B:10.25" T:10" S:9.75"
T:3"
S:2.75"
A2
KICKOFF
10.02.2026
Kickoff of Texas A&M’s 150th anniversary Opening ceremony, Kickoff at Kyle brings Aggie community together to celebrate By Ava Loth Editor-in-Chief One hundred and fifty years of Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity and Selfless Service, the Sesquincentennial Opening Ceremony will stand as the official kickoff of Texas A&M’s 150th anniversary. Hosted at Rudder Auditorium on Friday, Oct. 2, from 4 to 6 p.m., the ceremony will feature the journey of A&M’s deep-rooted history and tradition that built it into the highly renowned university and one of the nation’s leading research institutions. “We wanted people to learn a little bit about our history deeper than they know, but still make it an exciting way, not a documentary way,” Director of Strategic Program Development Austin Fannin ‘16 said. “But then also to leave with a sense of pride of being a part of the university, and a sense of excitement of being part of the future.” Those who attend the event will be met with visual representations of the progression of A&M, from the six students who showed up on the very first day to the more than 82,000 Aggies who continue to leave lasting impacts on the university today. All performances will be enacted by stu-
dents, portraying the growth of the university in four distinct eras. Dating all the way back to the university’s founding, the visual will take viewers through the beginning of our male military school, followed by how the university stepped up during World War I and World War II and the creation of A&M Core Values during this time. Then, it will showcase when the university was at major crossroads over the debate of expanding the school to include more people outside of male Corps of Cadets, wrapping up with a demonstration of groups of students representing each of the 17 colleges. “I hope that the students learn something they didn’t know,” Fannin said. “We’re gonna accidentally teach them a little bit of history. Then, I hope that they are invested and feel a sense of pride in their university, that it’s not all about the past. Like, you are here in this moment. 150 years is you, and you are the future of this university.” Kickoff at Kyle will be held a few hours following the opening ceremony on Friday, Oct. 2, at 9 p.m. and will spotlight a typical yell practice despite the earlier start time, along with a few exciting enhancements for attendees. For the occasion, former yell leaders throughout the decades, some whose time at A&M dates back to the 1950s, will be invited back to Kyle Field to reminisce and lead a yell one more time. “So, just kind of showing yell leaders throughout the ages, which I think will be fun,” Fannin said. “Hopefully the students can reflect on that, and really for those
guys, it means the world to them to be out there.” Then, a normal Yell Practice will be routinely completed to get the 12th Man excited for the football game to ensue the following day. With the adjusted time, Kyle Field is expected to see a larger crowd of not only current students, but former students, staff and families who typically can’t make it to a standard Midnight Yell. “We have five different class reunions that are coming, and they’re all gonna come, because they don’t normally get to go to Yell,” Fannin said. “As well as a lot of people that work in the university don’t go to Yell, and so now this is their chance to go.” Following Yell Practice, the crowd’s attention will be shifted to the big screen for a special 150th anniversary video. The short film will be a sentimental piece reflecting what A&M means to several Aggies throughout the ages. “It’s less of like a hype video and more of like a sense of pride and what it means to be an Aggie,” Fannin said. “And you guys are here and worried about tests and things right now, but to see people, but it’s not just old Ags, people of all generations, like what this place means to them and how it’s changed their lives.” While those in attendance will get the first look at the full video, a shorter version of the video will also be featured at the football game on Saturday, Oct. 3, and then will be released on social media after the game. To wrap up the kickoff event, the 12th
Man will experience the first-ever drone show done at Kyle Field. Rick Boss ‘97, the CEO and president of Sky Elements, is contributing his services for this special event, collaborating to figure out the logistics of what it takes to pull off a drone show over Kyle Field. “We’ve got the perfect location, we’re closing off the parking lot, they’re gonna come in, set them up and then fly up into the air,” Fannin said. “That’s the logistics. There’s a whole lot of safety involved and then there’s a creative process, which has been really fun.” The show will be a 12-minute coordinated, creative presentation, demonstrating familiar pieces of A&M and its history in sync with music selected by Head Yell Leader Luke Rollins. While Midnight Yell is a sacred tradition for current students performed before every home game, Kickoff at Kyle will offer something much more: a reason for all generations of Aggies to gather to celebrate the anniversary and, more importantly, do that in unison. “Those people that haven’t been here in a long time, it brings them back to that moment, and when they were a student, and then they love it,” Fannin said. “They realize why they fell in love with this university in the first place when they were a freshman, and they went to their first Yell. And so I think it’s really special to get everyone there throughout the generations to really have the same experience there together.”
