Celebrating Aggie Women

Vicki Brown-Sobecki ’78—one of the first women to receive an athletic scholarship at Texas A&M University and the first female swimmer inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame—and her husband, Dan, created an endowment to raise awareness for women’s history and the university library system.

How will this gift shape women’s history at Texas A&M?

I’ve always had an interest in tracking women’s history. I’ve kept scrapbooks related to Texas A&M women’s athletics. But when I visited Cushing Memorial Library and Archives to see what resources were available, there were very few historical archives on women.

Our History of Women at Texas A&M University Endowment is the first gift made to the University Libraries to specifically commemorate and educate others about women who have made an impact in Aggieland. Our gift will help recognize women who contribute in many ways: athletics, the Corps of Cadets, leadership, academics and more.

Why is the library system the right place for this endowment?

The university’s library system is vital. We want to help people hold history in their hands. The libraries are where people can learn from what women have achieved and recognize the opportunity to make history themselves. Our gift can help fund materials acquisitions, exhibitions, lectures and the preservation of artifacts related to women’s history at Texas A&M.

How has your experience as a trailblazing woman influenced your decision to give back?

I never set out to be the first, whether with this gift or my swimming career at Texas A&M, but I’ve learned that it’s just what I’m meant to do. Women’s history matters, and I’m happy to play a role in the movement to tell women’s stories.