Also In This Issue

Letters

From its construction in 1942 through the 1970s, the Grove was the place to be on summer nights in Aggieland. The venue played a variety of films, from old classics and comedies to science fiction flicks.

Fun Times at the Movies

In 1971, I attended summer school at Texas A&M. I lived in a dorm near the Grove and attended several movies shown there that summer. The price (free!) was right, and that was an important factor at the time. The campus had a calm, almost peaceful feel to it that summer, and an evening spent at the Grove seemed to reinforce that.       

One night, they showed “We’ve Never Been Licked.” My dad, Ernest Shillingburg ’43, was a student at the college when the movie was made on campus during World War II, so I certainly wanted to see it. The crowd of students that showed up that night was noticeably larger (and rowdier) than previous evenings.

Throughout the film, the comments, wisecracks and general observations from the practically all-male audience were, as you can imagine, almost as entertaining as the movie itself! Your article in the spring 2019 issue of Spirit made me recall a fond, nearly-forgotten memory, and I thank you for it. 

Donald Shillingburg ’73
Stephenville, Texas
  • Going Global

    It’s so important for students to gain a global perspective! Well done, Texas A&M, for sending more students abroad than any other public university in the nation!

    Hogan M. Wilson Jr. ’88
    Bozeman, Montana
  • Sbisa Dining Hall

    I loved the article in the summer 2019 issue on Bernard Sbisa by Bailey Payne ’19! I was really touched by the Sbisas’ dedication to students. How wonderful that Texas A&M would maintain the dining hall’s name in honor of their dedication, not their donation.

    Jeff Stubing ’91
    Lewisville, Texas
  • Say What?

    Saturday morning truths: I never knew I was saying “Sbisa” wrong! Incredibly interesting story in the summer 2019 issue about said wrongly pronounced namesake of our beloved Aggie dining hall!

    Shel Winkley ’07
    Bryan, Texas
  • Thank You, Bendens!

    Whoop! 👍 (I NEVER get tired of saying that!) The summer issue of Spirit magazine highlighted another great example of Texas A&M’s greatest asset: its people! Thank you, Dr. and Mrs. Benden, for your contributions!

    Kerry Key ’08
    College Station, Texas

Sneaking a Cup of Joe

With the approach of what we used to refer to as “bonfire weather” coming up, I wanted to share a short story from my first semester as a Fish in the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band. This particular incident probably occurred around Nov. 22 or 23, 1959.  

M.D. "Danny" Williams Jr. '63 still has a stainless steel coffee pot from Duncan Dining Hall back in the day.

The band’s primary role in constructing the bonfire was working in the stacking area, where we lifted and moved the logs closer to the base of the stack after they were delivered from the cutting area. On this particular night, the weather was extremely cold and wet, and we had worn ponchos into Duncan Dining Hall for our evening meal. As we were finishing our dinner, a senior band member instructed me to sneak a full pot of hot coffee out to the bonfire area under my poncho.

When I got to the work area, the senior took the pot and added the “ingredients” required to complete its “conversion” to a pot of “Irish coffee,” which even a few of us Fish were allowed to share. When the pot was empty, it was handed back to me with instructions to return it to the dining hall the next morning. This presented me with another problem: how to return that banged-up stainless steel coffee pot to Duncan without being caught, especially since the weather had cleared by the next morning and we were no longer wearing ponchos. I decided to just stick it in my foot locker and wait until the next rainy day when a poncho would provide the needed cover. 

Well, it seems that I forgot about that coffee pot! I still have it after almost 60 years, and the “D.H.” engraved around the top is still visible. It is one of my most treasured possessions, along with great memories of bonfire and “Old Army Days” in Aggieland.

M.D. “Danny” Williams Jr. ’63
Boerne, Texas    

We always enjoy receiving our readers' reactions to Spirit. If the magazine's content moves you to write, please email us at info@txamfoundation.com or submit a letter to the editor.

Contact:

Dunae Reader '15

Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications/Spirit Editor