PRESIDENTS CORNER

I certainly hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. After a week of much needed rain it was nice to be outside and enjoy the Texas spring weather. Especially if part of your weekend was spent in Aggieland. Both the baseball and softball teams are off to a great start and seem well prepared to begin conference play this weekend. Be sure to tune in tomorrow evening as the Aggies will host the t-sips and attempt to keep their mid-week winning streak alive.

Congratulations to Coach Kennedy and the men’s team for once again taking Kentucky into overtime and just running out of time in the conference tournament. A share of the conference title as well as a positive showing this past weekend, along with a #3 seed in the West Regional should have them very motivated heading into March Madness. Coach Blair and the Lady Aggies will find out where they are headed this evening as they continue into post season play as well.

On a final note, if you have not yet seen it, be on the look out for your club mailer from the Association of Former Students. They started arriving in mailboxes the end of last week and is full of information. We have continued to provide a ‘save the date’ page with important dates that can be placed on your refrigerator or calendar. Muster registration/information along with a Fish Fry sponsor form are also included. In addition, we have included a club membership form along with an envelope to make it very easy to become a new member or simply renew your annual membership in the club. Please remember that our club exists to bring Former Students together as well as provide scholarships to local students.  If you didn’t receive this in the mail, you may need to update your information on file with the Association of Former Students at www.AggieNetwork.com or 979-845-7514.  You may also download a copy here: 2016_WCAMC_Mailer_Final.

COMMITTEE CHAIR OPENINGS

I would like to welcome NATASHA RAJU ’10 back to the area and thank her for joining the club as well as stepping in to fill the role as our new ADVERTISING Committee Chair. Natasha has spent her career in advertising and will be a huge assistance to our club in this capacity. She if filling some time while waiting to attend grad school. She is very energetic and we are very excited to have her assisting us, even if for a limited time.

While we are very excited to have new members involved with the club we still have several positions available if you would like to get involved.

Current Committee Chair Openings include:
+ Howdy Hour Coordinator
+ Big Event Coordinator

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

It is that time of year for high school seniors to begin applying for scholarships. As A&M continues its admittance procedures, keep in mind that our WCAMC scholarship application is now available. While we have attempted to make sure that all Williamson County High Schools have access to the applications, we would also like to remind you that the application is available on our website; wcamc.aggienetwork.com/scholarships
Please keep in mind that the deadline for receiving applications is 1 APRIL ’16

MUSTER COMMITTEE

We are quickly approaching April which means it will be time for Aggie Muster, one of the most cherished Aggie traditions. See the link below or the tab on our website to register for the event. Our Muster Chair Abby is still looking for assistance with this years Muster, particularly with check-in and assistance with the adult beverage tickets.

If you are still interested, it is is not too late to sign up and assist at Muster. Abby and her crew have done a great job of getting things lined up but could still use a hand on the day of. Please feel free to contact Abby or go to the online connection to sign up directly: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-reeCubk-xzCgqCSTQz3BpNOheDL125MnBD1b0l8lC0/edit?usp=drive_web

In addition, our online registration is now open: wcamc.aggienetwork.com/muster

FISH FRY KICK-OFF MEETING

We had our first meeting to get things started for this years Fish Fry. We are looking for a big turnout and new ways to increase revenue for our scholarship program. There will be an opportunity to sign up and pickup raffle tickets at Muster. Please continue to look for updates in the newsletter for ways to assist and get involved. If you have attended in the past and have the knack for coordinating, we would really like to have a volunteer coordinator. As individuals arrive to assist on the day of the event we would like to have one ‘go to’ person that would direct all of our volunteers.

ANNUAL ‘CARPOOL’ GALA

If you happen to be on College Station looking for a fun event you might want to check out the ‘CARPOOL’ Gala. CARPOOL stands for Caring Aggies R Protecting Over Our Lives and consists of about 250 members who dedicate their weekends to providing free, safe, nonjudgmental and completely confidential rides home to anyone in the Bryan/College Station area. We operate every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night from 10 pm to 3 am during the fall and spring semesters. Since we started operations in 1999 we have given over 250,000 rides safe rides home. We strive to keep both our fellow Aggies and the entire community safe.

This year’s Gala will be held on April 2, 2016 at the Pebble Creek Country Club in College Station. If anyone is interested in purchasing tickets, please visit www.carpool.tamu.edu/gala

BLUEBONNET WINE TOUR

Have you ever had interest in a wine tour but are not excited about the driving while sampling many of the states fine wines? One of our members is exploring a bus tour through the Bluebonnet Wine trail: www.texasbluebonnetwinetrail.com/

Living in central Texas many have explored the wineries in the hill country but have you ever ventured east? This would be an overnight, weekend excursion on a chartered bus. The goal would also be to have dinner at Messina Hof on Saturday evening before settling down for the evening. If this interest you, please feel free to drop us a note so we could begin receiving some feedback as we are in the infancy stages of planning. In addition, if you would like to assist in planning such an excursion or have some experience please let us know. Ideally this would be a May or early June trip is the pieces fall into place.  GigEm@wcamc.com or call/text 512-887-2247

SILVER TAPS SURVEY ASSISTANCE

The University Traditions Council is currently attempting to detail the history of SILVER TAPS since its inception in 1898 honoring late college president Lawrence Sullivan Ross to present day. However, because of its solemn purpose and mystique, very little has been recorded about the history of this event and information is especially scarce from 1920-1950. Brendon Gould, member of the Traditions Council is attempting to interview Former Students who attended AMC during these years in order to collect firsthand accounts of the conduct of Silver Taps, as well as document any major changes or events that may have occurred. They are particularly interested in determining if Silver Taps was played for students who were killed overseas during World War II and Korea. If you are a member of a class during this time frame, please contact Brandon @ brendan.gould1@gmail.com

SEC GOLF TOURNAMENT

The date and location have been set for the Annual SEC Golf Tournament. This is a great event to come out and enjoy, while earning money for scholarships. Each school receives funds based on the number of teams that participate. Save the date, Sunday 24 April as we will tee it up at Shadow Glen in Manor with a shotgun start at 1PM. Sponsorship’s are available if you are interested in promoting your business. Registration will be open soon so keep an eye out. Feel free to sign up as a team or an individual and you will be paired with others from the same university.

Registration has been brisk so get your team signed up before the event is sold out. Direct link is here: https://austinsec.wufoo.com/forms/wfpjugz11zok58

WEEKLY EVENTS

We work hard to offer a variety of events in hopes that your schedule will allow you to join as often as possible. We realize everyone is busy but it is always good to take a little time for friends and expand your network. We will continue our ‘THURSDAY’ event schedule, but keep your eyes open for a few twist as we move through the year.

This week we will have our Networking Lunch at Greenhouse Craft Food, located at 1400 E Old Settlers Blvd, Round Rock. Break up your workday and come socialize with fellow Aggies. If you are looking to expand your employee base or seeking new opportunities, it is a great way to expand your circle If you know of any locally owned Aggie establishments, please be sure to pass them along as we look to support local, particularly Aggie business’.  The next Club event is our Howdy Hour that will be moved from March 24th to March 31st so please update your calendar.  Howdy Hour will be at one of our Title Fish Fry Sponsors, The Rock Sports Bar in Round Rock on the 31st.

Gig’Em,
David A. Johnson ’87
WCAMC President
president@wcamc.com