Texas A&M honors mascot with scoreboard

Americans have some fairly odd traditions, or at least they might be considered strange in other places. As a nation, we are devoted to our pets, spending billions of dollars every year on everything from their care to their finery. Texas A&M University is also very serious about their mascot: a dog named Reveille. Since there have been many mascots down through the years with that name, they have an honorary burial area and it has an electronic scoreboard.

In 1931, a stray female dog was found by some of the students at Texas A&M and every time the bugler played reveille, the dog howled. The name Reveille was given to the dog and a school mascot was born. Over the years, many female dogs have taken the mascot position and were given the same level of respect as she is considered of the same rank as a five star general. Almost all were Collies. As each of the succeeding mascots passed, they were interred with honors and given a burial position to face the scoreboard. Texas A&M played a great role and assisted the U.S. Army during World War II. One of the ways that the Army showed its appreciation was to give Reveille an official Cadet General (five diamond) ranking.

Reveille is known by all of the Texas A&M Aggies as “The First Lady” Company E-2 is responsible for the care of their mascot and it is their law that if Reveille is sleeping on a cadet’s bunk, the floor is where that cadet will sleep. When a cadet is speaking to Reveille, they will call her “Miss Rev, m’am”. If Reveille shows up to a class and begins to bark, the instructor will end the class.

While we might consider this level of respect as a bit out of the ordinary, this is part of accepted life at A&M. To them, their mascot is a symbol of the pride they hold for their school and their country. She is Lady Liberty and the soldiers that fight on the battlefield. Reveille is the team spirit and the concept of fairness; all rolled up in the guise of a collie. It is a life lesson to the cadets that they will carry for the rest of their lives.

As construction changed the face of the school, it became painfully obvious that the community burial place of their beloved mascots didn’t allow for the view of the scoreboard. All of the ‘Reveille’ mascots were subsequently disinterred and reburied in a more appropriate place and a permanent electronic scoreboard was installed, giving the dogs a view of real time, up-to-the-minute scores. A plaque was installed to offer total tribute to their beloved mascots offers a quote that reaches deep into the soul and truly reflects how close the Aggies feel about their mascot. One cannot read the plaque without thinking about the love that is shared between all of us and the dogs that share their lives with us.

The level of respect and dignity that is shown at Texas A&M is the true heart of their instruction and part of the school itself.