Final Review June 4 1938

When the A. M. C. of Texas (Agriculture and Mechanical College) opened in October 1876 and established the Corps of Cadets to fulfill its Congressional mandate to teach military tactics. The students at what was then an all-male institution were required to serve in the corps and follow military discipline. At the center of the Corps and campus activity was the Main Drill Field (Spencer Drill Field), where cadets drilled and practiced maneuvers before and after classes. The site of horse-drawn artillery and infantry exercises, as well as student pilot training in the 1920s, the open parade ground also served as the university.'s early football field prior to construction of a permanent field in 1905. The Aggie Bonfire was held on the Main Drill Field from 1909 until 1955, and students assembled for drills and graduation activities, including the Corps.' Final Review. In 1920, A&M's Board of Directors paid tribute to former cadets killed during World War I by planting oak trees around the field. Markers at each tree provided the name, class and site and date of death for each man. A&M's Main Drill Field is a testament to the school.'s beginnings as a military and academic institution, as well as a symbol of Aggies.' service to their state and nation. This picture of the drill field was taken circa 1930. Writing on the photo or group of photos: 'To my classmate Jerome J. Waters.'13. Silver Anniversary Reunion. College Station, Texas June 3-4, 1938. John N. Olson. 2120 ave. M. Galveston. ' Physical description: Black and white print (photograph) 7x11.5mm.This book of snapshot memories was a gift to Jerome Jackson Waters Jr. from John N. Olson; both of the graduating class of 1913, on the event of their 1938 class reunion. The 1913 long horn shows that they were both members of the Civil Engineering Society. It is uncertain how the School of Veterinary Medicine came to have this collection of photographs, but they show the look of the campus landscape circa 1930's