10.02.2026
PARADE
A3
Aggie Family Parade slated for next year Event to celebrate 150th anniversary, Core Values By David Swope News Editor The Aggie Family Parade will take place Saturday, April 10, 2027 in celebration of Texas A&M’s 150th anniversary. Scheduled to commence at 9 a.m. at the Simpson Drill Field and ending at College Station City Hall, the event calls on the A&M and Bryan-College Station community to exemplify and commemorate the university’s aspirations and Aggie Core Values. The official registration window for interested participants opens Wednesday, Sept. 30. Passing by several campus landmarks such as Aggie Park, Kyle Field and the MSC, the procession will observe five Celebration Themes: Honoring Tradition, Celebrating Academic Excellence, Exemplifying Service, Driving Discovery and Cultivating Leaders. Through these celebration themes, those behind the scenes hope the parade will highlight the university’s storied history and diverse contributions to academia and
society. “We wanted people to really think about the history of the university, the history of their department,” Director of Strategic Program Development Austin Fannin ‘16 said. “So many student organizations have a philanthropy or something they do … so we really wanted it not just to be, ‘Hey, we’re going to show up,’ but for it to be a thoughtful presentation. And we know Aggies, and we know they’re going to go big and bring it in a great way.” Participants will be entered into either the student or university and friends competition. The former is reserved for A&M-affiliated student organizations and groups, with the latter open to academic colleges, divisions, administrative units, university affiliates and more. The parade’s judging panel will then evaluate the entrants on five criteria: theme integration, creativity and design, craftsmanship and execution, spirit and engagement and safety and compliance. Fannin hopes that the competitive aspect of the event will not only prove entertaining to participants but also encourage thoughtful incorporation of the parade’s overarching themes. “We just wanted to make sure every parade participant was doing that as well,” Fannin said. “Just thinking with intentionality and not just coming out to have a par-
ty, but really, really,putting some thought and effort behind it about what’s bigger than ourselves and really doing it in a great way.” Fannin noted that the process of brainstorming, planning and scheduling the parade has been a three-year-long effort, having gone through various committees and rounds of drafting as the university worked to coordinate an event reflective of the sesquicentennial’s significance. Ultimately, the decision to hold a parade was made all the easier by a seemingly simple reason. “One thing that kept coming up is that we don’t have a parade, right,” Fannin said. “A lot of universities have parades. A lot of universities have homecoming. We don’t need homecoming because everybody comes home for Texas Aggie games. And so we had that moment of like, ‘No, we need to have a parade.’” Eligible parade entry formats include floats and trailers, decorated vehicles, marching groups and other mixed formats. The event will also be complete with live broadcasting, commentators and even a 45-foot Reveille balloon, according to Fannin. “Our goal was to make this a celebration and a moment in time, not just a lineup of leaders talking,” Fannin said. “We really wanted it to be experiential, so that was
the way we went in … we wanted people to learn a little bit about our history, deeper than they know, but still make it an exciting way, not a documentary way … but then also to leave with a sense of pride of being a part of the university, in a sense of excitement of being part of the future.” In Fannin’s eyes, ensuring the event was experiential for not only A&M students and faculty, but their families and the wider Bryan-College Station community as well, was a key aspect behind the idea. “We really wanted it so that everybody can come from all over, and from out of town, but also the community can come with their kids, get candy, enjoy the parade, right,” Fannin said. “That’s one of the things that we have gotten the most excited about … And people are excited to be part of it.” Fannin emphasized that while the Aggie Family Parade is currently only in the works for 2027, administrators and decision makers are open to revisiting the parade concept. “Our goal is to make it and do the best one we can this year for this celebration,” Fannin said. “But if people love it, I think that it could continue … If students want it, let’s make it happen. If they don’t, it’s a one-time thing.”
