Glenn Laursen Brinkman; 1934-2025

Glenn Laursen Brinkman, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and cattleman passed on March 3, 2025.

Brinkman was born on Oct. 29, 1934, in Minneapolis, MN. He spent his formative years in Harlston and Pascagoula, MS. He graduated with a degree in forestry from Louisiana State University where he earned the Xi Sigma Pi Outstanding Sophomore Award and the forestry department’s Outstanding Senior Award.

He would meet and marry his wife, Carolyn Leslie, on Aug. 15, 1959. Their love story lasted for over 65 years. They met in Centreville, AL, where he worked for the Gulf States Paper Corporation as a forester. He moved with his family, including daughters Leslie and Katherine, to the Dallas metroplex in 1962 to work for his brother, Lloyd “Brink” Brinkman, in his plastics manufacturing plant. In Dallas, their son, Paul “Pablo,” was born.

He moved his family to the Texas Hill Country in 1969 where he began his impressive career as a cattleman beginning with the establishment of Brinks Brangus in 1968 when his brother, Lloyd, purchased the Riverby herd. Lloyd opened operations at Prison Canyon Ranch which included purchasing the Camp Verde store. Glenn became the manager of their cattle operation and initially officed at the Camp Verde store where he had additional duties as postmaster. From their first sale in 1970, Brinks Brangus achieved unprecedented records. Glenn devoted himself totally to the endeavor of making Brinks Brangus the best in the industry with a concentration on genetics. Their motto was “Breeding the Best, Better.”

Recognized as an innovator, he secured a place in the history of beef cattle with the development of a superior animal. This striving for excellence led to many rewards and achievements. In 1970, he was chairman of the committee that formed the Hill Country Brangus Breeders and produced the first Top of the Crop Sale in Kerrville. In the early years, he was on the board of the Performance Registry International (which preceded the Beef Improvement Federation).

His interest in genetics led to his studying different Zebu breeds and their contribution to Brangus. He visited every major Brahman breeder in the U.S. and many Nelore herds in Brazil. As a result of this study, he started a breeding up program from Angus and Zebu.

Glenn was the first Brangus breeder to utilize embryo transfer, beginning that work in 1977. He started in-depth carcass evaluation with Kansas State University using ultrasound technology. This data was seminal in developing EPDs for ribeye for the Brangus breed.

Because he was a perfectionist where keeping records was concerned, he developed a tagging system with a year code to identify all embryo transfer progeny. This system is known as the GB International Measuring System and is widely used by cattlemen.

Brinkman was past president of the Texas Brangus Breeders Association, the International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) 1983-1984 (also chairing the Brangus Publications Inc.), and Beef Improvement Federation. He was the first to be named the IBBA Brangus Breeder of the Year in 1982, proof of his peers’ respect for him and his record. In 1997, the Beef Improvement Federation honored him with the Continuing Service Award. In 2005, he was the first recipient of the IBBA Pioneer Award.

In 1984, The Brinkman brothers moved Brinks to the Flint Hills of Kansas. Following the sale of the cattle herd in 1993, Glenn and Carolyn purchased a ranch outside of Athens, TX, where he began a new cattle breeding project, Angus Plus.

He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Leslie Brinkman; his children and their spouses, Leslie Brinkman-Greer (Paula), Katherine Sutherlin (Brad), Paul “Pablo” Brinkman (Colleen); his grandchildren, Kasey Sutherlin, Sam George, Aaron George (Jenna), Josh Sutherlin (fiancée Megan Lafleur) and Tucker Brinkman; his great-grandchildren, Isaiah George and Eden George; his siblings, Roy Brinkman (Jean), Carolyn Gordon (Wendell) and Harvey Brinkman (Carol); and numerous nieces, nephews and their children and grandchildren.

Glenn is preceded in death by his daughter, Ann Marie Brinkman; his parents, Astrid Laursen Brinkman and Carl Henry Brinkman (Naomi); and siblings, Lloyd Brinkman, Jeanne Brinkman and Margaret Brinkman Roberts.

Glenn Laursen Brinkman was a man of integrity and faith who gave freely of his knowledge and supported the life goals of his children and many in the Brangus industry. Donations may be made to the development of the International Junior Brangus Breeders Association: Glenn Brinkman Memorial Scholarship and mailed to Pablo Brinkman, 3928 Oak Park Drive, Kerrville, TX, 78028.