On November 29, 2017, the Rutgers women's basketball family lost Glenys Manfre, a 16-year Stage 4 breast cancer survivor, a Cagers Club president, a wife and a friend.
 
It has been two years since we said goodbye to Glenys, yet her legacy of passion for Scarlet Knights women's hoops lives on every day. Her name is eternally affixed to the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center on a ceremonial piece of steel right next to her husband, Bob. The Bob and Glenys Manfre Assistant Coach's Office in that building is the current home to Michelle Edwards, longtime director of basketball operations and current assistant coach. Her framed photo is displayed in the new women's locker room in her honor and memory.
 
Her name also lives on through the Bob and Glenys Endowed Women's Basketball Scholarship, which currently benefits sophomore guard Zipporah Broughton.
 
From Glenys' first game "On the Banks" in 1999 against UConn, through her Cagers Club vice presidency from 2006-10, her presidency from 2010-14, the Scarlet in her veins was something of a lifeblood.
 
"During her leadership roles with the Cagers Club, she was battling breast cancer," said Bob, who has carried on his high school sweetheart's tradition by currently serving as the club's president through this season. "She had ups and downs, but through it all, I think it was Rutgers women's basketball that kept her alive."
 
A pair of free tickets introduced the couple to the Scarlet Knights. UConn was in town, as were their 53 fan buses, creating a raucous RAC atmosphere. They were hooked immediately and enjoyed the ride as Rutgers ran to the 2000 Final Four. They learned about the Cagers Club and began going on their own fan bus trips to Providence, Pitt, West Virginia, St. John's and Old Dominion. Bob took on the role of transportation coordinator for these trips, and the Manfre's love, enthusiasm and excitement for the women on the team were evident on the "Rolling RAC."
 
As the passion was kindled, the Manfres desired to give back in kind. They became members of R Fund and donated to Rutgers and the women's basketball team. In 2014, they started giving to athletic scholarships through Bob's company, which supported matching gifts for higher education. The first recipient of their contribution was Tyler Scaife, the second leading scorer in Rutgers women's basketball history.
 
"For Tyler's five years, we supported her, and it was a joy," Manfre said. "We never had kids. This was our way to give back. We had the financial ability to do so, and thought it was a perfect way to pay back and help a student-athlete. We got great satisfaction from that."
 
The Manfres traveled to Tyler's hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas to watch Rutgers play the Razorbacks during her freshman year. Tyler invited them to breakfast, which turned into a 40-person party at an IHOP with every aunt, uncle and cousin she had in town. They were also there for her game-winning shot in the WNIT Championship Game in 2014.
 
Before Glenys passed away, Bob inquired about endowed scholarships, which live on in perpetuity because of a larger investment. He did it to honor her, to keep her alive despite a disease taking her from the world.
 
"What I'm most glad about is that she knew we were going to invest in this," Manfre said. "We wanted to help more because of the growing passion in our hearts that has grown over the years."
 
Zippy Broughton became as the first recipient of the endowed scholarship. A highly touted guard out of Alabama, Zippy met with Bob after the first week of practice during her freshman season in 2018 and shared her recruiting story over a burger in the Livingston square. It was a subtle reminder of the common thread throughout their fandom. What sold Zippy on Rutgers? It was Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer's philosophy, not on basketball, but on life.
 
"She made up her mind because of the way Coach overcame adversity," Manfre recalled. "She wanted to learn about life from a woman like that."
 
Supporting Zippy's education at Rutgers means a great deal to Manfre, who traces a successful 38-year career back to his degrees in chemistry. During his senior year at King's College, Manfre was the manager at the student radio station, which qualified him for a full scholarship. Manfre's father was working three jobs at the time. He remembered just how impactful that scholarship money was on his family.
 
"I needed to pass that on, so other young people could live full lives financially while being mentored," Manfre said. "I needed others to be able to experience the same thing I had."
 
Bob attended the 2019-20 season opener at South Alabama, a short drive from Zippy's native Wetupka, met the Broughton family and told them how proud he was to support their daughter.
 
He's been at every home game this season during the Scarlet Knights' 7-0 record at the RAC, part of Rutgers' best start to a season since 2005. He keeps two season tickets, one belonging to Glenys, and will continue to do so.
 
We miss Glenys Manfre dearly at the RAC, in the Cagers Huddle and on bus trips during the season. But we don't have to go far to see her memory making an impact each day, in the halls of our buildings or through a student-athlete bearing her scholarship. For the Manfres, the importance and legacy of the Rutgers women's basketball family will live on.