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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNewRev3Page A14 The Bryan - College Station Eagle Sunday, March 9, 2008 The final say on Reveille; or is it? W e asked and you answered. Oh, mercy, did you answer! For the past three weeks we've been trying to help Texas A &M in its search for the next Reveille. This came about because Reveille VII will be retired after this year and a new Rev will be named. A &M has said that the next mas- cot may not be a collie, so the gates to the kennels — even the dog pound — are wide open. On our Web site, theeagle .com, we conducted a sur- vey to ask what breed of dog (or lack thereof) our readers preferred. We closed the polls at 10 a.m. Monday, and the winner was — Maestro, a drum roll, please — a mutt from the animal shelter. That's right. A mutt, not a collie. Get the nitroglycerin pills, Martha. Daddy may be having The Big One. Considering that A &M is nothing if not tradition, this was a surprise. After all, the overwhelming majority of past Reveilles have been collies, and the overwhelming majority of living Aggies grew up with a collie on the Kyle Field sidelines. On the other hand, the original Rev was a mutt who was hit by a car and brought to campus to be cared for by die -hard Aggies — members of the Corps of Cadets. That, along with strong senti- ment for helping out home- less mixed -breed dogs in pounds all over the coun- try, led to a come -from- behind win for the lowly mutt. It was an amazing experi- ence. More people cast votes than in the last Bryan or College Station municipal election. It was- n't a landslide, however. (See the accompanying chart.) And more than a few were upset that the subject was even under dis- cussion. Here's what for- mer Corps member Grayum L. Davis had to say: "What self - righteous idiot even brought up the idea of changing the breed of Reveille? And who the hell even allowed a com- mittee, much less, be formed to study the idiot See BAGGETT, Page A14 Reveille results In The Eagle's online poll, 42 percent of voters said the next Reveille should be a mutt. The totals are below: •$ _ Labrador retriever: 313 _ Border collie: 290 Australian shepherd: 145 Bullmastiff: 136 None of the above: 122 Jack Russell Terrier: 72 Catahoula hound: 53 Black- mouthed cur: 36 Write -in votes: Texas blue lacy, 6; golden retriever, 5; German shepherd, 3; English springer spaniel, 2; and one vote each for Iraq service dog, English bulldog, pit bull, Brittany spaniel, smooth collie, Shetland sheepdog, Irish wolfhound, Pembroke corgi, bea- gle, boxer and a stallion (horse). From A9 idea? Don't these idiots have anything better to do than messing with the traditions at A &M? These people are typically employees of the university — which is state of Texas — and pa our taxes. I want to kn who these people are. C ny E -2 and the Corps of Cadets — please don't 1 these liberals push thes ideas down your throat Allan Gillies had sim thoughts: This can all be sum up by one small word: t tion. They already stopp Bonfire and now they w a change the mascot. Why just change the name of school to Texas Universi Here are some other thoughts from readers: ■ "It's hard to vote for pure mutt (although my have always been such) there are so many opport ties with a collie -mix (ak half -mutt) to keep the be a but mix in the other char teristics that will make o mascot so valuable. I do 1 the idea of adopting from animal shelter, but I also think sticking with a fem is important." — Anne St ny ■ "I have been training dogs professionally for ov 30 years. I am currently t temperament evaluator fo Aggieland Pets with a Pur pose, a 501c3 nonprofit vol teer therapy dog organiza- tion.... "Mutts might be a realist option, given that the dog was evaluated by knowled able behaviorists with ma years of experience with to perament evaluations. "One pure breed not eve mentioned is the golden retriever. Goldens are one the top dogs for therapy organizations, and are also utilized by seeing -eye and service -dog organizations. I selected properly, these dog can have outstanding tem- peraments and like people. Same with a correctly chose Lab." — Ben Alexander ■ "My son and I were play ing golf Saturday afternoon at the A &M golf course and spotted what we think shoul be the next Reveille! As my . son, Christopher, teed off on the ninth hole we spotted a stray puppy roaming the go course. It was a small black dog with white paws (Lab mix ?) and no collar. It was happily bounding across the golf course chas- ing birds and curious of the golfers. We were concerned that he might run into traffic on Texas or George Bush, so we abandoned our game to try to catch the little dog. "However, as we approached the dog, he took off at a blazing speed and ran up onto a green as some other golfers were putting. They were just as surprised as we were to see the little dog on the golf course. We were unable to