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of tfie 1~iom-is&, cotmplet&
autographed footballs, two dozen
Aggielands, a fireplace, and books
and pictures that all have a story
behind them — stones that Mrs.
Vandiver is happy to share with
anyone who is interested.
The formal living and dining rooms
at the front of the house contain
several pieces of furniture used by the
Rudder family before the house
caught fire many years ago.
The kitchen is large and open,
perfect for those times when Mrs.
Vandiver cooks for 12 or more
people.
“Our house was always packed,”
she said. “I always cooked for twelve
because 1 didn’t kow how many of
them (the children) would be eating
with us.”
It’s no wonder she had a second
dishwasher installed in the kitchen.
When the cleaning and cooking are
done, Mrs. Vandiver finds time to do
the grocery shopping. Her daughters
used to help her, but now Dr.
Vandiver goes along. And when he
goes shopping, Mrs. Vandiver said,
they buy “all kinds of things. ”
Being the wife of the president
requires a great deal of Mrs.
Vandiver’s time. She said that this role
puts her mostly in the background and
that her main job here is backing up
Dr. Vandiver, listening to what he has
to say and trying to keep up with what
is going on.
Mrs. Vandiver said that her day
includes lots of paperwork and
planning.
The family members awaken early
and share tea and coffee while they
coordinate their schedules, she said,
adding that there are a lot of phone
calls and things to plan.
“We try to see some of everything, ”
she said. “There's at least five things
each night going on here (at A&M).
We never get to all of them. ”
Mrs. Vandiver is also a member of a
women’s social club at A&M, is
honorary president of the Aggie Moms
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hter position.
Despite their busy schedules. Dr.
and Mrs. Vandiver do manage to
spend some time with their children.
She said they go to late movies
together, or they rent movies and
watch them on the VCR at home.
“We know how to squeeze in the
time,’’she said.
When Mrs. Vandiver is not playing
the roles of wife and mother, she
keeps busy with her own interests and
hobbies.
As a fine arts major, she has began .
putting together a book containing her
own artwork. She is currently working
on pen and ink line drawings and
charcoal drawings that depict the
Louisiana setting she grew up in.
Mrs. Vandiver also enjoys all kinds
of music including progressive rock,
jazz, opera and even hard rock.
“I like all of them." she said. “I
don’t like it as loud as some people
like it. but I enjoy music with a good
beat.”
Mrs. Vandiver also likes the old
black and white movies and the late
late shows that come on around 3
o’clock in the morning — the ones
with Frankenstein and the plants that
eat people.
She does most of her own work in
black and white and thinks the new
colorizing technique (converting old
black-and-white movies to color)
takes away the drama and glamour
found in black-and-white films.
“It takes away from an art that was
superb,” Mrs. Vandiver said. “Black
and white is really an art. It’s very
dramatic, and you can get a lot of
suspense and movement out of black
and white.”
Mrs. Vandiver likes movies so much
that sometimes she and Dr. Vandiver
forego a meal at home and instead
feast on a large tub of popcorn and
soda at the movies:
In addition to art, music and
movies, Mrs. Vandiver likes working
with flowers. Various flowers and
plants occupy nearly every room in
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12 feet long, contain numerous rose
bushes, two kinds of mint plants and
several other plants.
Mrs. Vandiver said she used to be
in a Flower of the Month club but that
her family begged her to quit because
there were too many plants in the
house.
Mrs. Vandiver stresses to her kids
the importance of contributing what
they can to the world. She urges them
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Vandiver with tl
zt many people.
“The nicest thing about this job is
the interesting people you get to meet
that you wouldn’t have the chance to
meet otherwise. ” she said.
Mrs. Vandiver said that when things
get hectic, a vacation isn’t really
necessary.
“I would accept just flopping on the
sofa, "she said.
Top: The spacious
comfort and relaxed
atmosphere of the
Vandiver’s sun room at
the back of the house (a
converted breezeway
from the kitchen to the
garage) is a sharp
contrast to the formal
living room at the front
of the house (above).
Above: The formal
living and dining rooms
contain furniture from
the original Rudder
home.
At Left: Three French
doors separate the
original president’s
home from the porch
that the Vandivers have
enclosed.