The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas was established in 1871. It became Texas A & M University in 1963.

Over a century ago, seventeen college alumnae from eight colleges met in Boston to discuss the needs of women college graduates, and the forming of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae. The intent of this organization was to expand the range of professional opportunities available for female college graduates and to enable more women to pursue higher education in the future.

In 1882, one year after this original meeting, the Association of Collegiate Alumnae (ACA) was formed. It consisted of sixty-five graduates from eight different colleges and universities. By 1884, local branches were being added to the parent organization, and in 1889 a membership policy was codified which specified certain standards to be met by its members.

Since those early years, the organization, now called the American Association of University Women (AAUW), has become nationwide. In 1992, five years after extending their membership to male college graduates, the AAUW celebrated its 100th anniversary with over 140,000 members.

The AAUW has, however, achieved much more than just membership growth. Its services to higher education and the community, in general, have been great. Hospitality programs for foreign students, graduate fellowships for women scholars, educational legislation committees, adult education programs, and current issue workshops are a few of these outstanding accomplishments.

The Bryan-College Station Branch of the American Association of University Women originated in 1948 with seventy-one charter members under the leadership of Mrs. Omar Sperry. Since its inception, the branch has been actively involved in many civic improvement projects for the cities of Bryan and College Station, Tex. Among the activities which have highlighted their history are creating a Friends of the Public Library organization in 1955; beginning the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural Science in 1961; developing local daycare centers in the 1960s, and creating a coalition of organizations through a "women's conference" in 1978.

The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was founded in October 1966, in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The name was shortened to the Black Panther Party (BPP) and it began spreading eastward through the Black urban ghetto colonies across the country. Social Protest during the 1960s produced turmoil and social fragmentation. The Black Panthers vs. the non-violent Civil Rights Movement of Martin Luther King, Jr. was evidence that this social fragmentation had caused a divide in the Black community.

The Black Panthers Party (BPP) was the total opposite of the Civil Rights Movement as led by Dr. King. The BPP preached self-determination through separation and segregation from whites while the CRM preached integration. The BPP wanted the total overthrow of the capitalist system while the CRM wanted to not only keep the system but wanted to be a part of the system as elected officials. Later in the 1970s the BPP saw the value in politics and electing those sympathetic to its causes. The BPP believed strongly in self-defense, armed confrontation if necessary, and the need to have weapons to fight oppression. The Civil Rights Movement of Dr. King was totally opposed to these tactics.

The non-violent philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. was in direct conflict with many of the younger leaders by 1964 including SNCC leader Stokley Carmichael. The founder of the "Black Power" Movement, Stokley preached Black separation rather than integration, the cornerstone of King's movement. Carmichael's philosophy drew heavily from the rhetoric of Malcolm X's violent confrontation and Frantz Fanon's Marxist writings. Carmichael appealed to their need for fast social and class changes. He saw this change only occurring through Black pride in themselves and Blacks working with other Blacks, whether in the U.S. or in Africa.

The Cepheid Variable Science Fiction Club came into being in the period 1967 – 1969, the result of science fiction fans gradually coming together and organizing. Following a trip to the World Science Fiction Convention in 1967, Annette Bristol and Danielle Dabbs started the first known science fiction club, with Annette the President, Dabbs the secretary, and John Moffitt as vice-president. The club was pictured in the 1968 Aggieland, with officers listed there. The club was sponsored by the English Department, with two English professors as advisors.

In 1969, Cepheid was a part of "Science Fiction Week," the immediate precursor to AggieCon. "Science Fiction Week" featured Harlan Ellison as special guest, joined by Chad Oliver. Ellison spoke to many (perhaps 30) English classes. His visit was culminated by a meal function at the Ramada Inn, recalled by many for a "food fight" among other things. Cepheid was dissolved as a club, in part due to issues with the hotel.

In 1970, Gary Mattingly reorganized Cepheid Variable and became the second President of the club. Cepheid held a convention in the spring, referred to as a "comics and trade convention" in the Bryan Eagle. In 1971/1972, the first constitution of the club was written.

