Year In Review: 12 Moments That Defined Texas A&M In 2018
1. President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush were laid to rest on Texas A&M’s campus
Texas A&M played substantial roles in helping the nation say goodbye to the former President and First Lady. After their passing, they were buried on Texas A&M’s campus on the grounds of the Bush Library.
2. Former mascot Reveille VIII passed away at age 12
Hundreds of Aggies gathered in Kyle Field Plaza to attend a funeral ceremony for Reveille VIII, who passed away June 25 at age 12. Reveille served as Texas A&M’s mascot from 2008 to 2015.
3. Texas A&M returned the last of seven conserved cannons to the Alamo
The Corps of Cadets took part in a changing of the guard ceremony as Texas A&M returned the last of seven battle-used cannons to the Alamo at the conclusion of a major conservation project conducted by the Conservation Research Laboratory.
4. Texas A&M remembers philosopher and professor Dr. John J. McDermott
The university community celebrated the life of McDermott, who in 2016 was named one of the world’s most influential philosophers, after he passed away in October at age 86. He was honored for his more than 60 years of teaching service, of which more than 40 were spent at Texas A&M.
5. Graduate student Christine Figgener was recognized as a ‘Next Generation Leader’ by TIME
Christine Figgener, a Texas A&M University doctoral candidate, who filmed the viral video of her research crew dislodging a plastic straw from a sea turtle’s nose, was recognized by TIME magazine as a 2018 Next Generation Leader. TIME credited Figgener with helping galvanize a global movement that resulted in companies eliminating the use of plastic straws from their daily operations.
6. Texas A&M dedicated the Higher Education Center in McAllen
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was among the many state leaders on hand for the inauguration of Texas A&M’s new Higher Education Center in McAllen, which offers new educational opportunities for students in the Rio Grande Valley.
7. Texas A&M celebrated 100 years of the Aggie War Hymn
Aggies everywhere celebrated the 100th anniversary of the “Aggie War Hymn,” which was written in 1918 by Texas A&M student J.V. “Pinky” Wilson while serving in World War I.
8. Cadets and World War II liberators were honored by the Houston Holocaust Museum
The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets and WWII Aggie soldiers who liberated Nazi concentration camps were awarded the 2018 Guardian of the Human Spirit Award by Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH).
9. President Young announced four key initiatives
The President’s Excellence Fund, the Student Success Initiative, research support and faculty hiring were presented as key initiatives for 2019 during President Young’s annual State of the University address.
10. Student senators approved two resolutions supporting Texas A&M’s LGBT community
The Texas A&M Student Senate officially supported the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community on campus for the first time with the signing of two resolutions during the group’s 71st session.
11. Texas A&M becomes a founding member of the new Texas Medical Research Center
In 2019, Texas A&M University Health Science Center will join the other founding organizations and the Texas Medical Center (TMC) to break ground on TMC3, a 30-acre collaborative research campus.
12. The Army Futures Command leader visited Texas A&M’s campus and Texas A&M System facilities
U.S. Army General John M. “Mike” Murray and members of his staff at the Army Futures Command visited Aggieland “to see firsthand what Texas A&M University and The Texas A&M University System can offer.”
