photo by: Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University Rick Perry as a student and a cadet at Texas A&M University with A&M mascot, "Reveille."
Posted on 08/02/2011 7:48:16 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
COLLEGE STATION — When Rick Perry arrived at Texas A&M University in 1968, it was at the end of a summer in which Soviet troops crushed the Prague Spring, protesters at the Democratic National Convention were met by a police riot and the United States reeled from the twin assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
With its conservative culture, military tradition and focus on agriculture, few places in the U.S. might have seemed more insulated from the prevailing currents of the age. But A&M was in the midst of its own political awakening.
Facing falling enrollment, the school had begun admitting women and had made participation in the ROTC-like Corps of Cadets — long mandatory at this military academy — optional. This created a sudden and deep divide on campus between the civilian and military undergraduates. Many corps members shunned civilians (one corps leader even forbade them from speaking to non-corps members), and civilians sought student government posts to encourage the changing climate.
Among these civilian reformers were several future Texas politicians: Garry Mauro, who would go on to serve as land commissioner and was a Democratic nominee for governor; Chet Edwards, who would become a state senator and then a U.S. congressman; and Kent Caperton, a future state senator. They found a like-minded ally in the corps: John Sharp, who would serve in the Texas House and Senate, as a railroad commissioner and as the comptroller of public accounts. But not Rick Perry.
(Excerpt) Read more at texastribune.org ...
photo by: Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University Rick Perry as a student and a cadet at Texas A&M University with A&M mascot, "Reveille."
bttt
It's good that Sharp and Perry are friends now. They do have a long history. The Texas Tribune has no love for Perry but it is an interesting read.
It was a good read CW. Thank you for posting it. My guess is there are some Texas journos who don’t want to be left off the Perry bus if it actually goes on the road.
Nice........
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.
Thanks CW.
Now, 1, 2, 3 ........ until the PDS coyotes catch wind of a positive Perry post. Won’t be long.
That's pretty perceptive. Perry pretty much left them on the side of the road in the last election. It should be interesting to see how he handles them this time around.
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......"Palin’s grievances with the Fourth Estate are well-known, but Perry’s are as significant. In his 2010 reelection bid, he refused to meet with any editorial boards from the Texas newspapers.
His spokesman explained to the Austin American-Statesman: “In the final weeks of the campaign, a better use of the governor’s time is to continue traveling the state talking to Texans about issues that are important to them.”
Frankly, Perry didn’t have a lot of use for the media — not after two terms as governor — nor did the media have much use for him, as most major papers endorsed his GOP rival in the gubernatorial primary and Democratic rival in the general election.
He further enraged the media when he spoke at a national editorial writers gathering last fall and wouldn’t take questions, prompting the group’s “stunned” president to send Perry a letter accusing of him of “disingenuousness” and going back on his word.
The fact is, Perry was so far ahead that he didn’t need the press, and he romped to a huge win in his reelection bid...." Source
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.
Gig’em!
I think he’s winning them over.
The "Roll Call for the Absent" commemorates Aggies, former and current students, who died that year. Aggies light candles, and friends and families of Aggies who died that year answer “here” when the name of their loved one is “called”. Campus muster also serves as a 50th year class reunion for the corresponding graduating class. Some non-campus muster ceremonies do not include the pageantry of the campus ceremony, and might consist simply of a barbecue...."
".....The most well-known Aggie Muster took place during World War II in 1942 on the Philippine island of Corregidor. At this time, Corregidor was the last American stronghold against the Japanese forces in the Philippines, and Japanese artillery and warplanes were constantly attacking. An estimated 1.8 million pounds of shells pounded the island in one five-hour stretch.
The American artillery commander on Corregidor was Brigadier General George F. Moore, a 1908 graduate of Texas A&M. With the help of Major Tom Dooley, class of 1935, Moore gathered the names of 25 other Aggies under his command. Despite the fierce fighting as the Japanese laid siege to the island, on April 21, 1942 Moore held a roll call—known as muster in army terms—calling the names of each of the Aggies under his command.