In April, 1972, the first named convention, AggieCon III was staged by Cepheid Variable. AggieCon is the most visible aspect of the Cepheid Variable Club, and has been continuously produced from 1969 to 2005 at this writing. It has been a very successful convention, and holds the distinction of being the longest continuously operating convention completely run by a student group. Cepheid Variable and AggieCon have many alumni in science fiction. Among them are Steve Gould, author; Noel Wolfman, currently a production supervisor for Dreamworks; Jayme Lynn Blaschke, author and editor; Martha Wells, author; and Brad Foster, Hugo winning artist.

Over the years, AggieCon has hosted many important names in the science fiction and fantasy field as Guests of Honor. Among them are: Harlan Ellison, Anne McCaffery, Fred Pohl, Damon Knight, Kate Wilhelm, Theodore Sturgeon, Bob Tucker, Chad Oliver, Poul Anderson, Jack Williamson, Kelly Freas, Joe Haldeman, C. J. Cherryh, Roger Zelazny, Harry Harrison, L. Sprague de Camp, Catherine de Camp, John Varley, George R. R. Martin, Ben Bova, Spider Robinson, Jeanne Robinson, Walter Koenig, Fred Saberhagen, Lynn Abbey, David Drake, Michael Moorcock, Julius Schwartz, Greg Bear, Charles De Lint, Lois McMaster Bujold, Margaret Weis, Dave Wolverton, Jim Baen, Nancy A. Collins, Joe Lansdale, Bruce Sterling, Robert Asprin, Terry Pratchett, Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, Todd McCaffrey, and Elizabeth Moon.

AggieCon has also included numerous Texas authors as guests, many who have gone on to establish international reputations. AggieCon has been an important venue for Texas authors to promote their works, and regional guests have included authors such as Neal Barrett, Jr., Rachel Caine, Lillian Stewart Carl, Bill Crider, Carol Nelson Douglas, Steve Gould, Rory Harper, Katherine E. Kimbriel, Tom Knowles, Joe Lansdale, Justin Leiber, Ardath Mayhar, Laura Mixon, Warren Norwood, Chad Oliver, George W. Proctor, Tom Reamy, Nina Romberg, Lewis Shiner, Bruce Sterling, Lisa Tuttle, Steven Utley, Howard Waldrop, Martha Wells, along with many others.

This list of science fiction personalities is impressive, and has afforded the students of Texas A&M University the opportunity to hear them speak, visit with them, and become acquainted with their writings. Few events on this campus have exposed students to as many literary figures than has AggieCon.

Early in the existence of AggieCon, program booklets became standard fare. The first program book in the collection comes from AggieCon 7, 1976. The contents of the program books vary, but typically they include brief biographies and photos of guests, descriptions of movies, lists of committee members, schedules of events, and illustrations by guests or committee members. Bill Page did a brief history of AggieCon in the AggieCon XX Program Book. He noted that AggieCons II and III were small, with no Guest of Honor, and that "AggieCon III was the first to be called AggieCon." Most of the stories of AggieCon remain to be told. The infamous food fight of the 1969 event, featuring Harlan Ellison, remains legendary, but mostly unrecorded, as do most of the events of the following years.

AggieCon evolved over the years, to become a well-regarded event featuring books and authors, soon adding artists, and then later to feature media programming and stars more prominently, and then back toward a more print-oriented convention.

Cepheid Variable and AggieCon served as the focal point for many activities. Science fiction and fantasy has always been the core around which the club and conventions were built. Additional interests reflected in club and convention activities included: motion picture screenings, gaming, comics fandom, anime and manga, music (including performances by "Los Blues Guys"), filk singing, the SCA (Society for Creative Anacronism), fantasy weapons (especially swords and knives), costuming, and others.

While there is no official connection between AggieCon and the University Library, the two organizations have complemented each other for years. The Cushing Library Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection has been a tour site for many years, introducing authors and fans to the existence of the collection, and affording them the opportunity to see items they have never had the opportunity of view. Those contacts have fostered later research visits to the collection, and have resulted in donations to the collection.

