The Association exists today as a proud and prominent resource for Texas A&M University because of the vision and loyalty inherent in our former students. This loyalty began in 1879, persevered through economic hardship, wars, political unrest and endured both tragedy and triumph.
View a searchable history of Texas A&M and The Association of Former Students
On June 26, 1879, with the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas still in its infancy, 11 former cadets gathered in Houston for a reception that marked the first formal organization of Texas A&M’s former students. It was decided at this inaugural meeting to keep a record of all former cadets who attended the college, “thus promoting and maintaining fellowship” among Aggies long after they left campus.
The organization continued to evolve as Texas A&M grew. In 1988, the Ex-Cadets Association was reorganized as the Alumni Association. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it developed alongside the Alpha Phi Fraternity, which was founded in the 1890s and included former students who had not graduated. In 1919, these efforts united when a coalition formally adopted the name, “The Association of Former Students,” establishing the organization that proudly serves the Aggie Network today.
For much of its history, however, The Association operated without a permanent home. In 1910, it launched a fundraising campaign to build the YMCA-Alumni Memorial Building, which was dedicated on Feb. 15, 1915. But, the Y would never house The Association; once construction was complete, The Association gave its space in the building to Texas A&M to help meet the university’s urgent need for student and administrative space. More than a century later, the YMCA Building continues to serve the university as the home to various administrative offices.
The search for a permanent home for The Association continued. After relocating seven times to temporary locations, The Association moved into its first dedicated space in the Memorial Student Center in 1974 with the opening of the Forsyth Alumni Center. The Association quickly outgrew this space, thanks to the rapid enrollment growth at Texas A&M during the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1987, a vision first conceived nearly eight decades earlier finally become reality when The Association of Former Students opened the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center — its first free-standing building, and a permanent home for The Association.
In 2008, the Williams Alumni Center entered a new chapter with a significant enhancement project. Following extensive improvements, the facility was rededicated in the fall of 2009. The Association’s commitment to strengthening Aggie connections continued with the completion of Aggie Park in 2022, a 20-acre transformation in the heart of Texas A&M’s campus and developed as a gift to the entire Aggie Network.
Former students of Texas A&M are proud of our past, yet remain committed to the future. This summary of milestones cannot begin to document the countless gifts of time, talent, and treasure from loyal, passionate former students throughout our history. While our methods and programs have evolved tremendously, the noble cause of the Ex-Cadets Association is still carried out by the staff and dedicated volunteers of The Association of Former Students.
