From Virginia Glenn Hill’s nominator:

Charismatic, witty, well-read, and keenly competitive, Virginia Glenn Hill Lattimore was a pioneer in women’s sailing in the early half of the twentieth century. She began as a racer winning regattas in multiple classes across the country, and then became a decades-long supporter of the sport in roles as varied as senior race official, trustee for the Charles Frances Adams Cup, and co-founder of the Longhorn Yacht Racing Association.

Through Glenn’s efforts and influence hundreds of young sailors were able to experience high quality racing, with many reaching the top levels of the sport. She left a legacy of mastering a sport in the right way: using humor, humility, and hard work to achieve success and then giving back to enhance that opportunity for others.                -Written by Glenn Darden of the Fort Worth Boat Club February 2020

Honors and Accomplishments

• 1956, Skippered a four-woman team to win the Adams Cup
  • She and her crew, including Rose Rector, Jane Mooney and Diane MacFarland, were the surprise winners, the first crew west of the Alleghenies ever to take the trophy.
  • The win was featured in Sports Illustrated.
• Chair of the Fort Worth Boat Club Skipperettes in 1964
• 1963-1974, member, Women’s North American Sailing Committee for the Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Cup
• 1979-1989, Trustee for the Adams Cup, 1979-1989
• 1982-1986, United States Yacht Racing Union Senior Race Official
• Won numerous local one-design regattas racing in Snipes, Lightnings, J-Boats, Cal 20s, and Rhodes 19s

Excerpted from an obituary for Virginia Glenn Hill Lattimore

Glenn was born in Dallas, Texas on March 27, 1925, to Houston and Emma Hill. She did not walk for the first three years of her life, because it was easier to be carried.

Glenn grew up in Fort Worth and spent her summers at Waldemar Camp. She attended Hockaday School, then went to Wellesley and The University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Mathematics. Glenn was a member of Phi Beta Phi. She liked clocks, and books, and ideas.

In the 1940s, Glenn taught at the Old Liberty School near Eagle Mountain Lake. During that time, she acquired a pilot’s license, excelled in spelling bees, and was a local champion in foil fencing. She was known for her quick wit, quips, and quotes (often in Latin). She traveled throughout Europe with her aunt and uncle, the Meekers.

While her family spent time at their lake house on Eagle Mountain Lake, the Fort Worth Boat Club was her home sailing club. Her passion was sailboat racing. She skippered a four-woman team to win the Adams Cup in 1956. She and her crew, including Rose Rector, Jane Mooney and Diane MacFarland, were the surprise winners, the first crew west of the Alleghenies ever to take the trophy. The win was featured in Sports Illustrated.

Glenn was the Chair of the Fort Worth Boat Club Skipperettes in 1964 and was on the Women’s North American Sailing Committee for the Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Cup, 1963-1974. She was made a trustee for the Adams Cup, 1979-1989. She was a United States Yacht Racing Union Senior Race Official from 1982 to1986. She won numerous local one-design regattas racing in Snipes, Lightnings, J-Boats, Cal 20s, and Rhodes 19s.

She was a member of the Junior League, where she was type-cast as the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz in the Theatre Group. She enjoyed the Cliburn and the Fort Worth Symphony. She had long and complicated friendships across the country.