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Alumni Association urges
former cadets to return to
campus on April 21 as a
type of homecoming.
However, when WWI broke
out, Aggies went to defend
their nation and all campus
activities from April to
June of 1917 were
canceled
1922 j
First major organized
San Jacinto Celebration
took place in Waco
Student radio station,
WTAW, carried a statewide
program dedicated to
San Jacinto Day. More than
| two dozen formal gatherings
April 21 became the official
day for Muster
San Jacinto Day was the
first major organized
observance held on the
A&M Campus;
A WWI Memorial was
dedicated and given by
classes of ‘23, ’24, ‘25
and ’26 in honor of the
55 men who gave their
lives during the the war
Muster spreads worldwide
Muster gains international
recognition
February 1943
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Ei. McQuillen was
influenced by numerous
calls and letters
worldwide and decided
to use the word “Muster”
for the April 21
Muster
Continued from page 1A
it was hard, but he built long and lasting
friendships.
Easterly said freshmen in the Corps of
Cadets should understand why they work as
hard as they do and should be grateful for the
military training they receive while getting an
education at A&M.
“The basic skills you learn in high school
and college are extremely important in combat,
like the skills you get in the Corps, but also
survival skills,” he said.
He said the preliminary training he received
at A&M made him successful in the military.
“Combat is not easy,” he said.
Easterly, however, did not see any combat
against the Japanese because of his involve
ment in officer training, said his youngest son,
Jerry, Class of 1973.
Jimmy Easterly, Class of 1971 and Gerald’s
oldest son, said A&M’s training in the Corps is
tougher than people may think.
“One of my first roommates at A&M
flunked out freshman year and came back a
year later after he had been in the Marine
Corps. One time I asked him how did boot
camp compare to his freshman year and he said
without hesitation his freshman year was much
harder than boot camp,” he said.
That Corps training can be proven with the
Aggies who are now fighting in the Gulf.
With A&M said to have produced more offi
cers in World War I and World War II than
West Point, Easterly said it is a great feeling to
see his family members choosing a school that
trains the leaders of tomorrow.
Gerald Easterly said he had no influence on
his family deciding to attend A&M.
“I just brainwashed them,” Jerry Easterly said.
Jimmy Easterly, who lives in College
Station, said he joked with his son Jason when
he was 10 years old that they would move out
of town if he did not attend A&M.
But, no matter why his three grandchildren
decided to attend A&M, Gerald Easterly said
he still beams at all their accomplishments.
“I tell the Lord how blessed he has made
us,” he said. “The other day some lady said I
had a big head and I denied that, but when I got
home I measured my head and it was an inch
and a half bigger!”
While maroon runs thickly in his family’s
blood. Easterly said he could not think of any
other college with traditions that compare to
that of the Aggie Spirit.
Several traditions at A&M are important, but
Muster is celebrated all over the world, he said.
“There is an old expression, ‘you know
them by the company you keep,”’ he said. “So
relate that to Muster, when you get together
with a bunch of Aggies.”
Regan Turner, chairman of the Muster com
mittee this year, said the tradition of Muster is
timeless.
“It is the one tradition that we, as Aggies,
can celebrate anywhere in the world.
Regardless of where we may find ourselves on
April 21, (we) always have a family with
whom we can share a meal and stories about
our days at Texas A&M,” he said.
This year’s featured speaker is Edwin
Cooper. Cooper graduated from A&M in 1953.
After service in the U.S. Army, he began a 37-
year career at A&M, highlighted by working as
presidential assistant to Presidents James Earl
Rudder and Williams and later, with his posi
tion as dean of admissions. Turner said.
Aggies first gathered on June 26,1883 to
relive their college days, the victories and
defeats won and lost the drill field and in the
classroom. By April 21, 1903, this annual
gathering evolved into a celebration of Texas
Independence on San Jacinto Day. These early
meetings included field games and banquets
for Aggies to reflect and celebrate their memo
ries of Aggieland. ‘Let every alumni answer a
roll call,’ wrote the former students.
It was not until 1922, however, that April 21
became the official day of events for all
Aggies; thus, the annual tradition of Muster
was born. In 1923 Aggies 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.”
Today, Muster is celebrated in more than
400 places worldwide, with the largest cere
mony centered on the A&M campus in
College Station. The ceremony brings together
more Aggies worldwide on one occasion than
any other event.
The day starts off with a flag raising cere
mony in the Academic Plaza at 7:15 a.m. A
Camaraderie Barbecue will take place from
11a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Academic Plaza. Cost
will be $6.50 and meal plans, Aggiebucks,
cash and credit cards, are all accepted;
Commons, Sbisa and Duncan will all be closed
during the barbecue; in case of rain it will be
moved to Sbisa.