catch him but shooed him away from the street and finished our game. Back at the clubhouse, we told the student workers about the dog and they com- mented that they too have been trying to catch the dog for a while. "As we were driving home we were talking about what "This can all be summed up by one small word: friendly, and would, in my tradition. They already stopped Bonfire and now humble opinion, be a great they want to change the mascot. Why not just symbol for the university mascot.... Considering that change the name of the school to Texas University?" they seemed to survive the t}' Hawaii heat and humidity ALLAN GILLIES well, I would think that is a characteristic that A &M Concerning the next Reveille should think about." — Mike Caudle the we would have named the lit - id by tle dog if we had actually ow caught him (Bogie ?) when we ompa- realized that this little dog would make the perfect et Reveille! We're not sure e what happened to the little i s." dog but are hopeful that stu- lar dents or even the Corps of Cadets will find that little med dog and make it their next radi- Reveille. What a great story ed this would make! nt to "Even if this particular not dog can not be located, it just the seems like the next Reveille ty ?" should be a good- natured, lovable mutt that is chosen and embraced by the student a body. That is how the tradi- dogs tion started and how it but should continue!" — Kather- uni- ine Powell a ■ "The question should be uty posed, `What does the mascot ac- represent to the college, the 117 students, the faculty, and the we public at large?' Obviously, an breed, color, length of hair, mutt or purebred isn't really ale material. The original as- Reveille, according to the story, was hit by some cadets on their way from Navasota er back to A &M and then he brought to the vet school to r get medical attention. f "Reveille represents: un- "1. Doing the right thing — v the cadets stopped to check a the dog. They could have t ic kept going without stopping, s as happens only too often. b ge- "2. Acting responsibly — h ny the cadets didn't just stop, m- they saw the dog was in of medical care and needed T n help. They picked the dog up a and took responsibility for R of the dog's health and welfare. or "3. Compassion for those do less fortunate — the cadets in were motivated by their E f compassion for this helpless s little animal. Whatever their f ull plans had been prior to their ho meeting with the dog, all W e n those plans were put on hold wa and their mission became mi - get the dog medical atten- fo tion and save its life.' sid "4. Going the extra mile — ag o . I the cadets not only got the thi s little dog medical attention has and saved its life, they adopt- of t ed her and gave this little Tex if black- and -white dog some- De thing more than just a per- 0 manent home; they gave her pas t all the attention and love trai that any dog could ever hope Offi for in a lifetime. and "But it wasn't just this lit- ties tle dog that benefited from cur the efforts of these cadets to fro do the right thing. It is every pers person who has ever heard past the story of how Reveille bred came to be. And for an Aggie, pose it is the part of the founda- have tion on which they strive to cond build their own character." es. T — Duane Miller serio ■ "For the love of Pete, of w why the hell are we even masc talking about this? A fluff story that has taken on a life in th e of its own! Infan "The original Reveille was (a ve in fact a black- and -white mate) mutt.... Despite how we got battal to identifying collies as Wolfh Reveille, it has been that way three during the lives of a vast they majority of surviving Aggie es. Th grads. Leave it alone, find a breed, calm collie, and move on. appea Jeez, this is not a political process; we do not'need a canine version of `Obama for Change'! — Ed Hodnett ■ "First, I 'am quite sur- prised there would ever be a question like this but HUR- RAH! Mutt it should be. I love Rev, not necessarily col- lies." — Barry Haynie ■ "When I saw the picture of Reveille I in The Eagle yes- terday, I thought that she looked like a native Texas breed called a Blue Lacy. As the proud owner of two of these wonderful dogs, I would like to enter the Blue Lacy as a possible replace- ment for Reveille VII. "The Lacy dogs originated in Central Texas and were widely used for cattle herd- ing in the past. Today they are used for hunting, rescue and as fine family pets." — Joy Howze ■ "I vote for a real `cow dog' who is loyal and can handle BEVO: a German shepherd." — Sharlene Ewald ■ "The original mascot was a mutt — a mixture of breeds. Nowadays, what is A &M if not a mixture of dif- Brent cultures /ethnicities? "I think that would speak olumes if A &M chose a mutt s our new mascot. I believe his would show the city, the tate, the nation that we elieve in the change A &M as been striving for." — t Mally R. Hance ■ "I'm the president of Ti Blue