Issue date: 10/2/06 Section: Aggielife

Ivan Flores - THE BATTALION

Traditions have shaped Texas A&M, molding it over the decades into the iconic symbol of unity it is today. Whether it is the flash of a Gig 'em sign or not stepping on the grass outside the Memorial Student Center, each tradition has a story that ties into the Aggie Spirit.

Callie Rogers, chair of the Traditions Council, said the origins of many Aggie traditions aren't as clear as they may seem.

"We don't know where a lot of our traditions come from or what they mean," Rogers said. "What we do know is that they are still a part of the University's culture. Our mission is to preserve and promote those traditions."

Who's the mascot?

The Fightin' Texas Aggie, Reveille and Ol' Sarge are symbols and characters associated with Texas A&M over the years. But who is the official, University-recognized mascot?

"Reveille is the official mascot," said Zach Hamilton, vice chair of the Traditions Council. "She was found in 1931 and has since been dedicated as the mascot. An Aggie is a current student, a former student or anyone associated with A&M, and Ol' Sarge has ties to the Corps of Cadets."

Grant Castleberry, head yell leader, clarified the distinction between an Aggie and Reveille.

"There's no real visual for a mascot on the sidelines like other teams have," Castleberry said. "The collie, Miss Rev, has been our mascot, and an Aggie is a person of high upstanding character, a patriot who is usually from an agricultural background. Rev's not an Aggie, but she's the Aggies' mascot."

Castleberry also offered an explanation for the origin of Ol' Sarge.

"I was down in Brenham a couple of weeks ago, and I met an Ag who was Class of 1944 or something," Castleberry said. "He was telling me that Ol' Sarge was actually a yell leader. The Battalion ran a caricature of this yell leader, and it turned into Ol' Sarge. He looks rough and tough, and that's Texas A&M."

Despite being hailed as the official mascot over Ol' Sarge and the Aggies, Miss Reveille's journey to that position is veiled in haze and surrounded by rumors.

According to Hamilton and Rogers, the most popular story of Reveille's origin is that she was either hit or found on the side of the road by a group of Corps members returning to College Station from Navasota. However, a few Aggies dispute the tale.

"There are some people who claim that she was just a dog on campus before then," Rogers said. "And actually, there are about 30 people who claim that they found the original Reveille, so we're not really 100 percent sure where she came from."

Rogers and Hamilton said the original Reveille was a mutt, and between Reveille I and Reveille II, there were three other mutts - Spot, Tripod and Ranger - who were unofficial mascots. Reveille III was the first collie; all of the Reveilles since then have been the same breed.

Patton said what?

The quote has been emblazoned on T-shirts, posters and most recently a banner used to taunt Army players and fans at the Sept. 16 football game in San Antonio.

Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.'s words are a testament to Aggie spirit and strength: "Give me an army of West Point graduates and I'll win a battle. Give me a handful of Texas Aggies and I'll win a war!"

Mike Province, however, isn't so sure that Patton ever uttered the words. As founder and president of The Patton Society, Province owns every General Patton book, magazine, movie, poster and voice recording in existence. He has penned three Patton books of his own, and he estimates that his collection of Patton memorabilia is the second largest in the world, only behind that of the Patton family themselves.

"I've gotten e-mails and questions regarding that quote for several years," Province said. "People will use it with Texas Aggies, The Citadel, Virginia Military Institute and even Clemson. All of these schools want to be linked to Patton."

Province has hunted specifically for the quotation for years, but has yet to uncover any evidence connecting it to Patton.

"I've even gone to the Library of Congress and looked through the Patton Papers when they were released in 1990," Province said. "I've yet to see that statement written down with any specific date or time."

Even if Patton didn't say it, Hamilton believes it is still acceptable to use the quotation to rally Aggies.

"We don't know that he said it, but we don't know that he didn't say it," Hamilton said. "I think it's absolutely fine to use it because you can't prove that it wasn't said."

Jared Heine, a freshman agronomy major, agreed with Hamilton.

"I think we should just use it anyway," Heine said. "I don't think it's hurting anything, because it's just encouraging Aggie spirit."

However, Province is fairly sure that Patton didn't say the statement. Even though he called it an urban legend, Province would still like to have the mystery around Patton's alleged words solved.

"Anything is possible," Province said. "I honestly don't believe he said it, because I've heard too many people say that he said it about their school. But if anyone out there can find proof that he said it, I'd love to hear about it and get it out there."

How do you do?

The greeting of fellow Aggies and strangers alike with a simple 'howdy' has earned Texas A&M the self-proclaimed title of the friendliest campus in the world.

And like Reveille, the origin of howdy isn't entirely clear.

"No one knows how it really came about," Rogers said. "It's thought that maybe people who came to the school back in Old Army were from small towns or farms and saying 'howdy' was just a way they greeted each other."

Castleberry said that in his personal experiences, he has realized that 'howdy' has become associated with the University.

"When I was in high school, I went to a church camp. I had the chance to speak with one of the worship leaders at the camp, and he greeted me with 'howdy,'" Castleberry said. "He told me, 'I'm not an Aggie, but I wish I was.' He identified 'howdy' with Texas A&M. It's unique to us."

Even though howdy is the University's traditional greeting, it has come under scrutiny for slowly fading away.

"I remember it being really prevalent my freshman year," Ben Williams, a senior electrical engineering major said. "The first couple of weeks of school, you can hear it pretty regularly, but I really think iPods killed it. You walk around campus now, and you see more people in their own world, just not really interacting as much."

Castleberry shared Williams' opinion on personal music players affecting the Howdy tradition.

"I think it has decreased a little bit," he said. "A big reason for that is MP3 players and iPods. But at the same time, there are a lot of people that are pretty passionate about saying 'howdy' and making Texas A&M a friendly place."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools