Dome Sunrise by Mark Stewart '74.
Spirit Did Me Proud
I think the new look of Spirit magazine is nothing short of outstanding! I particularly liked the very different cover.
I was happy that my artwork was published in the spring issue since my dad endowed three scholarships in the College of Architecture, and I am now the family representative for those scholarships. I also do what I can to give back. I have participated in Coach’s Night in Houston during the past several years, where I sell small prints of Century Tree and other Aggie images. All of the proceeds go to the Houston A&M Club for student scholarships. It’s not a big gift, but it allows me to contribute.
I have six grown children, two of whom graduated from Texas A&M, but I really can’t complain—all six have college degrees and some are still working on advanced degrees (one through Texas A&M’s Bush School). With this many children and the variety of college choices that were made, I now receive several alumni magazines. None of them begin to compare to the visual feast that Spirit presents. The entire presentation made by Spirit is one Texas A&M and its alumni can be proud of! It’s a work of literary and visual art. Thanks for letting me be included in the inaugural new look. You did me proud.
Mark Stewart ’74
Houston, Texas
Calculating Costs
Thanks for putting out such a great magazine. I’m writing about the graphs in the fall 2015 edition, particularly the “Increasing Student Burden” chart . It would be informative to also include the university’s budget in real dollars so that readers could understand how much the budget is increasing relative to how much funding is decreasing from the state.
One can’t help but compare the increasing student burden with increased capital being spent on new buildings and the like. How much is necessary and how much is being added for show, needlessly burdening students with debt? I don’t think this issue is unique to Texas A&M, but it would certainly be refreshing to see a school honestly evaluate costs and benefits to students and not just the university, as the two are not 100 percent aligned.
Thank you again for your wonderful work. I am humbled and filled with pride to belong to such an amazing group each time I read Spirit!
Jada Tullos Anderson ’00
Greensboro, North Carolina
Editor’s note: The following letter and poem were received in response to an email sent to the classes of 1958 to 1962 in search of information about the Corps of Cadets etiquette pamphlet featured in this issue’s Time Capsule .
Bobby R. Smith '58 during his senior year.
The Other Bob Smith
Your email reminded me of a story during my time at Texas A&M. I once received a letter in my mailbox with no address except to " Bob Smith at Texas A&M, College Station, Texas." It was pink and sure smelled good, so I read it. It sure was a nice letter, but not far into it, I realized I had no clue as to who the girl was.
I gave the letter to my roommate and asked him to tell me if he thought I knew the girl. He said ‘hell no,’ but when I asked for the letter back, he told me that others were reading it! Several days later, I finally got it back with coffee and Coke stains. I put it back in the envelope and ran over to the post office, where I told the postman that it was not mine (all we had in those days was a box with a number on it). He said there was another Bob Smith and put the letter in his box.
A day later, a big guy approached me and asked if I was Bob Smith. I said I was, and he started to hit me. When I asked why he was so mad, he said that I had read his letter and that he would only accept my regrets if I would change my name to “Bobby R. Smith.”
I have been called by that name since my freshman year in 1954.
Bobby R. Smith ’58
Houston, Texas