Reminiscing at Texas A&M University…

We moved to College Station so I could attend Texas A&M University and ended up living there for 34 years.  Coming back to Texas A&M University, or Aggieland as it is often called, is always fun.   Our return rekindles my Aggie Spirit and Aggie Pride.

A&M was founded in 1876 as an all-men’s school, one hundred years after the birth of our nation. Texas A&M University has grown to become the fourth largest university in the United States and now enrolls nearly 60,000 students.

As Sharon and I have enjoyed strolling along the campus many memories come back to life for the two of us as living in College Station meant that much of our lives centered around university activities. Our thoughts are interrupted as we hear an occasional “Howdy”, a traditional greeting from Aggies to others, as we walk across campus. We pass the building where I received my undergraduate degree from the Wildlife and Fisheries Department back in 1978. I remember back to the days when I had to study hard while on the G.I. Bill to get through the coursework. I also fondly remember the friends and fun we had back in that bygone time…

We passed by the Animal Industries Building where I worked toward a Range Science degree and it is under renovation. Spending a few years in that building working on my Master’s in Science I made some good friends and learned a great deal. We also strolled past various other buildings I had an office in over the years but the one I remembered and liked the most was the Student Recreation Center where I worked for 17 years after earning my final MBA degree.  It too is under renovation and expansion.  We couldn't resist going in and were greeted with many of the same faces I worked with just a bit over four years ago. It is great fun seeing old friends and coworkers who always seem happy to welcome us back…

Afterward we strolled out and could see the massive expansion that will transform Kyle Field, Texas A&M’s football stadium, from what it was in the Big 12 Conference to what it will become now it is part of the SEC Conference.  It will eventually seat 102,500 people, making it the largest football stadium in Texas and the SEC. As we wander past the cranes erected to complete the project we remember all the fun times we had here tailgating and going to Aggie football games. I also worked at Kyle Field for about 15 years as a statistician for the football and basketball programs. The press box I once sat in is now in rubble as they are rebuilding the entire west side of Kyle Field.

We delighted in the finished product on the east side where huge banners display exceptional players the school has had over the years.  This expansion has taken out what was once our tailgating area where we would mingle with friends, eat snacks and have a few cold beers awaiting the band marching in signaling the game would soon begin.  A huge 12th man statue has been erected capturing the locking of arms and the swaying of fans during the Aggie War Hymn sung before and after the game and at the end of each quarter of play.  We were like tourists snapping pictures as well as ooohing and awwwing at the impressive addition.

Each and every time we walk around the Texas A&M campus new memories are made and memories are relived, never to be forgotten… After all, we are the Aggies, the Aggies are we...