News from
The Association
Aggie Marine Featured in Upcoming Documentary
The Military Channel is premiering a program titled, "An Ocean Away," on
Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. CST that will focus on Marine 2nd Lt. Donald John
Matocha '67. Matocha was killed in a firefight in April 1968 on Dong Ma
Mountain in what was then the Republic of South Vietnam. The Defense Department
had given up on the hunt for Matocha's remains by 1993. In 1996 Nguyen Van Loc,
a 58-year-old farmer who had been a squad leader of the 320th Division of the
People's Army of Vietnam reported that he had found a dead American on Dong Ma
Mountain in the spring of 1968 and helped bury him in a bomb crater. The
remains of this Aggie were identified 36 years after his death and were
escorted home to Smithville on Sept. 16, 2004. To view a trailer for the
program, go to http://www.arrowheadfilms.com/ .
African-American Summit Begins Feb. 9
African-American former students will return to Texas A&M to join
administrators, faculty and professionals for the 2006 Texas A&M
African-American Summit, scheduled for Thursday through Saturday (Feb. 9-11).
Sponsored by the university and the Black Former Student Network, the summit's
theme is "Bringing Together the Right People for the Right Purpose, to
Formulate the Right Plan." As the theme implies, the summit is seen as an
opportunity for various groups to work together and focus on developing a
strategic plan for the recruitment, retention and recognition of
African-Americans at Texas A&M. For more, go to http://www.bfsn.org/summit/index.htm.
Central America Aggie Summit Takes Place Feb. 16-19
Texas A&M University and the A&M Clubs from Central America will host
the Central America Aggie Summit Feb. 16-19. The main objectives of the summit
include reuniting Aggies from Central America and providing tips from
university administrators on how to successfully apply to Texas A&M. In
addition, participants will discuss and analyze the economic impact of the
Central American and Panama Free Trade Agreements as well as the region's
social vulnerability to natural disasters, hazard reduction and recovery.
Attendants will include Texas A&M administration and faculty members and
representatives from The Association of Former Students. For more information,
go to http://www.AggieNetwork.com/htmlemails/caaggies0206/.
Sul Ross Reunion Takes Place March 23-25
The Association of Former Students will host the annual Sul Ross Reunion from
March 23-25 in College Station. Named after former Texas Governor and A&M
President Lawrence Sullivan Ross, the Sul Ross Reunion welcomes Classes that
have been graduated from Texas A&M for 55 years or more. Members of the
honored Class attending their 55th Anniversary Reunion will be presented
"Golden Circle" certificates in recognition of their devoted interest in Texas
A&M since their days as students. This year, the Class of '51 will be
officially inducted into the Sul Ross Group. For more information on the Sul
Ross Reunion, call our Former Student Programs staff at (979) 845-7514.
Help Support Texas Aggies Through The Association
Over the years, you may have received a few phone calls from students working
with Aggie Outreach in The Association's call center. Every year, these
students help raise a significant portion of the funds that The Association
gives back to Texas A&M. One such student is Ashley Timmreck '06, an
education major who is the executive officer of B-Battery in the Corps of
Cadets, a member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band and a supervisor for The
Association's call center. If you ever get a phone call from enthusiastic
students like Ashley, we hope that you'll enjoy the opportunity to connect with
our former students of tomorrow. To support current students as well as the
entire Aggie Network, please visit http://www.AggieNetwork.com/GiveBack.
Plan Where You Will Muster in 2006
April 21 is fast approaching, and if you have not made plans for Muster this
year, AggieNetwork.com is the perfect place to begin your search. With a
comprehensive listing of all state, national and international Musters and
contact persons, AggieNetwork.com is your resource to connect with Aggies this
spring and always. To search for your local Muster or Musters around the globe,
go to http://www.AggieNetwork.com/Muster/search.aspx.
Reveille Club Hosts "Houston Aggie Weekend" March 31-April 1
The Houston Reveille Club will host its 16th Annual Reveille Club Golf
Tournament at Longwood Golf Club on Friday, March 31. Individual player
registration is $125 and includes lunch, greens fees, a goodie bag and a ticket
for the awards dinner. Also, the Club will hold its Saturday Night Social the
following night on April 1. It will include a dinner, casino games, a
live/silent auction and raffle drawings. Proceeds from both events will be used
to support student organizations at Texas A&M. To learn more or to register
online, go to http://www.reveille.org.
