This is a good article that captures the culture of Texas A&M in the 1960s and the impact that it had (and still has) on many of the students who graduated from there during that period. I am a 1962 graduate and can identify strongly with Perry’s notion that without the discipline of the Corps of Cadets at that time, I would have been just another arrogant frat boy failure at the University of Texas.
Yep, my family are Aggies also. It was a different college in those days...than today. A&M is still a great university....just not like what you are speaking of. IF Perry is President; A&M needs to kick that yankee Bush library out and bring in a true Texas Aggie’s library.
Over 1,200 former students served as commissioned officers. After the war, Texas A&M grew rapidly and became nationally recognized for its programs in agriculture, engineering, and military science. The first graduate school was organized in 1924 and the school awarded its first Ph.D. in 1940......
Many Aggies again served in the military during World War II, with the college producing 20,229 combat troops. Of those, 14,123 Aggies served as officers, more than any other school and more than the combined total of the United States Naval Academy and the United States Military Academy. During the war, 29 A&M graduates reached the rank of general.
Enrollment soared after the war as many former soldiers used the G.I. Bill to further their education. In 1948, the state Legislature formally recognized Texas A&M as a separate university system from the University of Texas System, codifying the de facto arrangement between the schools..."
".....Aggie football fans are called the 12th Man, meaning they are there to support the 11 players on the field, willing to enter the game, if necessary. To further symbolize their "readiness, desire, and enthusiasm," the entire student body stands throughout the game." Source
If he runs, Perry supporters can be the 12th Man.