TRADIT
A4
150 YEARS OF 1. Pennies on Sully
Lawrence Sullivan Ross, a former president of the university, was known for a specific phrase. When students approached Sully for help with homework, when asked how they could repay him he would say, “a penny for your thoughts.” Now, in the center of Academic Plaza stands his bronze statue. Before tests, students leave pennies — or other trinkets — at his feet in hopes that it will bring them good luck and a high grade. 2. Aggie Ring The Aggie Ring is one of the most recognizable symbols of Texas A&M, presented to students who have completed 90 credit hours with at least 45 from A&M. The gold emblem dates back to 1889, with the design slightly changing over time to match current stylistic standards. It wasn’t until 2000 that Ring Day was
created, put on by the Association of Former Students to make the day special for ring recipients. Now, thousands of Aggies each semester receive their ring, with visitor attendance typically surpassing 30,000. 3. Silver Taps Silver Taps, held six times annually on the first Tuesday of the month, is held in honor of current students who have passed. Held at Academic Plaza, students and families silently gather at 10:30 p.m. Then, the Ross Volunteer Company slowly marches in a slow cadence, eventually firing a three-volley salute for each honoree. After each student has been honored, buglers atop the Academic Building play “Silver Taps” once to the north, south and west. 4. Muster
Each year on April 21, Muster ceremonies are held around the world, when Aggies
gather to complete roll calls for those who have passed. Whether it’s two or thousands of Aggies together, on April 21, we are to remember those who are absent. 5. Block T
Every year, the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band performs their most iconic formation during halftime of a football game at Kyle Field — although no performance is the same, so even season ticket holders never see the same show twice. 6. Midnight Yell Midnight Yell began on the steps of the YMCA building in 1931. An idea to have freshmen in the Corps of Cadets gather to practice yells before the game against Texas spread, with hundreds of students gathering for the event, thus Midnight Yell was created. Now, every Friday before a home game,
thousands of Aggies file into the stands of Kyle Field, as the Yell Leaders lead them in a practice of yells. Attendees will listen to a Yell Leader tell fables of how the Aggies will beat the “ever livin’,” “ever lovin’” hell out of their opponent. The practice ends with the playing of the war hymn, as Aggies leave the stadium with high hopes of an A&M win. 7. Century Tree
Located to the left of Academic Plaza is a large tree, its branches arching and flowing to where bark meets the ground. This famous symbol of Aggieland is known as the Century Tree. The tree is home to many proposals and couples photos, serving as one of A&M’s greatest legends of luck. It is said that if a couple walks under the Century Tree together, that they will be together for 100 years; if a couple gets engaged under the tree, their marriage will last for a lifetime; and if someone walks
TIONS
A5
F TRADITION under the tree alone, they will be alone for 100 years. 8. Bonfire Remembrance In 1907, A&M’s Bonfire tradition began as a symbol to show the Aggie’s “burning desire” to beat Texas. From 1907 to 1998, the fire burned every year except for one. Then on Nov. 18, 1999, the tradition forever changed. At 2:42 a.m., the Stack collapsed, killing 12 Aggies and injuring 27 more. Five years later, Bonfire Memorial was built in honor of the fallen Aggies. Now, each year on Nov. 18 at 2:42 a.m., thousands of Aggies gather at the memorial to honor the lives lost. Each year the gathering follows the same order, opening with a reading of “The Last Corps Trip,” before moving into roll call, a playing of “Amazing Grace” and singing of “The Spirit of Aggieland” before final remarks are given.