Plano Aggie Moms Present Singing Cadets
The Plano A&M Mothers' Club is proud to present the Texas A&M Singing
Cadets in a concert on February 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Eisemann Center in
Richardson. The Singing Cadets, known around the world as the "Voice of
Aggieland," are comprised of 70 young men and are in the midst of their 101st
touring season. Tickets for the event range in price from $12 to $20, with all
proceeds going toward scholarships and student organizations. Tickets can be
purchased at the Eisemann Center or online at http://www.eisemanncenter.com.
Join the Traveling Aggies on an Upcoming Trip
Join the Traveling Aggies on their many excursions around the world, including
the following.
Waterways of Russia, July 26-August 6, 2006
Join us as we travel through the heart of Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg
and experience the fascinating history and rich cultural tradition of this
fast-changing nation.
Village Life in Wales, August 6-14, 2006
Experience the rich culture, long history and natural beauty of Wales for seven
nights on this leisurely paced program.
Romance of the Blue Danube, September 14-27, 2006
Experience the romantic kaleidoscope of sights and sounds that accentuate the
Danube River, including the wondrous cities of Budapest, Vienna and Prague.
For more information on these trips and others, contact the Traveling Aggies at
1-800-392-2096 or (979) 845-7514. Visit www.AggieNetwork.com/TravelingAggies to read about
upcoming trips, see pictures from previous trips and meet our dedicated staff.
News from Texas A&M University
12th Man Controversy to Continue in Federal Court
The legal turmoil between Texas A&M and the Seattle Seahawks over the use
of the 12th Man trademark will resume on June 16 in a federal court in Houston.
A hearing had been scheduled for Feb. 2 in Brazos County's 85th District Court
but the NFL team's attorney moved to have the case reassigned to a federal
court because of jurisdiction issues. Both Texas A&M and the Seahawks use
the "12th Man" phrase to describe their fans. But the university holds a
federal trademark and sued the Seattle team to stop it from using it further.
For more on this story, go to http://www.theeagle.com/stories/020306/am_20060203002.php.
To read the related statement issued by Steven B. Moore '79, chief marketing
officer and vice president for communications at Texas A&M University, go
to http://our-news.tamu.edu/newsmanager/templates/?a=1929&z=15
.
Texas A&M Top-Ranked Regionally by Kiplinger's
Texas A&M is the top-ranked university in Texas and the Southwest in
Kiplinger's 2006 list of the nation's 100 "best values in public colleges." The
"Kiplinger 100" is featured in the February issue of the widely circulated
personal finance magazine. Texas A&M ranks 25th on the list, which is
derived on the basis of a combination of academic quality and affordability
factors. "We are obviously pleased to be included among the universities rated
as 'best values' by the editors of this well-known magazine and take this as
another highly positive indication that Texas A&M is becoming better known
nationally for the right reasons," noted Texas A&M President Robert M.
Gates. "We find it particularly gratifying that the ratings are based on a
combination of academics and affordability because that is our emphasis, too -
to provide high-quality education to our students at the lowest cost possible
in keeping with our commitment to quality." For more, go to http://our-news.tamu.edu/newsmanager/templates/?a=1841&z=15
.
Texas A&M Unveils New Home Page
Texas A&M unveiled its new Web home page Feb. 3. The new home page will
serve as the portal for the university and provide links to its colleges,
departments and administrative divisions. Chief Marketing Officer and Vice
President of Communications Steve Moore '79 said the page has been redesigned
to promote better navigability and to incorporate current Web technology. More
detailed information about the new home page, including a list of frequently
asked questions (with answers) can be accessed at http://www.tamu.edu/tamunews/faq.html .
Corps Recruiting Efforts Remain Strong
The Corps Recruiting Office has undergone extensive efforts to encourage
qualified students to consider joining the Corps as they look at attending
Texas A&M. Last fall, the Corps recruiting team hosted several special
events designed to give students a glimpse of life at Texas A&M from
the perspective of a cadet, including 15 separate "Spend the Night with the
Corps" programs. This spring, Corps recruiting primarily focuses on students
who have already applied to Texas A&M. The Corps Recruiting Office
maintains contact with all prospects interested in finding out more about the
Corps by making well over 10,000 phone calls each semester. For more on this
story, go to AggieNetwork.com/release.aspx?p=199.
