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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 1950)
A&M’s Famous Official Mascot Died With Rank of K-9 General Orphan Cur Was Campus Monarch During 13-Year Aggieland Career Rev disdainfully offered a paw on the papers which commissioned her general in the K-9 Corps. Earn from $60 lo $100 a month by learning bookkeeping, shorthand, typewriting or teleg raphy at HIU’b Business College, the elite Schoolof the South. Your money back if we do not \ prepare you better and quicker than any other school. You can safely count on saving from $t'6 to $50 pn board and tuition, and on getting the world’s best business and shorthand training by coming to us. You will be able to walk right over the heads of students of other colleges. From three to four months with us means mure than a lifetime at many other schools. $60 life scholarships In bookkeeping, or shorthand and typewriting, arc only .$42.60 Catalogue free. Address— J R. H. HILL, President, Waco, Texas, Little Rock, Ark., Memphis, Tenn. By GEORGE CHARLTON Some people say animals aren’t human. But according to the Ag gies, who knew her, there was and always will be one exception. They call her Reveille. When on January 18, 1945, she died in the Veterinary Hospital, her death made international news. Newspapers and radio news broad casts carried announcements of her passing. Letters, telegrams, and flowers poured in from across the nation. This was not the death of some beloved statesman, famous gen eral, or great benefactor. This was the death of a little black and white female mongrel who in her time had symbolized A&M to hundreds of thousands of stu dents, faculty members, former students, and admirers of the College. A formal military funeral was given Reveille at 5:30 p.m. on Jan uary 19, 1945, in the center of the gridiron on Kyle Field. The entire cadet corps, several hundred Aggie exes sent back to A&M by the Army for training, and numerous residents of the Bryan-College Station area were present. All units were in military order. These people had come to pay homage to a 13-year-old tra dition that some knew even then would never be forgotten. For more than a decade, Rev eille had been Official Mascot. She had thousands of masters each year, all members of the Cadet Corps. During her long reign, she had been dubbed queen of Aggie land and named General in the K-9 Corps division of the WA,G'S. The first game of the 1931 football season initiated her long acquaintenceship with the stu dent body and also evoked some what of a furor. ». When the green-serged band came onto the field at halftime, Reveille came on too. >f Congratulations to Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College on its 75th Anniversary AMERICAN DESK Manufacturing Company TEMPLE, TEXAS 11 In fact, Reveille came on first, capering along in front of the drum major, as though the show had been staged for her special benefit. Her performance that day won the hearts of the crowd. From that time on, it was merely a mat ter of time until she would be named Official Mascot. Soon a maroon and white blan ket, lettered “Texas Aggies” on either side, was made for her, and the head yell leader became re sponsible for her appearance in the blanket at football games and other important occasions. She became a familiar sight to football fans far and wide. If Reveille was to appear in her blan ket, leading the Aggie band, she was brought in to be fineried-up by the first cadet who ran across her. When Reveille traveled to var ious Southwestern schools where A&M football games were to be played, a freshman was appointed to see that she was well fed and taken care of. Nothing was too good for her, and she always had a double seat to herself when the Coi'ps traveled by rail. On one particular train, the cars were quite crowded. ||Never- theless, as the train left the Col lege, Reveille occupied her cus tomary seat. When the conductor came through checking tickets, he gruffly demanded that “that dog” be removed from the seat. A howl went up from nearby cadets, and the conductor himself was on the verge of being evicted from his own train when cool heads intervened. Reveille stayed in her seat. Reveille’s private life was pretty much her own affair. She came and went as she pleased, on daily duty only at meal formations, which she always made,. At other times she wandered at will over the 4000-odd acres of the campus. When she became sleepy, she went into the most convenient dormitory, found an open door, and hopped into a bottom bunk to fall asleep. Tradition demanded that when she honored any cadet by selecting his bed, he was not to disturb her, but was to find another place for Himself. If he could not find an empty bed, he slept on the floor. As to how the famous dog was found and named, the story goes that one night in 1931, a Model T Ford was chugging along the high way between Navasota and College Station, The T was full of Aggies, going back to school. Suddenly, a small black and white dog appear ed on the road in front of the car. The drivers could not miss the pup, and her startled yelp of pain brought the occupants out of the vehicle as soon as faulty breaks, could allow it to stop. When they reached the little dog, she wagged her tail and held up an injured leg. General Reveille I Good-Bye, Reveille A dog of doubtful ancestry this black, white, and brown ruled in her day as unquestionable queen of the campus. Probably no other dog knew so many masters nor was loved by so many men. She was placed to rest in Kyle Field on Friday, Jan. 19, 1944. Warren Collins picked up the pup, and she slept that night in an A&M dorm. After the leg injury had been dressed and the Aggies had seen their new pet safely off to bed, they tried to think of a name for her, but finally decided to “sleep on it” till the following morning. Long, happy years both for A&M and Reveille went by, the proudest years of Aggieland’s history, and Reveille’s name was linked with a school that pro duced the number one football team of America in 1939, cham pionship teams in other sports, and well trained fighters and technicians for the nation. Then Reveille began to grow old. She played less and slept more. The Corps came to realize the fact that its chubby little mascot would pass on some time soon and decided to immortalize her. The