Freshmen cadets in the 1934 Texas Aggie Band celebrate an A&M victory at Kyle Field.
By Krista Smith ’09
Perhaps Marion S. Church, Class of 1905 said it best: “A man’s loves have been defined under three heads—for his home, his country, and his God, but I would add another category, distinct from those, yet holding a hallowed place in the heart of every man so fortunate—and that is love for his college.”
But could Church have possibly known that his thousands and thousands of fellow former students would have such an impact on the world 129 years later?
One hundred and twenty nine years—years of giving back, service, dedication and promoting everything Aggie, all of what could not have been possible without the support of the Aggie family.
The Association of Former Students is celebrating its 129th anniversary, an anniversary that echoes the rich history of Texas A&M. Like A&M, which was nothing more than two buildings and a flat expanse of open prairie when its doors opened in 1876, The Association has humble beginnings. Twelve former Corps of Cadets members met in Houston’s Bachelor’s Hall on June 26, 1879, with one intention: forming an organization of former cadets.
The 12 men left the summer meeting as members of the Association of Ex-Cadets and with two clear goals in mind. First, they pledged to hold an annual on-campus gathering that would coincide with graduation ceremonies, and second, they would make an effort to keep a record of all cadets who had attended the A&M College of Texas.
The annual meeting began as scheduled in 1880, and the ex-cadets gained support from the A&M College Board of Directors to have the day set aside each year. The 1883 gathering proved to be one of the most pivotal in A&M’s history, as the ex-cadets formalized steps to develop Aggie Muster by referring to “roll call” as an annual time when A&M Classmates “mustered” for the fallen.
Hard times hit the college in the late 1800s, and in an attempt to limit membership to graduates and not former students (at the time there were 97 graduates and 600 former students), the Ex-Cadets Association in 1887 reorganized into the Alumni Association. But under the direction of Edward B. Cushing, Class of 1880, an organization called Alpha Phi Fraternity was founded in Houston with the hope of connecting graduates and non-graduate former students to support A&M.
It fell to the two organizations to promote public support for A&M College, as the school was struggling with low enrollment and poor funding. The Alumni Association was key in creating Class Agents and A&M Clubs across the state of Texas, as well as forming the Alumni Bureau, an office that would help graduates obtain jobs and is still around today in the form of the Career Center. Likewise, Alpha Phi charter members, who were known to be more energetic than their alumni counterparts, moved to expand the fraternity nationally.
Both organizations had the same goals in mind, with similar programs; a merger was inevitable. The rival groups were drawn together after combating a rivalry of a different kind. As a part of the San Antonio International Fair in 1889, A&M and Texas were squaring off in one of their first football matchups, and after what the team deemed an unfair call in favor of the University of Texas, the Aggies left the field for College Station. The international fair ensured the future of a Texas and A&M rivalry, but it also brought together the Alumni Association and Alpha Phi Fraternity, as the two groups bonded over the incident. In 1890, the Alumni Association absorbed the records and members of Alpha Phi, extending membership in the newly formed Association of Former Students to former students who chose to pay dues that would benefit the college.
In 1942, The Association announced plans to abandon the old dues system when the concept of annual giving was introduced. Under the new system, all former students were members of The Association of Former Students, and no dues were required. Instead, every man was asked to contribute each year to the organization’s development fund.
The revamped giving system worked, as The Association surpassed its goal of raising $50,000. And as the college grew into a university, began admitting women and made Corps membership to be voluntary—all during the 1960s—The Association continued to benefit from the ever-increasing student body; the group first gave back more than $1 million to A&M in 1970. Today, the generosity of the former student body has allowed The Association to far exceed the goals of the 1970s, as The Association raised more than $7 million for the first time in 2007, with hopes to echo that effort in 2008.
But The Association is not just about giving back—it’s also about keeping former students and their families connected. As the alumni organization developed over the past 129 years, so have its other extensions and programs, including A&M Clubs, Class Reunions, Traveling Aggies and, of course, the Aggie Ring.
The Association of Former Students continues to grow in order to adapt to the burgeoning campus. Most recently The Association’s offices have relocated as the 20-year-old Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center is being enhanced. Though the building is a beautiful facility, the overall functionality was in need of an update, as the number of Association staff has doubled and the former student population has tripled.
The enhanced Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center will provide an interactive environment for prospective, current and former students, as well as friends of A&M and their families. The building will boast the additions of the Haynes Ring Plaza and Flores Hall, which will feature a video wall and other exhibits.
With its extensive history and a generous and dedicated population of former students and friends of A&M —all with an enhanced building to boot—The Association of Former Students is well on its way to fulfilling its goal of becoming the premier alumni organization.
Krista Smith ’09 is a student communications assistant at The Association of Former Students. To contact her, e-mail at KSmith09@AggieNetwork.com.