9. Elephant Walk
After Texas A&M lost the first two games of its 1922 season, some members of the freshman class marched through campus playing a “funeral march” in an attempt to break the curse. When that same freshman class graduated in 1926, they made a somber march around campus once again, to which a passerby remarked that they looked “like elephants, about to die.” Each Fall, the senior class gathers to march through campus together to remember their time at A&M. 10. Pull Out Day While Aggies can be heard around the world thanks to A&M’s iconic yell of “Whoop!,” the privilege is reserved for upperclassmen as part of the junior and senior wildcats. Each Spring, the sophomore class gathers for a special yell practice in which they are granted the privilege of yelling
“Whoop” for the first time.
11. Aggie War Hymn J.V. “Pinky” Wilson first wrote the lyrics to what would become the Aggie War Hymn while serving for the United States in France during World War I. Upon returning to Texas A&M, he began performing the song — which combined several Aggie Yells with Wilson’s lyrics, set to the tune of “Goodbye, My Coney Island Baby” with a quartet, and it quickly became popular with the Aggie Yell Leaders. Its iconic chorus, in which Aggies link arms and sway while saying “Sawing Varsity’s Horns Off,” — referring to a prior name the University of Texas used for its athletic programs before adopting the Longhorns moniker — has prompted the school to post signs in the Kyle Field press box warning visitors that, yes, the structure does sway during the War Hymn.
12. 12th Man
Over a century ago in Kyle Field stood only 11 men. Plagued with injury, Texas A&M football turned to its last 11 players with no one left standing on the sideline. E. King Gill, an A&M basketball player and former football player, was in the press box, helping reporters identify players on the field. As head coach Dana X. Bible frantically looked around his emptying bench, he tilted his head up and found his answer. Bible waved Gill down to the field, asking him to dress out in case they needed an extra player. Clad in his maroon uniform, Gill stood on the sidelines for the entirety of the game, never stepping foot on the field, as A&M pulled off a 22-14 upset, earning him the title of the “12th Man” — someone ready to do whatever was necessary for his team. Now, the 12th Man stands for the entirety of sports games, ready to be called upon if needed.
TIMELINE
A6
Instruction began at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, which boasted six faculty members on its first day of classes.
A&M’s two longest-running non-Corps of Cadets student organizations — The Battalion and the Singing Cadets — are founded.
The first Bonfire is burned to celebrate a football win over Tulane.
The Aggies become a charter member of the Southwest Conference.
During the Dixie Classic postseason football game against Centre College, head coach Dana X. Bible calls on student E. King Gill to dress as a substitute player after several Aggie starters are injured, and the 12th Man tradition is born.
Texas A&M football wins its only consensus national championship, going 11-0 under head coach Homer Norton and winning the Sugar Bowl and a Southwest Conference Championship.
An Aggie Muster is held on the island of Corregidor in the Philippines, which receives national attention and helps formalize the tradition of Muster.
James Earl Rudder takes office as the 16th president of the university. During his tenure, A&M opens admission to women and racially integrates.
Under the leadership of University President James Earl Rudder, participation in the Corps of Cadets becomes voluntary instead of mandatory for all students.
The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library opens on West Campus, as A&M becomes the second university in Texas to host a presidential library.
Texas A&M joins the prestigious Association of American Universities.
Texas A&M joins the Southeastern Conference in all sports, and quarterback Johnny Manziel wins the Heisman Trophy.
Under head coach Jamie Morrison, Texas A&M volleyball wins its first national championship after upsetting 1-seed Nebraska to advance to the Final Four and sweeping 1-seeds Pittsburgh and Kentucky.
1876 1893
1907 1914 1922 1939 1942 1959 1965 1997 2001 2012 2025
1891 1894 1909 1917 1931 1941 1957 1963 1996 1999 2011 2018 2026
10.02.2026
Former Texas Gov. Lawrence Sullivan Ross takes office as president of the college and successfully lobbies the state government to keep the school open.
