Touchdown!8.5" x 11"
pencil
Game Day. And, with all the events of the last week, of all the people to be playing, the Aggies are hosting the Miami Hurricanes! They should be playing Houston or Galveston, but I guess we are close enough. Some of the evacuees here may never even want to hear the word "hurricane" again, after all that has happened.
Aggies, especially in relation to the Corps, have some wonderful traditions. Things that will always make wonderful memories.
During the games, the student body stands. Dates proudly stand beside their Aggie. It is especially appreciated when A&M makes a touchdown. The Aggies get to kiss their dates. The students always hope for a high scoring game!
I sketched this last year, while watching a game, and remembering how it was when I was young.
There were no girls at A&M, unless they were employees, or happened to be allowed to take a couple of classes. Almost everyone was in the Corps and life was very military. There were special times when girls came to campus such as for dances or as a date at a game. The boys were really anxious to see girls-almost any girl! And most of the girls were really excited to have a date with an Aggie. The boys looked so good in those uniforms, seemed to have good manners and could be trusted, were smart, outstanding, etc. It was especially thrilling to date a senior, with the boots, sword, a little more hair, and more priviliges.
Uniforms for the games were more like the officers in the military wore, for the Aggies. The girls wore suits, hats, high heels, and a big corsage bought by her date. And you wouldn't be caught out in public without your earbobs, necklace, and gloves.
I always thought that there were plenty of aching feet and blisters at the Aggie games, from standing in high heels and from the boots.
"My little Aggies", looking back, were a disappointment. (Cute as they were!) I never got to go to one of the games, never got to go to Ring Dance or any other important event, and never got one of those touchdown kisses. I always seemed to get sick before an event, or I was dating someone not in the Corps or from A&M at the time.
I did go to events and games, but with my mother, my grandfather, my grandson, or a bunch of other girls. Don't get me wrong, I did have dates with Aggies, but not to the big Aggie things. We would go for dinner and dancing, movies, a drugstore, riding, to the beach, to games at my school or a friend's school. I guess I'm too old now and just missed that part of life.
It is nice to see that the traditions go on and the younger generation is getting to enjoy them. I don't know that they are as special today as they were "back in my day". Girls are on campus and even in the Corps, the band, and everywhere. The students are not restricted to campus most of the time. People just dress any old way to go to games, shorts, t-shirts, jeans, ball caps, tennis shoes and that sort of thing. I guess their feet don't hurt like in times past. The Corps usually wears khaki uniforms, with short sleeves and a cap-what used to be everyday wear. Parsons Mounted does wear a bit more of a formal uniform, and they look nice with their horses and cannon, boots and swords. When cold weather comes, I guess the winter uniforms may be different.
I used to worry, "What if you have a date to an Aggie game, and they make a touchdown. But you are with a boy that you don't really want to kiss!" And, "What if the game is on tv and your family sees you kiss a boy!" I always hoped that, if I got asked, it would be by a boy that I was going to marry! I worried needlessly, though.
You can tell what I think of at ball games. It isn't what the players are doing!
Sometimes, I am thinking of what it is like to be in the band, remembering the notes, when to step off, how to stay in line and in step, who I'm following, and trying not to be terrified out in front of a crowd.
Now, we hope that the youngest family member will want to be an Aggie and carry on all those wonderful Aggie traditions.
Final Score Today Aggies 23 Hurricanes 41. Guess there wasn't a lot of kissing on Kyle Field this day. At least not because of tradition.
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Plein Aire Painting Workshop
with
Virginia Vaughan
Calvert, Texas
Saturday October 18th
8a.m. to 5 p.m. (official)
or
sunrise to sunset
demo-painting on loacation-"chicken clinic"
$80
Contact Cecelia at grannyc_54@yahoo.com
for information and a supply list
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