Only twelve of the twenty-five survived the battle and the POW camps to which the survivors were sent. Dooley told a United Press correspondent about the gathering, and the reporter sent an article back to the USA about the 25 Aggies who had "Mustered." The story captured the imagination of the country and "helped boost American spirits at a time a lift was badly needed." T.R.Louder, the last known Corregidor Muster survivor died May 21, 2001 and his name was called at Muster 2002 in College Station....." Source
Naw... they are just sleeping in this morning. But let’s hope you could be right.
It began to appear that it was some of the Palin FReepers who were so rabid about the Perry sliming, even though it sure sounded like paulnutz. I try to call them out at every turn.
Texas University alumnus Stephen M. Pinckney spearheaded a movement in 1916 to provide a live mascot for t. u. He collected $1.00 from 124 alumni and purchased a Longhorn steer, which was presented to the student body on Thanksgiving Day prior to the football game between Texas A&M and t. u. The Aggies were outscored 21 – 7.
In celebration of their victory, a cohort of t. u. students decided to permanently mark their winning score and a large “T” on the side of their new mascot, choosing March 2, 1917 as the day of the branding. Other students from t. u. protested that this act was inhumane and cruel for their institution and should not be allowed.
However, the idea provided inspiration for some Texas Aggie Cadets. A group of six Aggies armed with rope, a couple of branding irons, and a plumber’s pot arrived in Austin at 3:00 am on February 11, 1917. They succeeded in roping and branding the right side of the steer with the Aggie’s 1915 victorious score of 13 – 0. The Cadets returned to Waco where they were interviewed and had a picture taking session. The first stories of the event appeared in the Austin Statesman on February 12.
A group of t. u. students, embarrassed in being outwitted by their Aggie rivalries, conceived a scheme to alter the numbers 13 – 0 to read “BEVO” by simply changing the 13 to B, the – to E, and inserting V before the O. BEVO was a popular non-alcoholic beverage produced by Anheuser-Busch during the prohibition and greatly enjoyed by the t. u. students.
On January 20, 1920, the Texas Athletic Department hosted an Aggie-Texas barbecue in the Men’s gymnasium in Austin. Over 200 faculty and students from both schools dined on Bevo steaks while trading humorous stories concerning the incident. According to legend, Bevo’s hide was tanned and divided. The half bearing the 13-0 brand was given to Texas A&M as a token of friendship, the other half was hung in the athletic office at t. u., and Bevo’s head was mounted in Gregory Gym. Texas A&M can be proud of the fact that we were instrumental in the naming of the Texas mascot!
Now it's a fundraiser!
Why be so negative about Palin? PDS is not a very exclusive or commendable club. However Perry qualifies as a GHW Bush VP type for the 2nd Reagan, SP...hee, hee...hopefully Palin would do what Reagan should have done, found a better VP for her 2nd term.
The Texas Tribune looks like a good paper. Thx
CW after followup on the Texas Tribune I find that it is just another Leftist Rag....not worth a 2nd thought. This rag does not even address the ATF Gunwalker crime once!
NEVER negative about Palin. Its some of Palin supporters here that are negative. If you join in there, then that shoe will fit you as well.
I am as pro-Palin as anyone here, but I don’t go around making up shi’te and running down other legit canduidates that actually have a chance.
Would love to get the chance to vote for her in both the Primary and General, but day by day its looking less and less like she will go official. In that situation, Perry will be head and shoulders the best GOP.
Here is an interesting article I just posted.
Texas Two-Step: Is America Ready for President Perry? "..........The 47th and longest serving governor of Texas doesn’t like the policymaking role of the Supreme Court and offers an answer to this problem by stating : “One such reform would be to institute term limits on what are now lifetime appointments for federal judges, particularly those on the Supreme Court..”
The man who is most likely going to run for the highest position in our federal government feels “our fight is to save America from Washington”.
After reading Fed Up!, my first thought was that this was a well-named book. The governor from Paint Creek, Texas seems quite angry at the way things have gone wrong including the federal income tax, the Supreme Court, the New Deal, Obamacare — which he wants repealed-to the role of some members of his own party who he feels do not believe anymore in conservative views once they have been in Washington too long.
The former Eagle Scout and Texas A&M graduate is ready to join the race for president and we will see if the baggage from the previous president from the Lone Star State is too much and too soon for Perry to overcome. ..............."
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