Texas A and M University - Aggieland Yearbook (College Station, TX)

Page 13 text:

“Pinkie The granddaddy Aggie of ' em all: P. L. Pinkie Downs Jr. ' 06 is dead. But his spirit lives on through thousands of A AA men responding to his perpetual parting admonition: Keep up the good work ... The indefatigable Downs spent his 83 years talking and working for the three loves in his life: his college, wife, and church. The stories of his affection for A AA are legion. Per¬ haps the best tale of his eagerness to speak concerns a funeral in which the minister called for testimonials for the dearly departed. When no one came forward, P. L. is supposed to have said, If no one wishes to speak about the deceased, I would like to take this opportunity to say a few words about Texas A AA ... This oft-told story was a painful, yet treasured mem¬ ory for hundreds who attended his funeral in College Station, AAarch 23, 1967. It was in the thoughts of thousands who gathered for the campus Silver Taps in his honor. Downs enrolled in A AA in 1902 to study marketing and finance. The following year he was among the 300 students who marched on President David F. Houston ' s home to demand an observance of Texas Independence Day, April 21, an incident that gave birth to the Aggie AAuster. He left A AA after his junior college year to attend Eastman Business College where he graduated in 1905. He was twice president of Bell County ' s A AA Club and served a five-year term as a director of the Associa¬ tion of Former Students. In 1923, Gov. Pat Neff ap¬ pointed Downs to A AA ' s Board of Directors. He was reappointed by Governor Dan AAoody. He served a total of ten years. He was chairman of the building committee for eight years and saw 30 permanent structures added to the campus. AAore remarkable than his good work was his posi¬ tive, cheerful attitude. He could not bear the thought that A AA had ever lost any athletic event. We were outscored—not beaten, he stoutly contended. He was at his best at All-College Night and Bonfire when he would peel off his hat and coat, roll up his sleeves and toss his maroon Aggie tie into the crowd. His only unfulfilled ambition was to live to the age of 92, enabling him to participate in A AA ' s 100th anni¬ versary. He wanted to deliver the centennial address. But if I live to be 99, the Pink used to say, I want my last words to be: ' Be good to the Aggies ' . They were . . .

Page 15 text:

Editor’s J ote What is the AGGIELAND? Right now it might not seem important. You ' ll probably look at it once or twice in the next ten or fifteen years, but some¬ time in the future when your ring has worn smooth, and when some of the memories of the Rightin ' Texas Aggies have grown dim, you ' ll want to remember how it was then: back in the old days of 1966-67. That ' s what the AGGIELAND is: mem¬ ories of Corps Trips, Bonfire, midnight yell practice, the SPIRIT and the WAR HYMN, good bull, senior boots, civilian weekend, and Final Review. How¬ ever much A M changes, it will always be the greatest fraternity in the world, and we of the AG¬ GIELAND ' 67 hope that this book will help you to remember it as it was and how much it means to be an AGGIE. Jack and Doyle