7
H ave you ever
wondered how
some things get
done around Texas A&M
University? It is pretty much
common knowledge that the
Grounds Maintenance crew
does most of the dirty work that
keeps this campus looking
beautiful. And most of us know
that members of the Corps of
Cadets shine the statue of
Lawrence Sullivan Ross. But
what about some of the other
deeds that seem to miraculously
happen, whose perpetrators go
anonymously about their
business? Let’s take a look at
some of these less-than-obvious
occurences that are often taken
for granted.
T hat familiar
announcement,
“Now forming at
the North end of Kyle field...” is
a phrase we immediately
associate with home football
games. The same spiel,
delivered game after game,
brings the crowd to its feet with
spirit and anticipation. Many
people chant along in imitation
as the resonant voice from
above announces “... The
Fighting Texas Aggie Band. ”
But who does the familiar
voice belong to? We have
heard it at every game, both at
Kyle field and at out of town
stadiums, since 1983. Its owner
was once a band member
himself, so he knows exactly
what it means to be forming at
the north end of Kyle field.
The name behind the voice is
Captain Jay Brewer, class of
1981. In addition to introducing
the band at football games,
Brewer fulfills many other
duties in his role as assistant
director of the band. He is in
charge of hom repair, issuing
music and music folders to the
band members and is the
adviser of the Drum and Bugle
Corps. He volunteered for the
job of band announcer several
years ago and has been doing it
ever since.
Even though his voice is
famous, however, Brewer says
he doesn’t mind remaining
behind the scenes.
“The guys in the band ought
to get all the credit, ” he says.
“They do all the work. ”
T here are other
voices on campus
whose owners go
about their business quite
People that
keep A&M
ticking
by Lydia Berzsenyi
We all like to tiptoe through the tulips with our
true loves on our arms — but who, pray tell, keeps
the tulips blooming?
anonymously. For example,
take the campus operators who
work at Student Locator. They
religiously look up number after
number for their inquisitive
callers, never releasing their
own names.
Thirteen full-time workers
and two part-time students
work shifts so that someone will
be there to answer the phone
calls that flood the lines 24
hours a day. They can look up
listings for students, staff and
faculty members, departments
and all general telephone
information for the University.
Some of the workers have
been at this job for more than
10 years. One woman has
actually been looking up
numbers for 18 years.
The workers don’t mind the
anonymity, which is necessary
for safety measures, because
they are performing a service to
the University.
C himing bells in the
Albritton Tower
not only remind
people of the time of day, but
also frequently induce people to
hum along to the sound of the
music. With a library of 250 to
300 songs, the sounds of the
tower are constantly changing.
Mary Helen Bowers, who is
in charge of deciding which
songs will be played at what
time, says that the bells are
played an average of four to six
times a week —in addition to
chiming the hour.
There are songs for
Christmas, Thanksgiving,
Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, New
Year’s Day and Valentine’s
Day, patriotic songs for football
games and national holidays,
and special songs for school
occasions such as Elephant
Walk, Silver Taps, Parent’s
Weekend, Muster, Graduation
and Final Review. There are
also collections of country and
western songs, classical songs,
contemporary rock songs,
songs for rainy and sunny days,
theme songs and songs for
lunch breaks. Magnetic
impulses, recorded on cassette
tapes, determine which of the
49 bells play and in what order.
S
ome students are
also part of the
underground
network of services on campus.
Although few students are
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