Newfound Nostalgia

After reading in fall Spirit that the Texas A&M yearbooks are now online, I visited the website and saw my yearbook for the first time! I am Class of 1963 and ordered my yearbook as a senior at Texas A&M, but my brother didn’t pick it up back then. I really enjoyed looking through the yearbooks.

Johnny Holmes ’63 
Spring, Texas

Music Memories

I’ve been reading the Spirit magazine for years, and I can truly say that the fall 2015 issue was one of the best I’ve ever read or seen. You and your staff did a great job with the overall layout, photography and stories! Impressive work and talent. Thanks for your hard work.

I was especially thankful that you highlighted the to-be-built $40 million Music Activities Center. It’s about time someone highlighted the need for a dedicated facility for all music programs at Texas A&M University.

As a brief personal background, even though I graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, I really enjoyed participating in the Texas A&M Singing Cadets (in my spare time, of course). As a group, we spent many weekends on the road throughout the state as musical ambassadors for Texas A&M. We even performed at the White House for the president of the United States (see photo above).

In the “Music Expression” portion of your article, I agree with Ross Bodeker’s statement about engineering being full of literal thinking, while music gave his brain the creative freedom to express himself.

My experience with the Singing Cadets also gave me the memorable experience of traveling, performing and meeting thousands of people who simply loved to hear the tight harmonies produced by a disciplined and talented male chorus.

Enough of my memories. I hope you are encouraged by this feedback, and I can’t wait to read the next Spirit magazine.

Kevin R. Rogers ’74
Spring, Texas

Saluting “The Colonel” 

Thank you for your article on the planned Music Activities Center—a truly impressive facility, long overdue, that will now afford ample space for all of the musically gifted talent on the Texas A&M University campus. We applaud those who have so generously supported this effort.

We noticed, with pride, that the very first sentence of this article references the current facility, now in use for 45 years, “the E. V. Adams Band Hall”—named for our former Aggie Band director, a legendary Aggie who just this year was named a distinguished alumnus of Texas A&M.

E.V. Adams ’29, “the Colonel,” was and is a seminal figure in the history of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band. His remarkable creativity and innovation are still reflected each time the band takes the field. There is a reason why the current band hall bears his name.

With this in mind, as funds are raised and the new Music Activities Center becomes a reality, it is our hope that the significance of the Colonel will not become an afterthought and that a decision will be made to continue to associate his name—even if on a shared basis—with the facility in which the Aggie Band continues to seek perfection.

Dr. Ellis C. Gill ’66
Georgetown, Texas 

David E. Graham ’66, Col. USA (Ret.)
Charlottesville, Virginia

Rick J.W. Graham ’66
Dallas, Texas

Cecil O. Windsor Jr. ’66
Denver, Colorado

Editor’s note: There are plans to recognize Col. E.V. Adams ’29 and his role in the Aggie Band’s history, as well as directors before and after him, in the new Music Activities Center. An exhibit in the building will pay tribute to the band’s history, success and accomplishments over the years, so that neither Col. Adams nor the important role he played in the organization’s history be forgotten. The naming of the building, however, is awaiting approval of the Texas A&M University Board of Regents.

Here's to Charlie

Great job on the article about Charlie Pence ’51. My dad is one of the guys who started SiEnvironmental, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Charlie. He really is a great guy worth the attention.

Keith “Scooter” Swallers II ’14
Rosenberg, Texas

Leading for Success

Our beloved university is uniquely postured to become the long-lasting pride of the entire Southwest. It is so much more than just one single thing. The Lead by Example campaign is perfectly timed, and its leadership is inspirational. President Young is on board at exactly the right time in our history. Gig ’em!

Jimmy Bond ’58
College Station, Texas

Lending a Helping Hand

The Texas A&M Emergency Medical Service is one of the most amazing organizations on campus. It has fostered some important leaders in healthcare, and I think it is well worth the attention. 

David Phillips ’85
Georgetown, Texas

Capturing the Spirit

The amalgam of history, traditions, current events and future plans that comprise Spirit make it not only a great publication, but a testament to the future of Texas A&M. My wife is not a graduate of Texas A&M but is an Aggie at heart. She enjoys the publication as much or more than I do.

George Thomas ’67
Marietta, Ohio