Keep on Truckin'

By John Helsley

Rob Glass chuckles, out of respect, then offers a one-word take on his father Ike Glass: “workaholic.”

High praise?

“I’ve been called that,” the elder Glass says. “But I could say the same thing about him, too.”

Marlin “Ike” Glass Jr., an alum from the Oklahoma A&M days (‘61, business management), doesn’t intend to slow down anytime soon, either. At 83, he’s been going to the office every work day – and plenty on Saturdays – running the Glass Trucking company his father started in Newkirk in 1934.

Such effort and dedication never ceases to impress those who know him, even son Rob, who’s job as strength and conditioning coach for OSU football, focused on effort and dedication, keeps him busiest in the offseason.

“He’s amazing,” Rob says. “Just keeps going.”

And it’s not just trucking, although his operation, servicing customers across the region, demands much time and attention. Ike likes being involved, having served as past chair of The State Chamber and spinning a record run of 18 years as a state regent for higher education.

A veteran of the Navy, he’s been inducted in at least three halls of fame: Newkirk, the State of Oklahoma and the Spears School of Business. And the honors keep rolling in, with Ike set to become a school two-timer in February, when he’s inducted into the Oklahoma State University Hall of Fame.

“Mr. Glass has accomplished a great deal in his life and he is very deserving of this recognition,” says Ken Eastman, dean of the Spears School of Business. “He has long been a champion of education in this state and we are forever indebted to his tireless dedication.

“The most amazing thing is that he still is actively running his thriving trucking business – not bad for a man of 83! We are proud that he is a Spears alum and a member of our hall of fame.”

Ike Glass exudes at least equal pride in his long and adoring relationship with OSU/A&M. He graduated from here. Met his wife, Marybeth, here. Made memories here, building on them still, whether being recognized himself or returning regularly to celebrate others.

“I really enjoyed my time at Oklahoma State,” Ike says. “It was a great experience for me.”

Ike’s path to campus, from Newkirk High School, first featured a detour and a very different experience: the Korean War. The United States had been involved in the conflict two years when Ike graduated from high school in 1952. Back then, most young men believed there was only one thing to do in such times – enlist. So Ike signed on, intending to join the Marines, yet with no spots immediately available in that branch, he was offered a spot in the Navy, and accepted.

During a four-year Naval stint, Ike worked on a specialized project called carrier-controlled approach, a then-developing radar system to assist in landing planes safely on the deck of aircraft carriers at night or in bad weather. Ike and his crew were at the forefront of cutting-edge technology.

“And that was interesting because there were nine of us at that time who worked on that project and they moved us all over the place to get the system in and get it working and move to the next carrier,” he says.

“We were fortunate to have served a lot of great people, had a great mission we were accomplishing,” he says. “We knew we were doing something that was going to save lots and lots of lives over the years.”

Once back home, Ike immediately enrolled in college on the G.I. bill. He was tempted to follow his high school buddies to the University of Oklahoma, yet became influenced otherwise.

“My sisters were at OSU and they wouldn’t hear of me going anyplace else,” Ike says. “OSU is a magnificent institution. I have served a lot of years as a state regent for higher education, and seen a lot of other schools, but OSU, you just can’t beat it.

“You take young people onto the campus at Oklahoma State, and if you can get them on campus and get them to talk to people, they’ll come there. It’s just a great school.”

On his way to a degree in business management, taking all of his classes in Old Central, Ike needed a nudge or two along the way, including a not-so-subtle shove from Eugene Swearingen, dean of the business school at the time.

“I’m probably here today because of Eugene Swearingen,” Ike says. “He was an ex-Navy guy. I was in class one day at Old Central and the secretary came in and handed me a note. It said, ‘See the Dean after class.’ I thought, ‘What’s going on here.’

“I went to see him and he never looked up, just kept on working. I finally knocked on the desk and said, ‘Dean Swearingen, I’m Ike Glass. I have a note to see you.’ He still didn’t look up, but he started in. He said, ‘Glass, I want you to know something. You’re flunking out of school here and I’m not going to let you back in if you don’t straighten yourself out.’

“As you can see, I’ve been involved with Oklahoma State ever since.”

And straighten himself out Ike did. Good thing, or he may have missed out on the greatest development of his stay on campus: Marybeth, his wife of 59 years. From that long-lasting relationship sprang Rob, daughter Jennifer Johnson, and grandchildren.

Just like his academic journey at OSU, Ike had some work to do with Marybeth, too. “Met her at a basketball game,” Ike says. “She was with my sister. I saw her and she was a very, very attractive lady. My sister introduced me and I thought, ‘Oh, here we go.’”

Not so fast. Marybeth happened to be involved with another young man on campus and repeatedly turned Ike away. Still, he persisted, and when the other guy left school, Ike seized the opening.

“Finally,” he says, “she decided to date me.”

And more.

“She’s been a stalwart of mine,” Ike says. “If ever things aren’t going good, she’s right there. She’s an understanding girl, very understanding, because I come to her with lots of problems – lots of problems.

“We love her to death. She’s great.”

Ike Glass is much-loved, too. By family and friends. By OSU. By the various halls of fame. By his 71 employees.

“I have a firm belief that everything I have been able to accomplish here is due to good people I have working with me,” Ike says. “They don’t work for me, they work with me.”

Ike didn’t set out to join the family business, but answered the call when his father needed help. And he became the next man up when his father passed away, directing Glass Trucking on through what has become eight decades of hauling a variety of goods, many of them food items, with bulk bakery flour the primary focus today.

The business sends trucks rolling through the region daily, each hauling 50,000-pound loads of flour to customers. And Ike is there to oversee it all.

“I enjoy what I do,” he says. “To me, life is a challenge. Our business we’re in is a challenge. We’ve got trucks running all through the southwest and something is always happening. Our boys are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Ike’s on duty, too.

With his scant down time, Ike enjoys college sports, and with son Rob in the game, at OSU and the University of Florida before that, he’s enjoyed an insider’s look at the sport, captured in the photos that cover his office walls. Still, don’t mistake Ike for a true insider. Rob shares information with his dad on a strict need-to-know basis.

“It’s kind of a joke,” Ike says. “People ask me about something that may be going on in the program and they’ll say, ‘Don’t you know? Rob tells you, doesn’t he?’ And I’ll say, ‘No, Rob doesn’t tell me anything.’ He says, ‘Dad, you can’t keep quiet.’

“And he’s probably right.”

Alongside the Barry Sanders autograph poster, and the framed autographed photo of Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams – the signatures are real, too – and the posed pictures with coaches and players, there are photos taken with politicians and OSU presidents.

And family, many pictures with family.

Memories of a life well lived. And, as Ike says, reasons to keep going.

“I hope I’ve got a lot left!”