55 Students Earn Buck Weirus Spirit Award

The 2016 Buck Weirus Spirit Award winners are pictured with Texas A&M University President Michael K. Young (first row, second from right); Vice President of Student Affairs Daniel J. Pugh, Sr. (first row, right), and Association President and CEO Porter S. Garner III '79 (first row, left).

One of the highest awards Texas A&M students can earn is, uniquely, focused on their Aggie Spirit.

This weekend, 55 students received the Buck Weirus Spirit Award.

These Aggies are highly involved, create positive experiences throughout the Aggie community and make a true impact on student life at Texas A&M. They contribute to Texas A&M through participation in student organizations, traditions and university events.

Click here to see a video that features a bit more about the 2016 Buck Weirus recipients.

They are:

Michelle Alvarez ’18, Morgan Anderson ’17, Isabelle Antes ’18, Jose Avila ’16, Jaskirat Batra ’15, Krupal Bhatt ’16, Marisa Biondi ’16, Ross Bodeker ’17, Amy Bolon ’09, Danielle Bonanno ’16, Aimee Breaux ’16, Brittany Bullock ’17, Brant Burns ’16, Michael Buse ’18, Christopher Bybee ’17, Lily Campbell ’17, Jonah Chen ’17, Alyssa Clift ’16, Mary Crimmins ’16, Grace Dansby ’18, Aubre Dean ’16, Eunice Fafiyebi ’17, Anne Freeman ’15, Antonio Garrido ’16, Reid Geissen ’16, Joseph Hernandez ’17, Steven Houston ’17, Katherine Huff ’16, Alex Lambros ’17, W. Hayden Lander ’17, Zach Lawrence ’16, Brett Lepicier ’18, Alyssa Michalke ’16, Claire Mikita ’17, Aaron Mitchell ’16, Paige Oliver ’17, Nick Page ’16, Jill Palmer ’16, Blake Parsons ’16, Alvaro Pereira ’16, Trent Reddic ’17, Chad Ruesink ’18, Alberto Saenz ’17, Danielle Sanders ’16, Mackenzie Scoggin ’17, Samantha Segers ’16, Sarah Spohn ’18, Josh Sutton ’17, Parker Todd ’16, Isaiah Tsau ’16, Matthew Vanderbloemen ’16, Mackenzie Walsh ’16, Brentley Westmoreland ’15, Chris Wilder ’17, Landon Woods ’18; from Texas A&M at Qatar, Danish Rahman ’18, Lokesh Loganathan ’17 and Mohamed Safan ’17.

The awards, named for a former Association of Former Students director, have recognized up to 55 students a year since 1982.

The Thompson family receives an honorary award for the late Rusty Thompson '85.

Also presented was an honorary Buck Weirus Spirit Award for a Texas A&M administrator who passed away March 12, 2016, following a heart attack. Rusty Thompson ’85 was director of student activities at A&M; among his many responsibilities, he helped coordinate the committee that selects the Weirus winners. Thompson worked with Aggie students for most of his 30-year career and referred to the Weirus recipients as “the best of the best.” Association manager of campus programs Kellie Malone ’08 said, reflecting on the criteria for the student award – involvement, impact, creating positive experiences, enhancing the Aggie spirit – that “You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who met those more than Rusty did.” Thompson’s family was presented with his award.

The only two A&M former students previously given an honorary Buck Weirus award were Weirus himself, Class of 1942, and former Vice President of Student Affairs J. Malon Southerland ’65.