April 2004    News from The Association      » I-1 Association Establishes Hufstedler Memorial Fund      » 2004 Buck Weirus Spirit, Gathright Scholar Awardees         Honored      » More...    News from Texas A&M University      » Aggies Help Iraqi Farmers Rebuild      » A&M Libraries Acquire 3 Millionth Volume      » More...    Aggie Calendar    College Links    Subscription Information    To read this e-newsletter online, go to    www.AggieNetwork.com/HTMLEmails/ENewsletter/April2004/ News from The Association I-1 Association Establishes Hufstedler Memorial Fund As Aggies worldwide observe Muster, one of Texas A&M University's oldest and most revered traditions, the I-1 Association seeks the help of the Aggie Network in memorializing one of its own. Earlier this month, the I-1 Association established a memorial fund through the Texas A&M Foundation in honor of 1st Lt. Doyle M. Hufstedler III '01, who was killed in Iraq March 31. Hufstedler, a native of Abilene, was a 2002 A&M graduate and a member of Company I-1 in the Corps of Cadets. Contributions may be made by mail (Texas A&M Foundation, 401 George Bush Dr., College Station, TX 77840) or dropped off at the Jon L. Hagler Building on the A&M campus. Checks should be made out to "Texas A&M Foundation," with "Hufstedler Memorial Fund" indicated in the memo line. For additional information, call John Harrison '03 at (979) 693-7871 or jhh9201@neo.tamu.edu or Ed Solymosy at (979) 458-1689. 2004 Buck Weirus Spirit, Gathright Scholar Awardees Honored As part of 2004 Parents' Weekend festivities, Texas A&M honored some of its best and brightest students during the All-University Awards Ceremony, held April 18 in Rudder Theatre. Fifty-two students received the Buck Weirus Spirit Award, while the top sophomore, junior and senior students in each A&M college were recognized with the Gathright Scholar Award. The Association of Former Students is proud to play an instrumental role in supporting both award programs. Record 3,091 Receive Aggie Rings in Largest Ring Day Ever! The Association of Former Students hosted Aggie Ring Day April 22 at the Clayton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Center. The Association staff and volunteers distributed Aggie Rings to a record 3,091 students, setting a new mark for the largest Ring Day in Association history. The previous record was set in April 2003 when 2,984 Aggies celebrated the milestone. Guest distributors included Parents of the Year Gene Baumann (2004-2005), and Timothy and Janice Kerlee (2003-2004), The Association Board Members Cydney Donnell '81 and Bob Joiner '62, Clayton W. Williams Jr. '54, Kim Franchione and A&M Interim Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Bill Kibler. Students representing Student Government, Ags of Oak, the International Student Association and MSC Fish also joined in the excitement. For more information on this event or the history of the Aggie Ring, go to www.AggieNetwork.com/ring/ WWII Registry Enrollment Available Online On May 29, the United States will dedicate the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., thereby honoring the 16 million American servicemen and servicewomen who served and fought to secure democracy, preserve freedom and liberate the oppressed. Today, members of this "greatest generation" are living in every community across this nation and are equally deserving of recognition and honor. To help preserve the memory of their sacrifice and achievement, the American Battle Monuments Commission has created an online World War II Registry of Remembrances, an individual listing of Americans, both enlisted and civilian, who contributed to the war effort. Click here to search for or enroll family and friends, whether living or deceased, or go to http://www.wwiimemorial.com/default.asp?page=registry.asp&subpage=intro AggieHostel '04 Registrations Due May 1 The registration deadline is looming for AggieHostel '04, scheduled for June 13-18. AggieHostel is an annual program of The Association of Former Students that invites Aggies over the age of 60 back to College Station for one fun-filled week of dorm life, extracurricular activities and Aggie traditions. Each participant is assigned to a pair of students to serve as their "host" family. AggieHostel is a great experience for student host and Hosteler alike, as both have the chance to see Texas A&M