Roll Call for the Absent will begin at 7 p.m.
in Reed Arena. Doors open at 5 p.m.
“As Aggies it is our duty to muster. We
pledge to always remember those who have
died, promising that their memories will live
forever in our hearts,” Turner said. “Our com
mitment as the Muster Committee is to ensure
that every Aggie on the Roll Call is more than
just a name; it is a life that touched others.”
Gerald Easterly said his time at A&M is
cherished and the day his name is called and
someone will answer ‘here’ makes him glad he
chose to attend A&M.
But he doesn’t count on that anytime soon.
“You know what I tell waitresses? I say the
younger you are the more napkins you need
and they bring me more napkins,” he said.
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observance
Homecoming Muster
included three days of
banquets and reunions.
On Easter morning.
General Eisenhower spoke
to a crowd of more than
15,000
Campus Muster was
moved from 6. Rollie White
Coliseum to Reed Arena
Muster is celebrated in
more than 400 places
worldwide
RUBEN DELUNA
TRAVIS SWENSON • THE BATTALION
Source: MUSTER COMMITTEE
On April 21, 2002, there were more than 300 Aggie Muster ceremonies around the world. This year
marks the 81st official Muster remembrance ceremony.
Muster speaker
recalls Aggie spirit
By Nicole M. Jones
THE BATTALION
Ed Cooper, Class of 1953,
learned this weekend that his
class has lost 18 members in the
past year. As this year’s campus
Muster speaker and a member
of the 50-year anniversary class.
Cooper said he would honor his
classmates, explaining Sunday
night that this Muster would be
bittersweet.
“It’s especially painful for
me because of that,” he said.
“My message for all of the fam
ilies and friends of the Aggies
honored at Muster is that we
will not forget the spirit of those
who are gone, and their spirits
will endure with us forever.”
Cooper, who was a member
of the Aggie Band and the
Wildlife Management Club
during his undergraduate years,
served as a first lieutenant in the
U.S. Army upon his graduation
from A&M. He then returned to
A&M to serve as the dean of
admissions and later worked
under University Presidents
James Earl Rudder and Jack K.
Williams. In the past 50 years.
Cooper has watched the
University grow from an all
male school to the world-class
institution it is today.
For the Muster ceremony.
Cooper hopes to entertain the
audience with humor, then tell
them about the Aggie spirit that
has remained constant through
the years.
“My talk will be about the
origin of Aggie spirit — it
will go back to the early days
of how spirit was- built
through hardship,” Cooper
said. “I will glorify some peo
ple and groups of people who
exhibit Aggie spirit in the best
possible way and how it has
grown through the years.”
Cooper said that spirit is spe
cial and can only be found at a
place such as A&M.
“Aggie spirit is working
together when times are rough
and tough,” said Cooper. “It’s as
strong or stronger now than it
has ever been.”
Cooper attended A&M
when the enrollment was
about 7,000 male students. He
said he has noted a few
changes in the Aggieland
community since then.
“The band is one thing that
I can point to that has
improved with age,” he said.
“They are light years ahead of
what we were capable of back
in those days.”
Cooper has seen others
changes on campus, including
the increasing strength of aca
demic programs and the incor
poration of air conditioning in
the buildings.
“Back in those days, we had
classes from 8 a.m. to 12 noon
on Saturdays, which I imagine
would not be too popular now,”
Cooper said. “It’s just a totally
different world.”
For entertainment at the all
male school, the Corps of
Cadets would host social events
to entertain themselves and
bring women into town.
“In my case, the girl I
brought up here for two years
was the one I married,”
Cooper said.
Cooper and his wife Peggy
were high school sweethearts,
and were married halfway
through college. He is now
retired and living in Franklin,
Texas, with his wife. He is a
professional motivational
speaker and a columnist for
small newspapers in surround
ing counties.
In January 2003, he wrote
“How Life Stacks Up,” a
book of short stories that
focuses on his boyhood in
San Marcos and his personal
experiences at A&M.
Cooper has five children and
12 grandchildren.
Muster Events
Flag Raising Ceremony
Camaraderie Barbecue
Academic Plaza, 7:15 a.m.
Academic Plaza, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
($6.50 - Aggiebucks, cash and credit card accepted; the
Commons, Sbisa and Duncan Dining Hall will be closed)
barbecue will be moved to Sbisa if it rains
Entertainment at the barbecue;
Apotheosis, a student vocal ensemble
Aggie Wranglers
Kappa Pickers
Yell Leaders
Reveille
Sidehill Gougers
[j23ESDECESB2iD3' ^ eec l Arena, 7 p.m.
Doors open at 5 p.m. (those with large groups
that want to sit together should arrive early)
FILE PHOTO • THE BATTALION
Gov. Rick Perry was the featured speaker at Aggie Muster 2003.