Texas A&M football played its first season, finishing with a record of 1-1: a 14-6 win over Ball High School from Galveston, and a 38-0 loss to Texas in the first meeting between the two schools.
Bonfire is burned on campus for the first time.
The United States joins World War I, and over 1,200 former students go on to serve as commissioned officers in the U.S. Military during the conflict.
Reveille I, a mixed-breed dog, is adopted by students and becomes the university’s mascot, and the first Midnight Yell Practice is held.
The U.S. joins World War II. Over 14,000 former students served as officers over the course of the war, with 29 of them reaching the rank of general.
Texas A&M halfback John David Crow becomes the first Aggie to win the Heisman Trophy while playing under head coach Bear Bryant.
By order of the Texas Legislature, the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas was officially renamed “Texas A&M University.”
The Southwest Conference — of which A&M was a charter member — dissolves and the Aggies join the Big 12 Conference.
Twelve students are killed and 27 are injured after Bonfire collapses during construction.
Texas A&M women’s basketball wins its first national championship under head coach Gary Blair.
Former President George H.W. Bush passes away and is laid to rest on the grounds of his presidential library on West Campus
Texas A&M celebrates its 150th Anniversary.
CORPS OF CADETS
A7
History of Texas A&M’s first tradition, Corps of Cadets continue to exemplify, uphold Aggie Core Values By Ian Curtis Senior Enterprise Reporter Texas A&M is full of traditions — but one dates back further than all others: A&M’s Corps of Cadets. A&M was founded as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas in 1876 as an all-male military school founded under the conditions of the 1862 Morrill Act, which specified that schools should provide military instruction. Many land-grant colleges founded under the act provided the bare minimum in terms of military training, but A&M proved to be the exception. Under the leadership of the Corps’ first several commandants, some of the organization’s earliest traditions were developed, including iconic units like the Ross Volunteers — then known as Scott’s Volunteers — who made their first public appearance in 1888. The Ross Volunteers permanently changed their name in 1905 to their current moniker to honor former university president Lawrence Sullivan Ross, who held the office from 1891-1898. It was during his presidency that another iconic Corps tradition first began: The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band. The band’s humble beginnings reside with Joseph Holick, a Czech-born Cobbler who made his way to Bryan in the 1890s, quickly finding work as a shoemaker and bugler for the college, earning $65 a month while playing Taps and Reveille. In 1894, Holick started an official band made up of cadets. Since then, the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band has become one of the nation’s premier military marching bands, performing at presidential inaugurations and several major parades. As a cobbler, Holick became synonymous with another key Corps tradition: Senior Boots. Officially adopted in 1925 — according to the Corps itself — seniors in the Corps earn the privilege of wearing hand-crafted riding boots. For decades, those boots were crafted by Holick and his family at their namesake shop, today known as Holick’s Manufacturing Company. “It’s a right-of-passage when they get their boots,” Holick’s granddaughter, Cathi Dudley told The Bryan-College Station Eagle during A&M’s 125th anniversary in 2001. “They go through years of hell to get them and when you see their faces the first time they try them on, it’s priceless. When you see their reactions. It’s the most important thing that has happened to them.” According to the piece in The Eagle, the Corps first started adopting riding boots during World War I — a conflict, along with World War II, that would see plenty of Aggies serve their country Over 1,200 Aggies served as commissioned officers during the First World War, and that number would only grow during the Second World War. During the conflict, over 20,000 Aggies served in the U.S. Military — over 14,000 of those being commissioned officers. Seven former cadets earned the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest honor for military service, during World War II. The post-war era brought plenty of change to the Corps as well. After the war, the freshman class of A&M’s student body were housed at the present-day site of the RELLIS Campus, where — some day due to pure boredom — they developed the Fish Drill Team, a precision rifle drill team open only to freshman that has since gone on to win countless national titles over the decades. But it was one Aggie who served during World War II — where he commanded the U.S. Army’s 2nd Ranger Battalion at Pointe du Hoc during the D-Day landings — that brought both A&M and the Corps into the modern era. When Gen. James Earl Rudder ‘32 took office as A&M’s 16th president in 1959, it was still the rural, all-male military school it had been for decades. Under his leadership, it would soon become one of the nation’s largest and most multi-faceted universities. Part of this modernization effort included making membership in the Corps of Cadets optional in 1965 and leading the university through racial integration throughout the 1960s and setting the stage for the first female cadets to join the Corps in 1974. “Change is always difficult and some of A&M’s most prominent alumni were opposed to practically any change,” historian Thomas M. Hatfield, Ph.D., author of “Rudder: From Leader to Legend” told Texas A&M Today in 2023. “But Rudder followed the facts as he found them, remarking to his wife ‘If A&M does not change, it will become less important than the smallest junior college.’” Since Rudder’s time in office, the Corps has carried on the traditions of the university — and represented A&M on a national scale — while continuing to break barriers and lead the school into its next 150 years.