University through the eyes of a different generation. If you would like to be a part of this amazing week in Aggieland, sign up by May 1 by visiting www.AggieNetwork.com/AggieHostel Texas A&M to Host 32nd Annual Golf Classic in May Join The Association of Former Students and the Department of Recreational Sports for the 32nd Annual Golf Classic, to be held May 28-29 at the Texas A&M Golf Course. Participants will be treated to 36 holes of golf Friday and Saturday, a Friday night cocktail reception (optional) and three meals (lunch Friday, breakfast and lunch Saturday). To register your six-person team or get more information, go to www.AggieNetwork.com/GolfClassic 2004 Coach's Tour with Dennis Franchione Kicks Off in June Want to get a head start on the 2004 Aggie football season? Then make plans to join Texas A&M Head Football Coach Dennis Franchione, The Association of Former Students and the 12th Man Foundation with an A&M Club near you! In addition to personal insight from Coach Fran, each of the six Texas Coach's Tour stops will feature great food, silent auctions and lots of Aggie camaraderie. All proceeds will benefit individual Club scholarship programs. For a complete list of dates and locations, visit www.AggieNetwork.com/events/coachstour.aspx News from Texas A&M University New $100 Million Life Sciences Building on Campus Horizon On April 21, Texas A&M University President Robert M. Gates announced plans for the largest investment in teaching and research in A&M's 128-year history-a $100 million academic facility dedicated to interdisciplinary life sciences. A formal proposal for the building, to be located in the campus' academic corridor, will be presented for approval by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents in July. Construction finances will come from the Available University Fund and require no additional state appropriations or tuition dollars, Gates noted. The facility, which will be equipped with flexible, sophisticated laboratories and technically-enhanced classrooms, is intended to aid in faculty recruitment and improve competitiveness in obtaining grant funding while helping to train the next generation of life sciences researchers. For more on the story, go to http://www.tamu.edu/aggiedaily/news/stories/04/042104-11.html Aggies Help Iraqi Farmers Rebuild Several months ago, Texas A&M University was chosen to lead a 3-year project to help farmers in Iraq rebuild the country's agriculture. Crop yields have been declining in Iraq since the 1990s, and after decades of neglect and poor planning, the amount of irrigated farmland is about one-third what it was in the 1970s. The program has gotten off to a good start so far; A&M has already assisted in the planting of about 800 acres of demonstration plots to teach farming techniques to the Iraqis. Project leaders set the goal of doubling the production of 30,000 Iraqi farms within the first year. For the full story, visit http://www.theeagle.com/aandmnews/032004tamuiraq.htm A&M Libraries Acquire 3 Millionth Volume Texas A&M University recently commemorated the acquisition of its 3-millionth volume, a rare first edition of Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" (1855) given by Sara and John Lindsey '44 of Houston. Famous stage/screen actor Elmore "Rip" Torn '52 delivered a special reading from the book to a crowd of nearly 300 who gathered on the A&M campus for the April 1 ceremony. A&M is home to the second-largest academic library in Texas and surrounding states and ranks among the top three nationally. For more on the story, go to http://www.tamu.edu/univrel/aggiedaily/news/stories/04/040204-3.html Mays Business School Programs on the Rise The Mays Business School's MBA Program surged upward in the latest "U.S. News & World Report" ranking, released this spring. Mays tied for 7th among public schools in the 2005 rankings, a significant leap from its No. 22 position in 2004. The ranking is based on feedback from other business schools and recruiters, as well as job placement success and quality of students. Mays ranked first in the employment category with an 86.5 percent employment rate among its 2003 students at the time of graduation and a 95.9 percent rate three months after graduation. In other news, the Department of Accounting's graduate program tied for 16th among public schools in the publication's listing of