Helping Tell Every Aggie Story

When Mauri ’09 and Aaron King ’09 sat down to create their wills, they knew they wanted to give back to their alma mater in whatever way they could. Their love for all things Texas A&M—the traditions, spirit, and community—led the couple to establish a planned gift for the Aggie Muster Endowment managed by the Texas A&M Foundation.

“Ask anyone we’ve encountered and they’ll undeniably tell you we are proud to be part of the Aggie family,” said Aaron. “Texas A&M has given us so much, so when it came to writing our wills and planning the distribution of our finances, without a doubt, we knew we wanted to give a portion back to the university.” 

One common method to create a planned gift with the Foundation is for donors to designate the Texas A&M Foundation as a beneficiary of their will or trust. The Kings decided a charitable bequest to the Aggie Muster Endowment was the best option for them, meaning a specific percentage of the value of their estate will go to support Aggie Muster after their lifetimes.

“We both feel that Aggie Muster is the consummate tradition of the university because it recognizes that each and every Aggie makes up a bigger part of the Aggie family,” added Aaron.

The Kings both received bachelor’s degrees in political science, with Mauri graduating in 2009 and Aaron following her in 2012 after one year of training and one year-long deployment to Afghanistan during college.  

During their time at Texas A&M, both were heavily involved in campus organizations and in the community. Aaron was in the Extreme Croquet Society his freshman year and then focused on work the remaining years of college. Mauri was involved in student government, serving with the development committee and then as a student senator. She also participated in the Memorial Student Center’s Wiley Lecture Series. 

In their new hometown of New Braunfels, the couple enjoys spending time with their 18-month- old daughter Elizabeth and their dog Gipper, whom they rescued from the Aggieland Animal Health Center. For four years, Aaron has taught high school social studies, government, economics and U.S. history. He also coaches University Interscholastic Number Sense and Current Events. After earning master’s degrees in theological studies from Liberty University and public policy from Baylor University, Mauri launched her own blog and published her first children’s book called The Adventures of Pootsey the Wonderbug. 

Gifts toward the Aggie Muster Endowment support the Muster ceremony and tradition at Texas A&M. The Aggie Muster Committee, a student-led organization in the Department of Student Activities in the Division of Student Affairs, organizes and plans the campus Muster. The campus Muster is funded by student allocation fees in conjunction with The Association of Former Students. However, the campus Muster Committee established the Aggie Muster Endowment in 1989 to become financially independent and allow those funds previously allocated to the ceremony to be directed to other programs. 

The gift planning process gave the Kings peace of mind when it came to their finances and futures, as well as the opportunity to provide for the people and the organizations they love. 

“It took a huge burden off of us knowing that we were taking care of each other and our daughter should anything happen,” said Mauri. “We were grateful to think about how we could use our finances to provide for organizations we love. No matter how much money we have or don't have, none of it will travel with us to heaven, so hopefully we can bless some of those who are still on earth when we pass on.” 

The Kings’ legacy at Texas A&M is exemplified in their love for the university, their enthusiastic Aggie Spirit, and now, their gift toward Aggie Muster. 

“We love that Muster embodies so much of what it means to be an Aggie—to gather together, to celebrate our university and what it stands for, to remember and memorialize, and to remain connected to the Aggie family,” said Aaron.