way was opened when the WAGS division of Dogs and Defense was created. Any dog owners could purchase a rank for hs dog, the cost ranging from one dollar for a private to $100 for a general’s commission. With her extensive military back ground, Reveille was definitely qualified to be a General, and a drive was launched among students in the summer of 1943 to obtain the necessary funds. It was de cided that more than $100 should be raised so that a painting of her ririjgjht also be made. When morning came, the pup’s sleep was interrupted by the notes of Reveille. She made such a fuss about the intrusion on her sleep that the problem of a suitable name was solved. Her foster parents simply dubbed her “Reveille,” and the name stuck. No dog was allowed in any build ing on the campus, and when Rev eille Hotted into Sbisa Hall that morning, a waiter promptly pro ceeded to throw her out. Her pa trons came to the rescue and almost threw out the waiter instead. That day, arrangements were made to permit Reveille to eat in the mess hall, and before long, she was al lowed free run of all buildings on the campus. Marie Haines, talented local artist of nationwide recognition, Air Force Established At A&M in Spring of ’43 Feb. 18, 1943—A local chapter of the world’s fightingist frater nity, the Army Air Forces, was established on the campus of A&M today with the arrival of flying training command personnel as signed here to head the newly in stigated college training program for aviation cadets. E. L. Angell, executive assistant to the president, said that this Air Coi’ps training school was an en tirely different thing from the Army Specialized Training pro gram, and therefore has no bear ing whatsoever on the status of students in the Enlisted Reserve Corps, with or without contracts. The new program, as announced recently by the war department, will see thousands of cadet re serves inducted immediately into colleges from coast to coast for academic and military courses pri or to their actual training. After the program is underway students will take a five months course. A limited flying program will be conducted for all students in cooperation with the CAA War Training Service. The detachment of Texas A&M one of the many selected colleges, will be headed by Major Selwyn C. Woodard, air force commandant woh arrived here today. No an nouncement as to the number of future wingmen to be stationed here would be made at this time, Major Woodard said. The training schedule, which will be conducted without inter ruption to the regular college cur riculum at Texas A&M will fall into four major groupings; aca demic, military, physical, and fly ing. Purpose of the program will be to better prepare men for ca det training in the AAF Flying Training Command and thereby vastly feduce costly elimination. Students will be enrolled as private^, and remain such until the completion of the course at which time they will be sent to one of the flying training com mands classification centers as cadets and assigned to training as pilots, bombardiers, or navi gators During the five months course, students will receive over 700 hours of academic and military instruc tion. Regular college personnel will conduct the academic and phy sical phases of training. Academ ic subjects include mathematics, physics, current history, geog raphy, english, and civil air reg ulations. Physical training will be stress ed here in order to fit trainees to absorb future intensive training without undue fatigue or ill effects. Major Woodard and his staff, which will act in an advisory ca pacity in regard to academics will have direct supervision of the mil itary indoctrination program, which will include infantry drill, cere monies and inspection, first aid, and customs and courtesies of the service. was chosen to paint the picture. The result of her work exceeded the hopes of the cadet sponsors. The painting was unveiled with a fitting ceremony the night be fore the Thanksgiving Day foot ball game with the University of Texas. A few months later Reveille died. After her death a poem appeared in the college newspaper, entitled “Taps For Reveille.” The follow ing few lines borrowed from the poem would probably be appropri ate in summing up the Aggie’s feelings for the little black and white mascot: “Tears dim the bugler’s eyes; His is an honor that’ll never be repeated, To play Taps when Reveille dies. It’s not so fanatic, our love for this dog, When you think of her love for By Dr. John Ashton When “dress parade” once more rolls round And grass grows green o’er tiny mound, We’ll think of one we’ll ne’er more see; Our darling little Reveille! Ancestral claims she boasted not. Poor mongrel waif—such was her lot. But campus days were all serene When homeless pup became a “queen. In doggie language, plain as day, Rev warned all canines: “Keep away, This is my show, I’ll search no more; No other dog shall lead this corps!” So when the band struck up an air We always knew that Rev was there, For, sure enough, her bark of glee As good as meant “Just look at me! No wonder, then, drum major said: “The public watches her instead! How can we strut our stuff with pride If Rev steps out and acts as guide?” But best of all, at football £ame, When thousands saw her bid for fame, Rev. Played big role and did it well: O how we miss her none can tell! She pranced and capered, yelped with joy No lady-dog e’er looked so coy. Her funny antics, born of zeal, Won hosts of friends thru sheer appeal. To Rev all Aggies smelled the same, / Whate’re their rank or whence they came. She loved them all with equal zest; They honored her as welcome guest. But now she’s sailed on Charon’s barge; No more we hear her bark at large. Her work is done, now let her rest: If dogs have souls may hers be blest! rl? ■ ; 4 When an Aggie Isn’t Studying . . . You Can Bet He’s At CANADY’S Everyone knows Canady’s is headquarters for tops in sandwiches and drinks. But far more important — People have learned to depend on Canady’s for safe and pure drugs and prescriptions, carefully filled by our experienced and highly competent person nel. Our reputation is your guarantee of quality drugs and sun dries and propipt, courteous service. We sincerely congratulate Dr. M. T. Harrington and wish him the best of luck in the years to come. 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