The convention struggled for years as an independent effort. In the fall of 1972, Cepheid Variable became a sub-committee of the Contemporary Arts Committee of the MSC. A year or two later, it became an MSC Committee.

The successful acceptance of the group as an MSC Committee provide funding, guaranteed access to MSC space for the convention and programming, fiscal handling support, and advice and guidance from the Memorial Student Center administration and staff. The latter was regarded with a jaundiced eye by Cepheids, but, it should be noted, they diligently listened and heeded the advice of the MSC administrators – occasionally. In 2004, "budget restrictions" were cited as the reason the MSC dropped Cepheid Variable from MSC Committee status and support. The student organizers continued their work, and successfully produced AggieCon 35 in 2005.

Cheap Street Press was a small independent specialty press founded and operated by George and Jan O'Nale of New Castle, Virginia. For over two decades the press produced original contemporary science fiction and fantasy in a fine press format. Individual titles were produced in signed and numbered editions, on fine (sometimes handmade) paper and hand-bound in fine cloth and leather, with runs of no more than 200 copies.

Cheap Street's first production was Ervool, by Fritz Leiber, in 1980. Subsequent authors who produced work for Cheap Street included writers like Gregory Benford, Charles de Lint, Thomas M. Disch, Ursula K. Le Guin, Tanith Lee, Elizabeth Lynn, Anne McCaffrey, Andre Norton, John Sladek, Gene Wolfe, and many others. The last production of Cheap Street Press came in 2002, with Flying Saucer Rock and Roll by Howard Waldrop. In 2003, George and Jan committed mutual suicide due to increasing ill-health.

The Office of Continuing Education open December 1973 to assist the academic colleges of Texas A&M University coordinates of their continuing education activities. The first annual report is a summary of the information reported to this office about activities conducted from September 1, 1973 through August 31, 1974.

Germania history.

The Governors Chapter of the Texas State Society Daughters of the American Colonists was organized on October 29, 1977, in College Station, Texas.

Hochheim Prairie Insurance hisotry.

The La Villita Chapter National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) began organizing meetings in October of 1944, and was officially confirmed as an NSDAR Chapter in College Station, Texas on December 4, 1944.

The Las Moras Ranch (1879-1913) was located mainly in Menard County, Tex., but also included property in Comal, San Saba, Tom Green and Concho counties. The genesis of the Las Moras Ranch can be traced to about 1875, when a French immigrant, Ernest Carlin, purchased 30,000 acres of land at the head of the Las Moras Creek in Menard County, Tex., where he established a ranch, sometimes called King Carlin's Ranch. Unfortunately, Carlin's lavish lifestyle led to his loss of the property 21 Dec. 1879, when the property was forclosed upon by the Galveston, Tex. banking firm of Kaufmann and Runge.

Kaufmann and Runge was owned by Henry Runge (1816-1873), head of a prominent German family, several members of which had emmigrated to Texas in the 1840s. After Henry Runge's death, his oldest son, Henry J. Runge (1859-1922) took over running most of his father's businesses. Louis Hermann Runge (1861-1936), Henry J. Runge's youngest brother, and his family took over the Carlin property soon after the bank foreclosure, making Carlin's ill-fated mansion house the headquarters for the newly christened Las Moras Ranch. Other properties, also foreclosed upon by Kaufman and Runge, which had been the result of the financial failure of the German Emigration Company in 1847, were incorporated into the original Carlin property to enlarge the Las Moras Ranch.

The Verien zum Schutz deutscher Einwanderer, or Society for the Protection of German Immigrants, later known as the German Emigration Company was organized 20 April 1842 by a group of German noblemen at Biebrich on the Rhine, near Mainz, Ger. This group of noblemen called the Adelsverein, Mainzer Verein, or simply the Society of Noblemen, had as their goal the encouragement of mass German emigration to the United States, and in particular, to the vast and relatively cheap lands available in Texas, originally made available to emigrants by land grants from empresario agents of the Mexican government and, later, the Republic of Texas. New Braunfels, Tex., founded in 1845, and Fredericksburg, Tex., established in 1846, were two very successful results of the activities of the Adelsverein's Texas settlement endeavors.

