Aggie Muster

Softly call the Muster, Let every comrad answer "here." The Spirits hover 'round us, as if to bring us cheer! Mark them 'present' in our hearts. We'll meet some other day, there is no death, but life for our old friends such as they.

While I did not graduate from A&M, I consider myself an Aggie....I grew up in a family rooting on and attending Aggie sports, bonfires,learning traditions and I have lived in College Station for almost 10 years now. I also married an Aggie and I am an employee at the University...so I think that qualifies me as an Aggie by Association! And who knows, maybe I will go back and get my degree someday! The best thing about living in College Station is becoming part of the spirit of Aggieland, and raising and teaching our family, the traditions...one of them being Aggie Muster.
This year, Muster holds a very special place in my heart. Unfortunately I will know two names called this evening, Aggies who have passed this year. On July 1st, 2009 I watched my beloved boss, Dr. KC Donnelly, lose his 18 month battle to esophageal cancer. Chris Cooper, a husband, father and friend who worked with me for the past two years had his life taken way to soon by a distracted driver on December 29th, 2009. Dr. Donnelly graduated from Texas A&M in 1973, a member of the corp of cadets. Chris Cooper graduated in 1997. Tonight will be a very special way to honor their memory.
The annual gathering evolved into a celebration of Texas Independence on San Jacinto Day – April 21st. Aggie 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. Muster is a time to look to the past, present, and future…not only to grieve but to reflect and to celebrate the lives that connect us to one another. A gesture so simple in nature yet so lasting in spirit, Muster is the lasting impression every Aggie leaves with us.