"Texas A&M: The First 25 Years" by Lyman Hardeman '66

Just about all of the traditions upon which the famous Texas A&M spirit is based can be traced back to events that occurred during the first 25 years of the school's operation. It was during these formative years that A&M:- Formed the Corps of Cadets (1876)- Published its first Newspaper (1878) and Student Yearbook (1895)- Assembled what has become the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band (1894)- Organized an elite drill team (1887, now the Ross Volunteers)- Designed and cast the first A&M class rings (1889)- Began a perpetual football rivalry with t.u. (1894)- Formed an alumni association (1880)- Held its first Silver Taps (1898) and A&M Muster These traditions and more all began amid much turmoil as A&M struggled to define its curriculum, to survive the politics of lawmakers in Austin, and to curb the internal feuds of its own faculty in College Station. The school was forced to respond to a critical press and to compete fiercely for operating funds from the state. More tha