About 1844, the Adelsverein had purchased the rights to a portion of a nearly three million acre grant first received from the Republic of Texas on 7 June 1842, then renewed 1 Sept. 1 1843, by Henry Francis Fisher, Burchard Miller and Joseph Baker. The rights to settle the land had been forfeited because of the would-be empresario's inabilty to fulfill their settlement scheme. This Fisher-Miller Grant, located about 100 miles west of Austin, Tex., was, at first, a very unfavorable location because of its intrusion into the Comanche tribe's camping and hunting ground. This particular problem was solved by a treaty between the Comanche tribe and the German settlers, concluded 9 May 1847 by Baron Ottfried Hans von Meusebach, who had been sent to Texas as the Adelsverein's Land Commissioner. Other areas of the lands purchased for German settlement by the Adelsverein, however, posed more serious problems to successful settlement, and were eventually abandoned to the mountains running through them, or the wastes which had defeated the settlers, many of whom either returned to Europe, or relocated to German towns such as Fredericksburg, Tex. or New Braunfels, Tex. Some members of the Runge family, for example, eventually returned to Hannover, Ger.

A close friend of Meusebach, Henry Runge (1816-1873), the son of an affluent landowner in Germany, trained for a commercial career and emigrated to the United States, arriving in New Orlean, La. in 1841. The success of the German Emigration Company in establishing German settlers in Texas drew Henry Runge to relocate to Indianola, Tex. in 1843, where he became an important merchant, then banker and financier. As a result of the Civil War, Henry Runge had to abandon his business concerns in Indianola, which included the Indianola Railroad Co., but he relocated to the predominantly GermanNew Braunfels, Tex., and founded a cotton factory. After the close of the Civil War, Henry Runge reclaimed his businesses in Indianola, Tex., and, by 1866, the Runge family moved to Galveston, Tex. In Galveston, as a partner in Kaufmann and Runge, with major interest in shipping, merchandising and banking, Henry Runge was one of the major creditors in the 1847 bankruptcy of the German Emigration Co. Properties seized as a result of this bankruptcy were added to the original properties forfeited by Ernest Carlin, to form the extensivie Las Moras Ranch, owned and run by members of the Runge family until the sale of the ranch properties was completed in 1913.

TheLas Moras Ranch was managed by Louis Hermann Runge (1861-1936), youngest brother of Henry J. Runge, from Sept. 1888 until 27 February 1897, when management of the ranch was assumed by Walter Tips (1841-1911), a German emigrant and Texas businessman who, after the death of Henry Runge, had formed the Las Moras Ranch Company on 21 December 1879, with his wife's aunt, Julia Runge, wife of Henry Runge, and Runge's sons Henry J. Runge, and Louis H. Runge. Tips was in charge of the Las Moras Ranch when liquidation was intitiated, though he died in 1911, and the ranch properties were not completely dispersed until 1913.

Liebig's Extract of Meat Co. Ltd. was founded in London in 1856 by Baron Justus von Liebig and Georg Christian Giebert with a share capital of £480,000. During the next century, there were several changes of name, and in 1971 the Company was acquired by Brooke Bond's and is now known as Brooke Bond (Liebig) Ltd. Baron Justus von Liebig, a chemist, produced a meat extract that was energetically marketed in jars, tubes, and packets under a variety of names, such as Liebig, Sapis and Oxo. The extract was so popular that many rivals attempted to pass off their products as those of Liebig; several legal cases followed, and after this time the celebrated signature in blue of the founder appeared on packets and cards. The company prospered to the extent that it had branches and subsidiaries in many countries, such as Italy, Germany, France, South Africa and the United States; at one stage they claimed to own supply branches in Africa and South America totaling nearly 10,000 square miles, and containing 500,000 cattle.

At a very early stage the Company discovered the value of advertising and began to issue series of cards in 1872; these continued, with two short breaks during the World Wars, until 1974. The first series were probably handed out to customers by retailers, and were confined to France; this followed the pattern of most early French 'trade cards', which were produced en masse by printers, and then sold to shops and manufacturers who then had their own names and advertising printed on the backs and fronts - hence many of the early Liebig series of cards which may well have assisted in the continued expansion of the Company. The method of distribution also changed, and customers were able to obtain complete sets of cards in exchange for coupons which appeared in, or on, the packets. Sets were soon prepared for distribution in several countries, and many occur in six or more different languages, including English, Russian and Swedish.

