life Member Stories – Glenn

As the “young baby” in a family with 4 children, I was just 4 years old when my oldest sibling, Judy, entered Carolina as a freshman. Two years later, when Judy was a junior, I have a vivid memory of a Dean Smith coached Carolina basketball team losing a close, televised game to (gasp) Duke. The game was on a school night and ended well past my bedtime (remember, I was only 6), but my parents let me stay up and watch the game. The very moment the game ended, my dad turned off the TV and sent me to bed. So I climbed into bed, buried my head in my pillow, cried myself to sleep. Why? Because the Tar Heels lost. It tore me up! I have no doubt that it was on that very day, at the tender age of 6, I became a Carolina fan for life.

Fast forward 18 years. It was my senior year at Carolina, second semester, when my dad called me. “For your graduation gift, would you rather have a class ring, or a lifetime membership in the UNC General Alumni Association?” I thought for a second and replied, “a lifetime membership in the GAA.” It was not a difficult decision for me. Why? Because from the age of 4, I have been somehow connected to UNC-Chapel Hill. And in my mind, the best way to stay connected to Carolina for the rest of my life was – and remains today  –  a life membership in the GAA.

Do I still cry myself to sleep if Duke beats Carolina? Not so much anymore. Yet it still hurts deeply when on the rare occasion it does happen, but only because UNC – the university, the campus, Franklin Street, the sports teams and facilities, the memories, the gorgeous combination of Carolina blue and white – has been, and will forever be, ingrained in my spirit and soul. I am grateful that the GAA continues to help me stay connected to the very place I love and cherish so much THE University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Go Heels!

Glenn Love ‘81 | Life Member 8,606 | Charlotte