For additional Corps updates, please visit http://aggiecorps.org/News/CorpsUpdate.
Aggie Softball Team Ranked No. 6 in Preseason Poll
The defending Big 12 Champion Texas A&M softball team earned a No. 6
ranking in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 preseason poll, released
Jan. 24. The Aggies will play at least 18 games in 2006 against 10 teams ranked
in the poll. The Big 12 placed three teams in the top 10 and a total of six in
the top 25. Texas A&M will open the season at the Kajikawa Classic in
Tempe, Arizona, on Feb. 10. The Aggies open their home schedule on Wednesday,
Feb. 15 with a double-header against Texas-San Antonio. For more on this story,
go to http://www.aggieathletics.com/pressRelease.php?PRID=10755
.
Texas A&M Spring Enrollment Totals 41,716
Texas A&M University's unofficial 2006 spring semester enrollment totals
41,716, up slightly from the comparable period last year, according to figures
released Friday. The university's 12th class-day tabulations show an increase
of 272 students compared to the same time last spring. Official enrollment is
based on the 20th class-day total, but university officials note the difference
between the 12th and 20th class-day figures typically change only slightly.
Spring semester enrollment is traditionally less than that for the fall
semester because of the large number of students who graduate in December,
university officials note. Texas A&M's official fall enrollment was 44,910.
For more detailed information on the spring enrollment totals, go to http://www.tamu.edu/oisp/reports/student/FFSP2006.pdf .
Aggies Win Katrina-Inspired Hospital Design Contest
Four Texas A&M University architecture students earned first place honors
in an exclusive design competition for their design of emergency healthcare
facilities to serve post-Katrina New Orleans. Skanska USA Building Inc., one of
the nation's leading healthcare facility design and construction companies,
sponsored the competition and presented the award on January 19 in a special
ceremony at the College of Architecture. The winning entry included recovery
solutions for the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans, which had been
rendered inoperable by the storm. The team's primary goal was providing fast
and available healthcare facilities, which entailed the construction of
specially designed modular clinics to temporarily replace the center's Charity
and University hospitals. The team's long-range plans called for the
construction of a new hospital especially equipped to deal with disaster
response. The students, all seniors, are Ashley Dias '06 and Lauren Johnson '06
of Dallas, Elisha Killgore '06 of Henderson, and Jackie Russel '06 of Corpus
Christi. For more, go to http://our-news.tamu.edu/newsmanager/templates/?a=1842&z=15.
Chinese Documentary Crew Films on Texas A&M Campus
A documentary film crew from China visited Texas A&M University Jan. 25 to
gain insight into the life of a WWII American military officer the Chinese
consider a hero. Army Major William C. McMurrey, who took part in the Salween
Campaign to liberate China from Japanese occupation, was killed in action there
on May 20, 1944. He was buried in China along with the other casualties of that
campaign, but in 1949 his body was returned to the United States. McMurrey
served as a member of the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M, graduating with a
degree in civil engineering in 1931. He joined the Army reserves and was called
to active duty in 1941. Chinese filmmaker Wen Jiang and her cameraman, Niu Zi,
have expressed interest in speaking with any other U.S. Army veterans from the
Brazos Valley who took part in the liberation of China, to thank them for
"helping to free their country from the Japanese," says Barbara McMurrey Hyde,
Major McMurrey's daughter. For more on this story, go to http://our-news.tamu.edu/newsmanager/templates/?a=1891&z=15
.
Aggie Calendar
February 10 - Baseball vs. Northwestern State
Olsen Field, 3 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=MBA
February 11 - Men's Basketball vs. Oklahoma State
Reed Arena, 2:30 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=MBB
February 15 - Softball vs. Texas-San Antonio
Reed Arena, 7 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=WSB
February 18 - Aggieland Saturday
http://www.tamu.edu/aggiesaturday
February 22 - Women's Basketball vs. Texas
Reed Arena, 7 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=WBB
February 24 - Winter Leadership Council Meeting
Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center
March 1 - Men's Basketball vs. Texas
Reed Arena, 7 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=MBB
March 4 - Run for the Ring
College Links
Subscription Information
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