Galveston Gets the Gold: Aggie Ring Statue Arrives on Campus    

The Galveston Campus is now home to its very own Aggie Ring statue. The 8-foot bronze replica features two Aggie Rings, one with a class year of 1966 for the first graduating class of the campus and the other with a class year of 1975 in honor of the first graduating class that allowed women and Black students admission.  

The statue has been a work in progress for several years, and thanks to current and former students, administrators and a successful capital campaign, the rings now sit in their home in the quad between the Bracewell Clocktower and the Aggie Special Event Center. The base, statue, delivery and installation was made and handled by Pyrology Foundry and Studio, the same experts who created The Association of Former Students’ 12-foot, 6,000 pound replica in College Station.

The Aggie Ring dates back to 1889, making it one of the oldest traditions at a university steeped in tradition. Though the design changed multiple times in its first half-century, all of the iconography on the ring is symbolic and has largely remained the same since 1933. In 1963, the Texas Legislature changed Texas A&M’s name from “Texas A&M College” to “Texas A&M University,” marking the final change in design. 

“Our amazing students work so hard to earn the 90 hours needed for their Aggie Ring, and now, right here on Pelican Island, we have a shining monument to their work and their bond with Aggies across the globe!” said Dr. Deborah Thomas, Chief Academic Officer, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Associated Provost of Texas A&M University. “This is such a thrilling time to be a student – current, former or future – of our campus.”

Thank you to Sue ’94 and Patrick Mahoney ’71, and Kathy B. ’81 and Peter D. Huddleston ‘80, who generously donated to the capital campaign and made the dream of the statue a reality.