This week’s Bugle Call salutes Freddie Wong ’69, a dedicated and passionate Aggie who has played a significant role in bettering the lives of both current and future students here at Texas A&M.
After growing up in Hong Kong, Freddie made his way to the United States in pursuit of a college education. He eventually made his way to Texas A&M and received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1969.
Freddie and his wife later moved to Houston where they decided to raise their two kids, Michael ’92 and Darryl ’96. Freddie would share his stories from Texas A&M with his kids, telling them about the traditions, the students and the heart behind the university. He would also tell them that they could go to any college they wanted, but that he was only paying for Texas A&M.
Long after his children graduated from Texas A&M, Freddie continues to support the university. A part of the Houston A&M Club, Freddie has been a driving force in implementing the Caring Aggies Mentoring Program, which pairs mentors with underprivileged and minority students in the Houston area. He passes out rings to excited and deserving students at Aggie Ring Day, attends Aggie Muster every year, and makes the hour-long drive to College Station every Friday so he can attend the Class of ’69 breakfast at the Denny’s across campus.
Freddie’s impact at Texas A&M grew even more when he established an endowment with the Texas A&M Foundation, supporting both the Student Engineer’s Council and the Memorial Student Center Student Council. He’s created four scholarships for students who were in the Caring Aggies Mentoring Program and are now pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics at Texas A&M. The Wong family also contributed to the 2010 Memorial Student Center expansion and renovation project.
Freddie has carried with him the spirit of Aggieland even after his time here in College Station and has used it to create better opportunities for future and current students at Texas A&M.