Animal Rescue nd I love your article about ev and learning that the iginal Rev was a rescue g! We did get to meet Rev 2005, when we received an o xtreme Home Makeover on T ABC. The Aggies were out in t o force helping build our w use while we were gone! s are hoping to pay it for- ti rd and offer them a collie- h x breed puppy that was in and in a taped box on the in e of the road about a week d o Thanks to your article, Poor, homeless puppy st the chance to become one w , he most famous dogs in pe as!" — Melanie Hewett- sh Aeth "From 1999 until this November, I was a cadet ning officer with the ce of the Commandant, I had ample opportuni- to see the problems the rent mascot presented m the day she arrived. My onal opinion is that the two have been so highly for conformation pur- s (appearance) that they undesirable traits not ucive to mascot purpos- he current Rev has some us issues, none the least hich is biting kids and of handlers. While on active duty back mid -'70s with the 25th try Division in Hawaii rY warm and humid cli- , one of the infantry ions, nicknamed The ounds Battalion, had Irish wolfhounds that used for parade purpos- ey are a very large are quite regal in rance, are basically ■ "The choice is clear. The next Reveille should be a native Texan — the Texas Blue Lacy! The Blue Lacy is a medium -sized dog with a smooth, short coat. Lacys are extremely intelligent, versa- tile dogs with a gentle nature. `This Texas pioneer origi- nated in the Hill Country to serve ranching families. Blue Lacys have played an essential role in Texas ranching operations for the past 150 years. They were bred to be true Aggies! It's well known ... that a Blue Lacy can readily handle the meanest longhorn." — Steve and Bonnie Wikse ■ "My beagle, Olsen, met Reveille VII at Olsen Field a couple of years ago following an Aggie baseball game and would like to voice his pref erence regarding her succes- sor. Following the recent success of Uno at the West- minster Dog Show at Madi- son Square Garden, Olsen feels that it's high time that a real fun dog be given a chance to serve as the mas cot of Texas A &M Universi ty. He thinks that nothing i less than a happy -go- lucky, gleefully affectionate, pure -D t bundle of joy beagle should be considered for the role of mascot.... "If you'd like further elab- oration on Olsen's thoughts, f you can find him patrolling e he grounds at Olsen Field during any Aggie baseball V series if he's not V the Western Chan- nel on DirecTV." — E.J. Biskup ■ "If the college picks a IT, we will all be the butt f endless jokes. I can see the V reports now: they will be ngue-in- cheek, but they ill note how cheap those illy Aggies are. Any posi- ve vibe from saving a poor, elpless animal will be lost a fog of ridicule. By pick - g a purebred, there is no wnside. "Ask t .u. to pick a mangy ray off the range some. here and see what hap - ns in Austin. Talk about ock and awe.... — Michael Willett ■ "The persona of Reveille is a COLLIE, notwithstand- ing her origins, and has been for decades. The decision to re- evaluate Reveille, an amusing exercise for some (including The Eagle), touch- es on something sensitive at this tradition -rich school. After Reveille, what next? Are we on the slippery slope of a school makeover? If so, let me suggest: "Aggies signifies a back- wards agricultural school, how about `Engies' or `Busies' to better describe our strengths. "Maroon is a school color (and adjective) that is unfor- tunate at best. Green is the obvious choice here. "War Hymn — well, we will definitely need someone to pen a Peace Hymn, unless we select from a number already available. "Sul Ross statue — old, old, old. Perhaps a changing dis- play featuring the latest Hol- lywood movie star? "Well, it may be tongue -in- cheek, but you get the idea. Traditions are a key part of what makes this school unique...." — Chip Hill ■ "As a former Corps com- mander, I have a special affection for the only cadet that outranked me — a beau- tiful collie. But I think it's time to embrace the obvious E that the mixed - breed dogs have over the nbreeds. A shelter dog as the next Reveille takes the tradi- ion back to its roots while being completely countercul- tural — just like the Aggies!" — Matt Poling ■ "I really hope that your ollow -up column will be the Id of this. Company E -2 has taken care of this for the past 40 years and I don't think they require any assistance in selecting Reveille VIII." — Sam Netterville (author of a book on Reveille). Well, Sam, I doubt this col- umn is "the end of this." For the past three weeks we've tried to facilitate a dialogue about the matter, and it appears we have. We got a lot more respons- es than there is space avail- able in today's paper. For more, go to theeagle.com and look under the "columnists" heading. Thanks to everybody for chiming in. ■ Donnis Baggett is editor -in -chief of The Eagle. His e -mail address' s donnis.baggett@theeagle.com.