OF CADETS
150 YEARS
10.02.2026
REVEILLE
A8
10.02.2026
95 years of ‘First Lady of Aggieland’ How one stray canine became enduring symbol of Aggie spirit By Adhithi Shankar Life & Arts Editor
Long-awaited successor
According to widely-accepted tradition, in 1931, three cadets mistakenly hit a small black and white dog with their car on their way back to campus from Navasota. Though dogs were not allowed on campus, they quietly snuck her into Leggett Hall that night to feed and care for her. However, their cover was blown the next morning when a bugler played “Reveille” to wake the Corps of Cadets and the rescue started barking wildly, thus earning her name. A cross between a German shepherd and a collie, Reveille became a friend to all on campus, according to the late Douglas Roberson ‘34, one of the freshmen who cared for her on that first night. That following football season, she was named the official mascot of Texas A&M when she was seen leading the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band onto Kyle Field for its halftime performance. Due to A&M’s contributions to the armed forces during World War II, the U.S. Army awarded Reveille the honorary title of Cadet General. Reveille I passed away in Jan. 1944 after serving as mascot for 13 years. She received a formal military funeral with a 21-gun salute. For the next eight years, dogs such as Tripod, Spot and Ranger would serve as unofficial mascots until Reveille II, a Shetland sheepdog donated by Arthur Weinert 1900, burst onto the scene.
At the time, the university was not paying for the mascot’s care. Sam Netterville ‘55 convinced the student senate to allow his unit, A Quartermaster Company, to take charge of Reveille II. Netterville took her everywhere, cementing himself in history as A&M’s first Mascot Corporal. Reveille II also took her place in history as the only A&M mascot to have puppies, giving birth to a litter of 10 in December 1952. Dubbed the “Naughty Girl of Aggieland,” according to a 1958 edition of The Battalion, Reveille II had a mischievous habit of relieving herself on the football field, eventually leading to friendly wagers between students as to which yard line she would mark as her territory. Continuing mascot mischief Reveille III from Fairbanks, Alaska was the very first pure-bred Rough Collie that served as mascot, setting a precedent for all Reveilles who followed. The book “Reveille: First Lady of Aggieland” described her as an intelligent prankster, noting that she attended all lectures with her handler, barked over professors who talked past the allotted class time and even faked limps as a prank to attract attention from passersby. Her 1975 successor, Deer Park-native Reveille IV, was the first to be officially promoted to Cadet General, the highest-ranking position in the Corps. She was presented with a custom leather collar with five diamonds and granted her own expense account from the university. After Reveille IV’s retirement, Reveille V made her debut during a January 1985 A&M basketball game. Following in the footsteps of her predecessors’ hijinks, Reveille V famously loved to steal erasers off of chalkboards during class and attempt to play catch with front-row students.
