Highland Lakes Aggies, get ready to Muster on April 21
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
HORSESHOE BAY — Whether an Aggie graduated from Texas A&M University in 1958 or 2008, he or she is an Aggie for life, and nowhere is that more evident than during the annual Aggie Muster scheduled April 21.
“It’s a very special tradition for Aggies,” said Glenna Bell Orman, the Muster chairwoman for the Highland Lakes Aggies. “It’s a chance for Aggies to get together and share stories from their days at A&M, but it’s also a time to remember those Aggies who are no longer with us.”
This year’s Muster for the Highland Lakes A&M Club is 6 p.m. at Quail Point Community Center, 107 Twilight. The event starts with a social followed by dinner and a speaker at 6:30 p.m.
While an annual reunion of sorts, the Muster is also a time to honor those Aggies who died during the previous year.
“The main thing about Muster is we have a wonderful ceremony called Roll Call,” Orman said. “We’ll call out the names of Aggies who have passed away, and, as each name is read, a friend or family member will call ‘Here’ and then go light a candle in their memory. It’s really an incredible part of the Muster.”
The Highland Lakes A&M Club will honor five of their own who passed away since last year’s Muster: Maj. Joe Bryant (1953), Kimberly Smarr (1991), William Smith (1950), Gene Dillon (1945), Ted Skeen (1957) and Charles Yeargain (1947).
The Muster draws its beginnings as far back as June 26, 1883, when Aggies met to talk about and relive their school days. By April 21, 1903, it had become an annual gathering, always held on San Jacinto Day.
Orman said some Musters are large, with the largest being held on the Texas A&M University campus, while others can be quite small. The Highland Lakes A&M Club falls somewhere in the middle. Orman pointed out there are about 700 Aggies living in the Highland Lakes Aggies Club area which includes Burnet County and parts of Llano County.
Last year, the club held the Muster at the Burnet County Fair and Rodeo Association facility. This year, the club is going with a more business-casual affair.
While the Muster gives Aggies a chance to get together, reconnect, share stories and honor those who have died, it’s also a time to help usher in a new group of soon-to-be Texas A&M University students.
“We’ll also be presenting our five scholarship recipients,” Orman said. “This is the first time they’ll be recognized. Being able to present these scholarships is very important to us because these are the next generation of Aggies.”
Orman said she is honored to serve as the Muster Chair for the club, as her father is a 1950 graduate of Texas A&M University. He was in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets’ “B Battery” unit, and to this day, the surviving members still meet annually to swap stories and catch up with each other.
“This is something my dad and I share, and it means the world to me to help continue the Muster tradition and support his generation of Aggies,” she said. “Every time I’m with him at Muster, I hear a new story about his time at A&M that I’ve never heard before.”
The Muster also features Carri Baker Wells (1984) as the guest speaker. Wells is the key executive and director of operations for Linebarger, Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP, one of the premier legal firms in the United States. She was also the first woman to serve as president of the 12th Man Foundation at Texas A&M University.
To reserve a place at this year’s Muster, people can get more information at the Highland Lakes A&M Club website at www.highlandlakesaggies.com or call (830) 598-6757 and speak with Jerry Gray.
daniel@thepicayune.com