In addition to the regular card issues, the Liebig company was responsible for a wide variety of other card types. Of these the best known are the Menu Cards, Table Cards and Calendars. But they also issued such varied items as playing cards, postcards, cookery books and wallets. Indeed there are so many that they could in themselves form the subject of a large reference work.

Locus: The Magazine of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Field was founded in Oakland, CA in 1968 by Charles N. Brown, Ed Meskys, and Dave Vanderwer as a science fiction one-page newszine promoting Boston as the site for the 1971 Worldcon. Intended originally to run only until the 1969 selection of the 1971 Worldcon, publisher Charles N. Brown decided to keep publishing Locus, this time as general science fiction and fantasy newszine. It became the successor to the newszine Science Fiction Times (1941-1970). Since that time, Locus has become the accepted English-language news organ and trade journal for the science fiction and fantasy genres.

The magazine is now published under the auspices of the non-profit Locus Science Fiction Foundation.

Hacienda de la Mariposa was situated in the state of Coahuila, District of Monclova, 27 miles north of Musquiz, 50 miles northwest of Sabinas, and 90 miles from Eagle Pass, Texas.

With capital backing from the Learmonth family, a Scottish entrepreneur in Australia, Mr. David Harkness McKellar, an emigrant from Australia and New Zealand in the late 1880s, purchased over 250,000 acres in Coahuila and founded La Hacienda de la Mariposa in 1890.

The ranch sat in an open valley formed by a fork of the Santa Rosa Mountains which marked the western and northern boundaries and protected it from the cold north winds in winter. These mountains yielded from its canyons an almost inexhaustible supply of cedar and oak timber for fencing and building purposes. The eastern boundary faced the open plains country.

The southern boundary was originally marked by the Sabinas River, a beautifully clear mountain river, ever-flowing and fringed by large cypress trees. Well stocked with fish, it was not only a place of recreation, but also provided a pleasant change of diet. In later years, after the appropriation of 10,000 acres of land by the government, the boundary was moved further north.

Pastures were traversed by creek beds, called arroyos, which provided additional watering areas for the cattle There were ten natural springs, nine being ordinary water and the other a mineral water spring. Soil on the southern half was a good red chocolate and the northern half a combination of sandy loam and a black, friable earth.

Grasses and forage plants thrived exceptionally well in this region, growing much taller than in Colorado or southern Texas. The stony soil helped preserve the moisture at the root of the plants. The nutritious Gramma grass, well known among ranchers, was abundant in the area. Bermuda, mesquite, sotol, palmetto and guajillo grew wild in the area and were much sought after by the stock. The nopal, or prickly pear cactus, grew abundantly in the canyons.

At an altitude of 1800 to 2500 feet, the ranch enjoyed a semi-tropical climate with 23 inches average annual rainfall. Thus it was a pleasant residence both winter and summer.

The ranch was sold in the early 1960s by Alden Scott McKellar, a grandson of its founder, David Harkness McKellar.

The famed British science fiction magazine New Worlds had a long, though erratic publication history. It began life in 1936 as the fanzine Novae Terrae, and in 1939 the editorship passed to John Carnell, who renamed the publication New Worlds. He wanted to transform the magazine into a professional publication, but World War II and Carnell's Army service intervened. In 1946, he began publishing the revitalized magazine with the help of Pendulum Publications. However, after only 3 issues the company went bankrupt, leaving New Worlds without a publisher.

London-based fans of the magazine took up the cause and created a new company, Nova Publications, that would relaunch the journal. Carnell was one of the company's board members, and it was chaired by author John Wyndham. In June 1949, Nova produced the first issue. New Worlds went on to enjoy a good deal of success through the 1950s, publishing works by such authors as J.G. Ballard, John Brunner, Arthur C. Clarke, and Brian Aldiss, as well as Wyndham himself. However, declining circulation in the early 1960s nearly caused Nova to close down the magazine; instead, it was bought by publisher Roberts & Vinter.

