The Rio Grande Valley Extends to Texas A&M
Like most Hispanic kids in the early 70s I was most familiar with Texas as seen through the the eyes of the Valley. We knew that to the north was a different world where our culture was thought of as foreign by some. Most everyone who left the Valley for college usually chose the Catholic universities of San Antonio or the University of Texas in Austin. Although many in the Valley at that time had family histories of serving in the military, usually as an enlisted, it was very rare for anyone to attend Texas A&M University. McAllen High School had an experimental advanced math program which encouraged a group of us to ultimately attend Texas A&M.
When we got there it was a different world. I was the only Hispanic student in a freshman physics class of 200 students. A life long friend who was the brightest of all of us was initially counseled to be an industrial arts major instead of an engineer, fortunately he did pursue engineering and founded one of the most successful oil drilling companies in America. We did never really encounter prejudice it was just more like we were an oddity at first. But soon enough we came to think of ourselves as “Aggies” and after graduation the networking of “Aggieland” served us well in our professional careers.
The Aggie Ring has opened doors in Washington D.C. , Austin, corporate board rooms, academic faculties, and the Rio Grande Valley for thousands of Hispanics.
This week I returned to my alma mater to see the Texas A&M University football game vs. the University of Miami. I actually was with the University of Miami group because I was a guest of a major University of Miami fundraiser. As our bus toured the campus before the game, I was proudly telling them about A&M’s traditions, history, and pointing out the campus landmarks. There were many Hispanics in the group as they have played a major role at University of Miami. Suddenly everyone got silent as we passed the Office of the University President there in College Station, Texas. Many of them imagined that this “red-neck” town of ultra-conservatives with military training would only have a traditional male President. When the previous President ,Robert Gates, was chosen to be the Secretary of Defense, Texas A&M made a bold decision to name a forty-nine old woman who was born in Cuba, Dr. Elsa Murano, as the President of Texas A&M University. By now you know that Texas A&M lost the game but maybe more importantly Texas A&M is a winner in taking a leading role in the contribution of Hispanics to American life.
Years ago in 70s, we had started the Committee for Awareness of Mexican American Culture at A&M, with only 12 members. Today Hispanic students from the Rio Grande Valley are choosing to attend Texas A&M in greater numbers than ever before . They are mainstreamed in the all the major student organizations and activities. It is not unusual to see a Hispanic woman in the Corp of Cadets or a student leader. Students from the Rio Grande Valley at A&M even have their own place in the social network, Facebook. Although it is 8 hour drive north of Valley and we generally think of the Valley as ending on the Willacy county line, I like to think that for many of us there has been and always will be a part of the Rio Grande Valley in that small town at a university that has been called “One of the Ten Most Important Universities in the United States”.
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