Class Of 2001 Ring To Be Added To Collection

The family of the late William “Will” Ferrell, Class of ‘01, has donated his Aggie Ring to the Memorial Ring Collection at Texas A&M’s Association of Former Students.

The Aggie ring is one of the most esteemed traditions at Texas A&M, and the design of the ring is steeped in history and symbolism. The Memorial Ring Collection is an assemblage of rings given by the families of deceased students from the classes of 1965 and later. Only one ring from a deceased Aggie represents each class, except for the Class of ‘95, which is represented by the rings of a husband and wife killed in a car wreck.

Ferrell’s Aggie ring, representing the Class of 2001, will be presented to The Association and added to the Memorial Collection in a ceremony Sunday (Sept. 2) at the Clayton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Center.

Ferrell, from Gilmer, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematical science. As a senior, he was commander of Company F-2 in the Corps of Cadets and also commanded the elite Ross Volunteers unit. After pursuing graduate studies at Texas A&M, he had planned to teach high school for a year and then accept a commission in the U.S. Army, but he was killed July 4, 2002, in a car wreck at the age of 23.

Marty Holmes, Class of ‘87 and assistant executive director for The Association of Former Students, will accept the ring on behalf of The Association.

“Will embodied the Aggie Spirit and lived a life of integrity,” Holmes said. “In wearing the Aggie ring and living the virtues represented on the ring, he added even greater depth and texture to its symbolism. We are honored to keep watch over his ring.”

The Memorial Ring Collection is one of three collections of Aggie rings on display in the Glitsch Library at the Williams Alumni Center.

The original ring collection was started by J.B. “Josh” Sterns, Class of 1899, who collected Aggie Rings from other former students, one per class year, to be displayed in the collection. The Sterns collection spans 1899 to 1964, when Texas A&M College became Texas A&M University.

The third collection, Rings of Significance, is a historic collection of rings that were worn by such prominent Aggies as Gen. James Earl Rudder, Class of ‘32; Gene Stallings, Class of ‘56; and Gen. O.R. Simpson, Class of ‘36.

The Association of Former Students, established in 1879, is the official alumni organization of Texas A&M University. The Association connects the 450,000 members of the worldwide Aggie Network with each other and the university, and provides more than $3.5 million a year in funding for scholarships, awards, activities and enrichment for students, faculty, staff and former students.

For additional information on The Association of Former Students, go to: http://www.AggieNetwork.com.

For more on Aggie ring history and symbolism, go to: http://www.AggieNetwork.com/Ring/.