The publisher hired author, Michael Moorcock, starting with the May/June 1964 issue, as New Worlds' new editor, a post he held until 1969. In 1967, Moorcock rescued the magazine from cancellation (due to R&V's bankruptcy) by obtaining grant funds from the British Arts Council to continue publishing. Moorcock himself contributed many stories to the magazine, his work causing New Worlds to become known as one of the mainstays of the so-called experimental "New Wave" in British science fiction. In addition to his own stories, Moorcock published stories from a number of authors both famous and up-and-coming, including Clarke, John Sladek, Thomas M. Disch, Vernor Vinge, and Terry Pratchett.

Unfortunately, funding issues forced Moorcock to cease publication of New Worlds in April 1970. He did convince Sphere Books (and later Corgi Books) to continue it as a quarterly paperback anthology series, but it ended in 1976 after the tenth issue. From 1978-1979 New Worlds was revived again by Moorcock in a fanzine format, and it ran for four issues. Between 1991-1994, it again began publication as a paperback anthology series by Victor Gollancz, Ltd.

The Poem of the Month Club was founded in 1970 by Jack H. Clark and Winston Fletcher. The mission of the club was to publish a "substantial and characteristic" original poem by a leading British poet. Among the poets published by the club were W.H. Auden, Robert Graves, Seamus Heaney, Philip Larkin, Cecil Day-Lewis and Stevie Smith. The poems were printed on fine quality broadsides, suitable for framing, and signed by the author.

Roy Fuller, poet and Professor of at Oxford, and Cecil Day-Lewis, poet laureate, were the club's professional advisors who helped to solicit and select poems for publication. From 1970-1977 the club published four folios of twelve poems each. (The last two poems of the fourth folio were not published until 1977, although the folio is dated 1973-1974.) The Poem of the Month Club ended in 1977, a victim of declining interest and increased difficulty in finding new material.

Founded in 1991, the Race and Ethnic Studies Institute (RESI) was established to highlight Texas A&M University's strengths and academic leadership in research relating to the study of race and ethnicity and their various dimensions (e.g., intersections with class, gender, and sexuality; past, present, and future relevance to issues of education, immigration, politics, culture, and health).

RESI was founded by Dr. Gail E. Thomas (1991-98) and Dr. Mitchell F. Rice (1999-2004). Dr. Thomas is Professor of Sociology, Soka University of America, Aliso Viejo, California and Dr. Rice is currently Professor of Political Science in the Bush School of Government at Texas A&M University. In 2006 Dr. Joseph Jewell was named interim director until his departure in 2008. RESI current interim director is Dr. Sarah N. Gatson, Associate Professor in Sociology.

Republic Pictures was a Southern California based film company that operated from 1935-1959, and which specialized in film serials, Westerns, and lower-budget B-movies. Although, it did occasionally produce more significant films, such as Orson Welles' 1948 Macbeth and the John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara movie The Quiet Man in 1952.

Film serials were among Republic's more prolific productions, these were episodic stories that would be shown in movie theaters before the main feature, as something of a precursor to broadcast television and derived from the serialized stories found in pulp fiction of the era. Episodes would always end on a cliffhanger (a term actually coined in reference to serials). Serials were created for a number of different genres, especially Westerns (the cheapest type to film), espionage, crime fiction, and comic book adventures, but they have become particularly associated with science fiction.

Though many studios produced serials from the 1910s-1950s, Republic was one of the more well-known studios, notable for its choregraphed fights and (for the time) advanced special effects. Its serial characters included Dick Tracy, the Lone Ranger, Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Spy Smasher.

Republic produced the serial Undersea Kingdomin 1936, in direct response to Universal's Flash Gordon. The serial was directed by B. Reeves Eason and Joseph Kane and starring Ray 'Crash' Corrigan. Corrigan played a US Navy Lieutenant and star athlete who lead an expedition via rocket submarine to the site of Atlantis and thwarting an undersea invasion by the evil, technologically advanced Atlanteans.

