HOWDY FROM OUR PRESIDENT
Dear Fellow Aggie Moms,
Where has this school year gone? Just yesterday we were sending our beloved Aggie children off after Christmas, and now Spring Break has come and gone leaving just a few weeks until A&M is out for another semester! I don’t know about you, but I was going to clean out the closet and repaint a certain bedroom this year. Well, maybe next year.
March was a busy month for Aggie Moms. Thank you to everyone who helped with the very successful Garage Sale, the exciting Membership Meeting, and the fabulous District Meeting. If you missed any of these events, you really should talk to the people who participated. We had a blast!
While I want to remind you that we will not have a Membership Meeting this month, I want to extend a personal invitation for you to join me at Muster. There are many members of our club who have attended Muster for years. They will all tell you that they will never miss it. It is a cherished evening of eating a meal together and celebrating a moving tradition of honoring Aggies lost during the previous year. I was brought up attending Muster where ever I was throughout my life. I invite you to join with me this year. The details on how to make reservations are included in this newsletter. Please make your reservations today and plan to attend. If you would like to sit with me, let me know so that I can save you a spot at my table. I would be honored to have you there.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Gig’em,
Judy D. Turner ‘78
2004-2005 President
trtdoc1@wcc.net
325/465-4332
APRIL MEETING -Thursday, April 21 -
The April monthly meeting will be the same day as Muster - Thursday, April 21. As a result we have chosen to attend the San Angelo Muster Event on that evening. If you would like to attend Muster, please RSVP by April 14. Listed below is additional information about Muster:
First Baptist Church of San Angelo - 37 East Harris - 6 p.m.
RSVP by April 14 to Jon Davis at 653-4274
Speaker is Col. Steven A. Arrington USAF, Retired
Meal will be catered by Kenny Blanek and is $12 per person
RING OF HONOR - The Spirit Continues
The next Ring of Honor Meeting will be on April 27 at 11 a.m. at Johnnie Carino’s. For more information contact Chris Hunter at 949-5139 or you can email her at christine@brazosvalleydesign.com
San Angelo Aggie Moms’ Memorial Scholarship
San Angelo Aggie Mothers’ Club is offering a $1,000 scholarship to Texas A&M students from the Concho Valley. Applicants must have completed two full semesters at A&M. Contact Laurie Hirschfeld at 325-944-9181 or laurie@hirschfeldfamily.com. Applications must be postmarked by April 17, 2005. Please mail to:
Laurie Hirschfeld
5502 Bentwood Drive
San Angelo, TX 76904
Application forms can be download from the San Angelo Aggie Moms’ website at
http://sanangeloaggiemoms.org/
TUTORIAL SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION - It’s Not Too Late!
• We have several tutorial scholarships available on a first come, first serve basis.
• It is necessary for the scholarship to be requested (by the student) in advance by e-mail to Paula Sweeten at pdsweeten@wcc.net. Please put “Tutorial Scholarship” in the subject line area of the email.
• Any student from our area enrolled at Texas A&M University may apply.
• The tutorial scholarship will be valid from the day issued until May 2005.
• It will be advertised by publishing it on the web, e-mail, newsletter, distributed with the food coupons and area newspaper.
• We must have the student’s name, mailing address, parent’s address and student id for the tutorial coupon.
• The student can only use tutorial sources listed on the coupon
PRAYER REQUESTS
Aggie Mom C.J. Duncan had a fall a few weeks ago injuring her neck and spine. She has spent several weeks visiting neurologists and therapists trying to recover from a badly bruised spinal cord.
Please continue to keep Aggie Mom Lucy Jochum and family in your prayers. Her husband, Michael Jochum, passed away a few weeks ago. The family thanks everyone for the tremendous outpouring of support and all the prayers.
Also remember Aggie Mom Judie Williams and family. Judie’s Dad passed away a few days ago.
DOOR PRIZES ALWAYS NEEDED
Everyone loves door prizes – and we need donations! If you are in Aggieland and see something that you would like to receive (in the $5 range), please bring it to Candyce Gregston at the next meeting.
AGGIE MOM BRAGS
If any of you have Aggie Mom Brags, please call Lanee Warrick at 484-3005 and leave a message or you can email her at: laneewarrick@aggienetwork.com
Seth C. Becker '01 (Aggie Mom, Nancy Becker), started selling insurance for Farm Bureau of Texas November 1, 2004. Last quarter he was "Top Gun"!
Crystal Lacy ‘04 and Blake Lacy ‘05 (Aggie Mom, Judy Lacy) are now the proud parents of a 7lb 7oz, 22" baby boy. Dalton Kyle Lacy entered the world on April 6. Blake also received his letter of acceptance from A&M for the graduate master's program in Finance Dept. of the Mays College of Business. It's the LERE program, which the full title is Master of Land Economics and Real Estate.
Laura Rush’05 (Aggie Mom, Patty Rush) recently passed her National Veterinary Exam.
Lucia Clark '95 (Aggie Mom, Susan Clark) was recently voted by her peers to be Teacher Of The Year of her grade school in Atascocita, near Houston. She will now be in the running for District Teacher of the Year, which she feels she won't get, but let's keep our fingers crossed for her anyway.
MAY & AUGUST 2005 GRADUATES
If you have an Aggie graduating in May or August, please call Judy Turner at 465 4332.If you are leaving a message, please be sure to include your Aggie’s name and class year (which is not necessarily the year they graduated!)
