Robert Fritz began to explore glass after graduating from San Jose State University in 1956. He toured glass factories back east and talked to scientists about his conviction that free-blown glass could be used to create art rather than functional objects. Although his ideas initially met with skepticism, he received a scholarship in 1964 from Harvey Littleton, the pioneer of the studio glass movement, to work with other glass artists. San Jose State University began one of the earliest glass programs in the United States, where Fritz---known as Dr. Bob to his students---was a mentor to many students who have since made names for themselves as glass artists. His counts the Smithsonian Museum as a collector of his work.