A university rich in traditions, Texas A&M's most visible and solemn tradition is Aggie Muster. This annual gathering of students, former students and their families to honor their own who have died since the last muster ceremony celebrates the loyalty embedded in the worldwide Aggie network.

Texas A&M former students hold more than 300 Muster ceremonies around the world every April 21. At each ceremony, a speaker is followed by the "Roll Call for the Absent." Names of current and former students from that geographic area who have died in the past year are read. As each name is called, a family member or friend answers "here" and a candle is lit. These gestures are symbolic of the connection that binds Aggies together and the idea that every former student has a place of importance—whether they are present in flesh or spirit.

Muster was first held on June 26, 1883. Former students of Texas A&M, then called ex-cadets, were to gather and "live over again our college days, the victories and defeats won and lost upon drill ground and classroom. Let every alumnus answer a roll call." The event quickly evolved into a tradition, and in 1899, the celebration date was changed so that Muster could be held on San Jacinto Day, the day that Texas celebrates its independence from Mexico.

In 1922, the tradition became official, complete with a "Roll Call for the Absent." The March 1923 Texas Aggie magazine urged, "If there is an A&M man in one-hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas."

In the years since 1922, Aggies have faithfully adhered to the tradition of Muster, sometimes driving thousands of miles to find just one other Aggie in accordance with the tradition. Aggies have met in submarines, on planes, boats, and in the trenches of war.

No matter where Aggies are located, and whether they are as few as two or as many as the thousands who gather on the Texas A&M campus, they come together each April 21. In 2007, two Aggie Musters were held in Iraq and two in Afghanistan in the midst of the conflicts there. The largest ceremony was held on the Texas A&M University campus, with more than 12,000 students and former students participating.

"The Muster ceremony symbolizes the essence of the Aggie Spirit: commitment to our nation, state, school, but most of all, to one another, to mankind. It is a commitment to service," says Jack M. Rains, Texas A&M Class of 1960, attorney, businessman and former Texas Secretary of State. "Muster is a celebration of life, of love, a ritual that affirms to us and demonstrates to all there is no end to Texas A&M's long maroon line."

For more information, visit Texas A&M University on the Web at www.tamu.edu and itunes.tamu.edu.

» Back to Home