NEVIE’S NEWS - Aggie Mom Endowed Scholarship
We have received approximately $7500 in "New Money" which, the club will match, the Health club will match both - so right now endowment is at approximately $30,000. However, we are still shooting for $40,000. We still hope to receive additional "New Money" contributions to bring that total to $10,000. Any additional contributions are still most welcome and appreciated!
If you made a contribution before January 1, that donation will be for your 2004 tax return. You can make an additional donation to be used on your 2005 tax return!
AGGIE TRADITIONS
Texas A&M University, the state’s oldest public institution of higher learning, was established in 1876. Through the years and changes, A&M has held fast to what has made it so great—it’s traditions. Nowhere else can a school so rich in tradition be found. these traditions make A&M different and better than all the rest. The traditions provide a foundation upon which greatness can be built and upon which leadership can flourish. We continue this month sharing some of these traditions with the San Angelo Aggie Moms.
PARENTS’ WEEKEND
Since 1919, Aggies have set aside one weekend during the year to show their appreciation for their biggest supporters and fans—their parents. Originally held on Mother’s Day, the weekend has moved to late April and has gone under such names as Mother and Dad’s Day, Parent Appreciation and Open House Day, and it’s current name, Parents’ Weekend. Indeed, this weekend has become the most eventful of the year complete with barbeques and picnics and get-togethers for nearly every student organization. The climax of the weekend is the announcement of the Aggie Parents of the Year award. Students put tremendous effort into planning and preparing for Parents Weekend to show their appreciation for their parents and by the time the parents return home they have come to love A&M nearly as much as their children do.
MUSTER
"Softly call the Muster, let comrade answer 'Here'..."
Aggies gathered together on June 26,1883 to live over again their college days, the victories and defeats won and lost upon the drill field and in the classroom. By April 21, 1903, this annual gathering evolved into a celebration of Texas' Independence on San Jacinto Day. These early meetings included field games and banquets for Aggies to reflect and celebrate their memories of Aggieland. 'Let every alumni answer a roll call' wrote the former students. It was not until 1922, however, that April 21 became the official day of events for all Aggies, thus, the annual tradition of Muster was born. The March 1923 Texas Aggie urged, 'If there is an A&M man in one-hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas.
Still remembering and honoring the time spent in Aggieland, the tradition of mustering has grown in strength, meaning, and spirit. By 1929, meeting had grown worldwide, and in 1942 Aggie Muster gained international recognition. Twenty-five men, led by General George Moore '08, mustered during the Japanese Siege of the Philippine island of Corregidor. Knowing that Muster might soon be called for them, these Aggies embodied the essence of commitment, dedication, and friendship- the Aggie Spirit. They risked their lives to honor their beliefs and values. That small group of Aggies on an outpost during World War II inspired what has developed into one of our greatest traditions.
Muster is celebrated in more than four-hundred places world wide, with the largest ceremony on the Texas A&M campus in College Station. The ceremony brings together more Aggies, worldwide, on one occasion than any other event.
The students of Texas A&M University coordinate the Campus Muster. Because Muster was established to bring Aggies together, each Campus Muster is dedicated to the fifty-year reunion class. The Campus Muster involves an entire day of activities for students both present and past. Alumni enjoy a special program including tours of the ever-changing campus. At noon, all Aggies congregate at the Academic Plaza for the Camaraderie Barbecue that rekindles the tradition of the original Muster celebration. That night, the Muster ceremony consists of an address by a keynote speaker, the reading of poems, followed by the Roll Call for the Absent. The Roll Call honors Aggies that have fallen since the last Muster roll was read. As the names are read, a friend or family member answers 'Here', and a candle is lit to symbolize that while those Aggies are not present in body, they will forever remain with us in Aggie Spirit.
Century-old roots provide the basis of Muster as Aggies know it today. It has changed, yet the Spirit in which it was established remains the same. Since the beginning, every Aggie has lived and become a part of the Aggie Spirit. What is felt today is not just the love of a fellow Aggie, it is the spirit of hundreds of thousands of Aggies who have gone before. Muster is how that Spirit is remembered and will continue to unite Texas A&M and the Aggie family. A&M may change, but the Spirit never will.
2005 DATES TO REMEMBER - Remember to Mark Your Calendar
Officer Board Meetings
all at 6 p.m. @ Sierra Vista Methodist Church
Monday, May 9
Membership Meetings
all at 6:30 PM @ Trinity Lutheran Church
Thursday, April 21 (attend Muster)
Thursday, May 19
Additional Dates of Interest
April 21 (Thursday)
Muster. Campus ceremony
April 27 (Wednesday)
Ring of Honor – 11 a.m. at Johnnie Carino’s
May 6, 9 - 11 (Friday, Monday - Wednesday)
Spring semester final examinations for all students.
May 13 (Friday)
Last day for May undergraduate degree candidates to apply for Tuition Rebate, 5 p.m.
http://www.tamu.edu/admissions/records/rebate.htm
May 13 - 14 (Friday - Saturday)
Commencement, Commissioning, and Final Review.
A Big Thanks!
A big thanks goes to Christopher Hunter (son of Aggie Mom, Chris Hunter) for the upkeep of the San Angelo Aggie Moms website and for notifying the members when the newsletter is ready as well as sending out reminders when needed. We sincerely appreciate all of your help! |