America's Best Graduate Schools. Visit Mays Business Online for the full story. Gillispie Named Men's Basketball Coach Former Texas-El Paso head coach Billy Gillispie was named the 19th men's basketball coach at Texas A&M March 24. In just two seasons at UTEP, Gillispie, a native of Graford, Texas, took the Miners from worst to first in the Western Athletic Conference and to the 2004 NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years. Prior to being hired at UTEP in 2002, he served eight years as an assistant coach at Baylor, Tulsa and Illinois. For more on Gillispie and Texas Aggie basketball, go to http://www.aggiesports.com/basketball/mensbasketball/news/032504gillispiemain.htm Aggie Pride License Plate Program Helps Students Each year, hundreds of students with proven track records in academic excellence and campus/community involvement apply for scholarships at Texas A&M University. Display your school spirit and help deserving Aggies pay for college by purchasing Aggie Pride License Plates through the Collegiate License Plates Program. For each $30 plate purchase, A&M receives $25, which is placed in a scholarship fund to benefit students. Plates can be ordered at any time during the year. To order yours online, visit http://www.dot.state.tx.us/vtr/spplates/specialplate.htm?nbr=27 Aggie Calendar April 28 - Ft. Worth/Tarrant County A&M Club Happy Hour at the SPEEDWAY Treat yourself to food, fun and an adrenaline-pumping Pace car ride at speeds of more than 90 m.p.h., all for $20.00! A cash bar is available. Reservations are required, so RSVP to Stephanie Thompson at aggiesteph@hotmail.com or (817) 303-0560. May 14 - 4th Annual Collin County A&M Scholarship Golf Tournament, Plano For more information on this annual scholarship fundraiser played at Ridgeview Ranch Golf Course, contact Janice Norton '89 at (972) 712-5788 or janicen@architeriors.com or visit http://clubs.aggienetwork.com/collincountyags/agindex.htm May 22 - 2nd Annual Track Trek, Indianapolis, IN Come out to the famous Indianapolis 500 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for food and fun, courtesy of the Central Indiana and Northeast Indiana A&M Clubs. Meet in Lot 2 (look for the motor home with the big Aggie flag) on the west side of Georgetown Road across from the track. RSVP to Stuart Gregory at 317-841-9052. May 24 - Beaumont A&M Club Golf Tournament Join the Beaumont A&M Club at the Brentwood Country Club for an 11 a.m. lunch and a Florida scramble golf tournament at noon. To make reservations, contact Joe Peters '70 at (409) 892-7938 by the May 19 deadline. May 26 - 4th Annual Comal County A&M Club Golf Tournament, New Braunfels Tee it up at the Bandit Golf Course with women's basketball coach Gary Blair and former All-American place kicker Tony Franklin, among other A&M celebrities. The $90 per-player cost includes golf, cart, range balls, food/drinks, two mulligans and a door-prize-entry ticket. For more information, contact Kyle Dicke '92 at dicke_kyle@ci.san-marcos.tx.us or (830) 626-3590 or visit http://clubs.aggienetwork.com/comalamc/ May 28-29 - 32nd Annual Golf Classic, College Station Enjoy 36 holes of golf Friday and Saturday, an optional Friday night cocktail reception, three meals (lunch Friday, breakfast/lunch Saturday). To register your six-person team or get more information, visit www.AggieNetwork.com/GolfClassic or call Scott Jarvis at (979) 845-7514. College Links College of Agriculture and Life Sciences College of Architecture College of Education and Human Development College of Geosciences College of Liberal Arts College of Science College of Veterinary Medicine Dwight Look College of Engineering George Bush School of Government and Public Service Mays Business School Texas A&M Galveston Texas A&M Qatar Subscription Information If you received this as a forward, see www.AggieNetwork.com/enews/add.aspx to update your information with The Association, and receive your own E-News in the future. To unsubscribe from this e-newsletter, click here www.AggieNetwork.com/enews/remove.aspx. To read this e-newsletter online, go to : www.AggieNetwork.com/HTMLEmails/ENewsletter/April2004/ This monthly electronic newsletter from The Association of Former Students keeps you informed and up-to-date on happenings at Texas A&M University and throughout the Aggie community. 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