FORTY YEARS AT AGGIELAND

Off to Aggieland: My classmates and I remember the fall of ’49 as the year when 100 was the magic number. The temperature was 100. The humidity was 100. The dew point was 100. And we recorded one hundred inches of rain, or so it seemed. The person we cursed everyday under those circumstances was the inhuman ogre of the laundry staff who put double portions of starch in our uniforms. We were not afraid of our clothes tearing - we feared they would break apart if dropped. • On an early Sunday morning in the Band dorm the peaceful silence was shattered by what sounded like a Harley-Davidson motorcycle roaring up and down the fourth floor hallway. Sure enough we indeed learned that the repulsive noise was caused by a Harley-Davidson motorcycle roaring up and down the hallway. In short order the owner of the machine received serious words of criticism and immediate assistance getting the machine down and out of the building – with an admonition never to bring the machine indoors again. That was a unanimous decision. From than on the hurling of empty beverage cans down the halls during evening study hours seemed to be of little consequence. I can’t remember what kind of beverage cans they were, never having thrown them myself.." "The Aggies were fond of using President Rudder's bulldog Ranger as a message board to amuse all who saw him. President Rudder served in the Army Reserve following his legendary heroics in World War II. The media announced one day that General Rudder had been promoted from Brigadier General to Major General (from one star to two star rank). The next day Ranger strolled across campus drawing huge attention by sporting two stars painted on each front shoulder."