From rivalry to robbery Reveille VI was the first in the line of mascots to experience national fame after a high-profile kidnapping incident, even appearing as a guest on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Before the Cotton Bowl game against Notre Dame in December 1993, the fourmonth-old canine was stolen from the backyard of then-Mascot Corporal Jim Lively’s ‘96 home in Dallas. Neil Andrew Sheffield claimed to be responsible for the kidnapping, leading a group of fellow University of Texas students that called themselves the “Rustlers,” according to the Austin American-Statesman. Their only condition for Reveille VI’s release: A&M’s public admission of inferiority to UT. In response, A&M pointed out its grounds to file criminal charges, and the dog was swiftly released by the kidnappers and found near Lake Travis in Austin. Bred for success Originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Reveille VII, nicknamed “Rev Sev,” was genetically engineered for her role as A&M’s mascot. A puppy born of two champion collies, she assumed her duties in May 2001. During her tenure, she notably attended President George W. Bush’s second inauguration in Washington, D.C. Then, in 2008, a special search committee began scouring the country for the perfect next mascot. Reveille VIII, a two-year-old collie from Topeka, Kansas, was selected for her spirited personality and tolerance for large crowds, according to The Bryan-College Station Eagle. She served as the reigning mascot during A&M’s historic 2012 move from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference. Reveille IX, selected for her “gentle disposition,” was donated to A&M by annual Collie Nationals finalists Marcy and Mike Fine and succeeded Reveille VIII in May 2015. Notably, Mia Miller ‘21 served as Reveille IX’s handler and the first female Mascot Corporal in school history.
First Lady of Aggieland As of May 2021, the current mascot of A&M is seven-year-old Reveille X, who carries the responsibilities and privileges of nearly a century of tradition. Like every Reveille before her, if she falls asleep on a cadet’s bed, they must sleep on the floor, outranked. If she barks in class, lecture is dismissed. Cared for every year by a new cadet from the E-2 Company, she accompanies her current handler, mechanical engineering sophomore Trent Ford, everywhere. After a glaucoma diagnosis, Reveille X underwent emergency surgical removal of her right eye at the Texas A&M Veterinary Teaching Hospital on July 23, 2025. After a swift recovery, she returned, now one-eyed and cheerful as ever, to her duties in Aug. 2025. All nine deceased mascots, from the first stray dog to wander around campus to the highly decorated and respected Reveille IX, are buried at the north end of Kyle Field. The headstones face a mini scoreboard constructed just for them, so each beloved Reveille can continue to watch her Aggies play forever.
ART GALLERY
10.02.2026
A9
‘Here for Good’: Texas A&M through time and a 1946 Corregidor Muster Flag —
work with a lot of people across campus
Interactive exhibit opens in J. highlighted in the second display of the and departments and offices to have materials on loan as well to have certain Wayne Stark Galleries, detailing exhibition. “It’s some Aggies in action and it tells of areas represented,” Oldham said. “We service in the two world wars and then it knew that various audiences were going campus history, beginnings highlights the Corregidor Muster story,” to be experiencing the exhibit. And so we By Sophia Muñoz Life & Arts Editor In the 1800s, a wide Texas prairie ran untamed with wolves, cougars and other wildlife. It was in these same grassy plains where Texas A&M had its humble beginnings as the state’s first higher education institution under the Morrill Act. Today, on the 150th anniversary, remnants of the university’s history and values still stand tall, here for good, for generations to come. Celebrating the sesquicentennial, A&M University Libraries has partnered with the Sesquicentennial History Subcommittee to curate the “Here for Good: Celebrating 150 Years of Texas A&M University” exhibit, which will chronicle distinctive phases of the institution’s history from 1876 to present time. The exhibit is set to open on Friday, Oct. 2, in J. Wayne Stark Galleries at the MSC and will remain open until Sunday, May 16, 2027. Attendees can expect to see a variety of historical artifacts, photographs and multimedia exhibits — some of which will be interactive. The exhibit’s timeline will start with a display called “Founding in Early Years,” which will show the university’s history between 1876 and 1916. “That … gives a glimpse of what it was like those first two decades of the university,” Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and Archives Robin Hutchison said. “ … We have a mock Gathright building and we have videos with actors telling what it was like to be a student at the time. And the script is based off of letters that students sent home to their parents or their mothers during that time, kind of describing what conditions were like at Texas A&M.” Other archival pieces set to be at the exhibition include one of the first Aggie Rings made in 1889, Reveille I’s blanket, Nancy Currie-Gregg’s NASA flight suit
