Notable People
With over 280,000 former students, A&M has one of the largest and most active alumni groups in America. Many Aggies have attained local, national, and international prominence. Jorge Quiroga and Martin Torrijos have served as heads of state for Bolivia and Panama, respectively, and Rick Perry is the current Governor of Texas and 2012 US Presidential candidate. Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense in the George W. Bush and Obama administrations,is a past president of the university. Congressmen Joe Barton, Bill Flores, Jeb Hensarling, and Louie Gohmert, and former Austin, Texas, mayor Will Wynn are all graduates.
Aggies made their mark on the gridiron with Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak, title-winning coach Gene Stallings, Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen, Houston Oilers defensive tackle Ray Childress, Heisman Trophy winners John David Crow and Johnny Manziel, Heisman runner-up, legislator, and actor John Kimbrough, punt returner Dante Hall, offensive tackle Richmond Webb, Detroit Lions defensive end and punter Yale Lary, former Dallas Cowboys assistant coach and former player Dat Nguyen, punter Shane Lechler, and defensive end Ty Warren. Paul "Bear" Bryant coached at A&M where "survivors" of his grueling football practice camp at Junction, Texas were nicknamed named The Junction Boys. Other famous Aggie athletes include Randy Barnes, indoor/outdoor shotput world record holder, baseball standouts Chuck Knoblauch and Wally Moon; along with Stacy Sykora, Libero for the USA national volleyball team.
Aggies have also made a mark on pop culture. Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett, who often strummed their guitars on the porch of their Northgate home, have become popular country singers. William A. Pailes and Michael E. Fossum became NASA astronauts. Rip Torn is a veteran of the silver screen and Neal Boortz is a nationally syndicated talk show host with the sixth largest listening audience in the United States. Wen Ho Lee, a doctoral graduate of A&M, became the subject of a 1999 espionage investigation; though arrested, charges were dropped in 2000.
Many Aggies have become business leaders, particularly in the fields of energy, construction, communications, and chemistry. Current leaders include Ellis Field namesake Mark Ellis, President, Chairman, and CEO of Linn Energy, Jack Whiteside, President of Barnes & Click, Inc.; Lowry Mays, chairman and CEO of Clear Channel Communications; George P. Mitchell, chairman and CEO, Mitchell Energy and Development Corp.; H. B. Zachry, President of the H.B. Zachry Company; John Zachry, CEO of Zachry Corp.; David Zachry, President of Zachry Corp.; Khalid A. Al-Falih, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco; Stephen M. Johnson, Chairman, President and CEO of McDermott International, Inc. and Eduardo Castro-Wright, CEO of Wal-Mart Stores USA.
Because of A&M's military roots, many Aggies have become leaders in the armed forces, and were featured in the 1943 propaganda film We've Never Been Licked. George H. Gay, Jr., was the sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron 8 in the Battle of Midway. Lieutenant General Jay T. Robbins became a fighter ace in World War II with 22 aerial victories. Major General Robert B. Williams led World War II raid on the Schweinfurt ball bearing factories. General Bernard Adolph Schriever, known as "the architect of the Air Force’s ballistic missile and military space program", became the namesake of Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado. General Michael Moseley is a former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.
In addition, seven Aggies received the Medal of Honor in World War II. The recipients are:
- Horace S. Carswell, Jr., class of 1938
- Thomas W. Fowler, class of 1943
- William G. Harrell, class of 1943
- Lloyd H. Hughes, class of 1943
- George D. Keathley, class of 1937
- Turney W. Leonard, class of 1942
- Eli L. Whiteley, class of 1941