New On-Campus Exhibition Celebrates 150 Years of Texas A&M University

A new multimedia exhibition at Texas A&M University invites visitors to experience 150 years of the university’s history — from an isolated college on the open Texas prairie to a major research university whose teaching, discovery, and service reach around the world. 

“Here for Good: Celebrating 150 Years of Texas A&M University” opens Oct. 2 at the J. Wayne Stark Galleries in the Memorial Student Center and will remain on display through May 16.

“The exhibition should leave visitors with a sense that Texas A&M’s history is not simply something to remember — it is something that continues to shape the university today and provides a foundation for what comes next,” said Krista Oldham, director of University Archives and university archivist. 

“Here for Good” brings together archival materials, historic artifacts, photographs, film, immersive media and interactive experiences. Many of the materials come from the extensive holdings of Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, while others have been contributed or loaned by campus partners. 

A Humble Origin

Much like the original campus, the exhibition begins on the prairie.

An entrance installation recalling Texas A&M’s early campus water tower welcomes visitors into an environment inspired by the open grassland that surrounded the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas when it opened in 1876.

“The isolation of the early college demanded resilience and self-reliance from its first cadets and helped shape a campus culture whose influence can still be seen in Aggie traditions today,” said Emily Amos, assistant university archivist and one of the exhibition’s curators. 

From Earth to Space

Archival objects are paired with multimedia experiences that explore student life, traditions, military service, athletics, academic growth and the university’s expanding role in Texas and beyond.

The exhibition highlights current research at Texas A&M in engineering, agriculture, health, space, energy, and emerging technologies, demonstrating how the university’s history of teaching, research and service continues to evolve.

Among the objects on display is a flight suit belonging to NASA astronaut Nancy J. Currie-Gregg, director of the Texas A&M University Space Institute. Currie-Gregg flew four Space Shuttle missions between 1993 and 2002, including the first International Space Station assembly mission and the fourth Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

Here Then. Here Today. Here Tomorrow.

One of the exhibition’s most significant objects is the Corregidor Flag, whose story is intertwined with the development of one of Texas A&M’s most meaningful traditions — Muster. 

The most famous Muster occurred on the island of Corregidor in the Philippines. 

On April 21, 1942, as Japanese air attacks in World War II pummeled Corregidor, Maj. Tom Dooley, ‘35, compiled a list of the 27 Aggies fighting on the island. “So, we had a roll call, and a muster is a roll call,” Dooley was quoted as saying.

Four years later, after the war, Aggie troops returned to the spot of the Muster on Corregidor to honor those men of 1942, most of whom died or were taken prisoner when the island fell to the Japanese.

In 1946, the Corregidor Flag was created with a hand-painted block ‘T’ and the word “Aggies,” — then Muster was held. A photograph of that gathering became one of the most enduring images associated with the tradition.

Across 150 years, Texas A&M’s students, campus, academic mission, research enterprise and reach have changed dramatically. The exhibition asks visitors to consider what has endured — and how the values, choices, challenges and accomplishments of earlier generations continue to influence the university today.

The exhibition was developed by the Sesquicentennial History Subcommittee and led by the Texas A&M University Libraries, in collaboration and with the support of partners across the university. Special thanks to the Friends of the Texas A&M University Libraries; Sam Houston Sanders Corps of Cadets Center; Texas A&M Athletics; Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications; Texas A&M University Office of the President; and the Texas A&M University Sesquicentennial Executive Committee.

More About the Libraries’ Celebration of Texas A&M’s 150th Anniversary

Texas A&M University Libraries are contributing to events celebrating Texas A&M’s sesquicentennial in a variety of ways, drawing on the Libraries’ collections, expertise and programs to support exhibitions, publications, events, digital projects and other initiatives throughout the 150th anniversary celebration. 

What Endures: A Visual History of Texas A&M University commemorates the university’s 150th anniversary and is available for pre-order from Texas A&M University Press.