Hutchison said. “That’s a huge component and that is a very meaningful part of the exhibition.” According to Hutchison, other key milestones will be highlighted within the 1947-1968, 19691995 and 1996-present displays. Some milestones include A&M opening its admissions to women and African Americans, which will be highlighted in the 19471968 display. While a majority of archives were pulled from Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Director of University Archives Krista Oldham said organizers of the exhibit had to extend their search beyond library grounds. “We also were able to
The Battalion Ava Loth Editor-in-Chief
Kynlee Joyner Managing Editor David Swope
Maeva Elizabé
Tanner Brown
Ian Curtis
News Editor
Opinion Editor
Design & Graphics Editor
Senior Enterprise Reporter
Emily Anderson
Wyatt Pickering
Julius Sjolie
Kynlee Joyner
Associate News Editor
Associate Opinion Editor
Social Media Editor
Business Manager
Sophia Muñoz
Trey Bohne
Rocio Salgado
Tiffany Vasquez
Life & Arts Editor
Associate Sports Editor
Photo Chief
Business Manager
Adhithi Shankar
Brody Vaughn
Steve Carrasco IV
Sara E. Gonzales
Associate Life & Arts Editor
Associate Sports Editor
Photo Chief
Associate Director of Student Media
The Battalion is published Thursdays in Fall 2026 (except university holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Offices are in Suite L400 of the Memorial Student Center. The Battalion is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. Newsroom Phone: 979-845-3315 Email: editor@thebatt.com Website: http://www.thebatt.com Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local and national display advertising, email battads@thebatt.com. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
didn’t want to make it too niche. … We weren’t able to do a deep dive in anything,
Aggies
but we thought if we could just kind of paint the history of Texas A&M for the last 150 years with these broad brush strokes, that there would be something in there that would resonate with them [attendees].” When referring to the exhibition’s title, “Here for Good,” Oldham said the words can carry different meanings. “I think it’s to say, ‘Yeah, we’re here, we’re here for good, we accept the challenge,’” Oldham said. “There’s a bit of permanence to it. And I think, as some of our other colleagues have noted and something that we were intentional about, the ‘Here’ is something very special for Aggies and as it relates to our Muster.” While the libraries and history subcommittee worked to curate an all encompassing experience of the university’s history within this exhibition, Oldham said there is more to be seen within the library’s full archival collection. “It’s just the tip of the iceberg or a very small sliver of what we actually have,” Oldham said. “So there’s a lot of history, there’s a lot of artifacts, there’s a lot of materials that are both informative and some that are just really cool to see here in the archives. So if they see something over there, they’re curious, we would love to have them come to Cushing. We’d love to talk to them, love to, you know, get people engaged with the archives here and excited.” However, Oldham said each student should find time to attend the exhibition and fully immerse themselves in the history. When they leave, she hopes they take away a key lesson. “I really hope that students see themselves as creators of history,” Oldham said. “ … They themselves are the producers of history and their work and their experience and things that they do here at Texas A&M. So much of our exhibit is about celebrating the past and in our tradition, but so much of it is looking forward and … I personally would want students to see that they are part of this larger legacy. This history isn’t written in stone, you are a part of the history.”
Live On.
As Aggies we stand stronger together. When you live on campus, you experience a dynamic community, unmatched convenience and academic support, all within a safe and sustainable environment. Apply to live on campus and live the full Aggie Experience. reslife.tamu.edu Residence Life DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS