Black Former Student Network Celebrates 1st African-American Aggies

More than a dozen of the first African-American Aggies gathered this weekend at Texas A&M as honored guests at the Black Former Student Network's 2017 reunion.

The BFSN is a chartered constituent network of The Association of Former Students, formed in 2001 to promote the interests and support the relationships of the African-American constituency of Texas A&M.

Llewellyn A. Derry '88, current president of the network, said the former students being honored were admitted between the years of 1963 and 1970, serving as pioneers for the generations that followed them.

The Bryan-College Station Eagle published a story Sunday with interviews of several of the pioneers. Hugh McElroy '71, the first black player to start a football game at A&M, told The Eagle he remains grateful for the kindness of African-American families in Bryan-College Station who opened up their homes and made them feel welcome as homesick college students. He also appreciates that the university has continued to diversify:

"Now, several decades after he first stepped foot on the A&M campus, McElroy said one of the changes that he is most appreciative of is that it is no longer out of the ordinary to see a black student at the university or serving in a leadership role for an organization."

Read the full story in The Eagle here. 

To learn more about the Black Former Student Network, visit AggieNetwork.com/BFSN.