In 1950 Republic produced Flying Disc Man From Mars, which chronicled the story of Mota, an invader from Mars who is accidentally shot out of the sky by an experimental atomic ray gun and who resolves to conquer the Earth in order to protect Mars from Earth's new atomic technology. Mota enlists the aid of Dr. Bryant (the inventor of the ray gun), but is eventually defeated by Walter Reed (the pilot who caused Mota to be shot down in the first place). The film was directed by Fred C. Bannon.

RVOS history.

The Santa Rosa Ranch Papers (1890-1910) take the researcher into a time in Texas history when acres of land, head of cattle, and sums of money were counted in minimum denominations of thousands. Furthermore, it was a time when fortunes were made, lost and regained in often very short spans of time by men and women whose formidable legacies remain quite visible in the twenty-first century.

The story of the Santa Rosa Ranch begins with a pioneering trail-driver named Dillard Rucker Fant, born 27 July 1842, in South Carolina, son of W. N. Fant and Mary Burriss Fant. When D. R. Fant was 11 years old, his family moved to Goliad, Texas where his father set up a merchant enterprise and eventually served as county judge.

D. R. Fant began his career freighting with ox teams in South Texas and, during the Civil War, enlisted in Col. George Washington Carver's 21st Texas Cavalry, seeing duty in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and eventually achieving the rank of orderly sergeant. After the war "Colonel" Fant returned to Goliad, where he married Lucy A. Hodges on 15 October 1865, and became a farmer and rancher.

Fant soon began driving cattle to Rockport, Texas and selling them to packing houses (1867-1869). Learning that some North Texas cattlemen drove small herds of cattle through Indian Territory to Kansas at good profit, Fant decided in 1869 to redouble the effort by taking a large herd from Southwest Texas to Kansas. So successful was this adventure, that others eagerly followed Fant's lead.

In 1874, Fant began improving his own cattle stock with Durham and Hereford breeds. For fourteen years he held government contracts to supply thousands of beeves to various military posts and agencies in Dakota and Indian Territory, and wintered herds on pastures in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Idaho. During the fifteen years he was in business, Fant herded between 175,000 and 200,000 cattle up the trail, reportedly never losing more than three percent.

So extensive were D. R. Fant's operations that he had several tremendous herds on the trail in a single season. In 1884, he employed 200 cowboys to drive one of the largest herds on record—42,000 cattle, requiring 1,200 saddle horses to keep the cowboys in mounts—to Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming, selling them for almost $1 million. D. R. Fant was still driving cattle as late as 1889, long after rail service has been extended northward from the Texas interior.

Fant is credited with extending the Chisholm Trail to Corpus Christi, Tex. and financing the construction of Texas public schools and railroads. By the 1890s he was regarded as one of the barons of the Texas cattle industry, and his extensive ranch holdings totaled more than 700,000 acres, including the 225,000 acre Santa Rosa Ranch in Hidalgo county.

D. R. Fant died 15 January 1908 and his widow, Lucy Fant, died soon afterwards in March 1909. The Fants are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Goliad, Texas.

The A&M Bicycle Club was created in August of 1897. The first elected officers of the club were Prof. W. B. Philpott (president), J. A. Baker (secretary), C. C. Todd (treasurer), and Professor Smith (Road Master). Misses Bittle and Sbisa were elected sponsors to look after the treasurer. Subsequent presidents of the years 1898-1901 were Charles Puryear and Prof. Smith. The original membership fee was $5.00. The Constitution of the College Bicycle Club was written by Prof. Connell and Mr. Todd and was adopted on September 1, 1897. A major project of the club was the acceptance, repair, maintenance, and addition to a bicycle track built by Professor. R. F. Smith in 1897-1898.

Established in 1945, the foundation allowed Texas businesses the ability to collaborate with the extensive research facilities of A&M. It amplified the long-established Agriculture and Engineering Experiment Stations of the college who worked, for the most part, on state and federal funds. It was financed by fees charged to industry and individuals seeking information.

Texas A&M University at College Station is part of the Texas A&M College System which was created in 1948, later Texas A&M University System when the name changed in 1963.