RVA News for You! RV Association Statesman Summer 2024 Issue

Summer 2024 Issue

Special Spring Event with President Welsh

The 2024 RVA Spring Event held at the Sanders Corps Center on June 1 was special indeed! About 75 RVs and their guests were in attendance which included RVs spanning the classes of 1963 to 2024. There was plenty of food, drink, and 'Good Bull' story telling to go around! We were so fortunate to welcome Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III and Mrs. Welsh as our special guests. President Welsh addressed the group sharing moving remarks about the Ross Volunteer Company and providing an informative and enlightening university update followed by Q&A. RVA President Scott Eberhart '74 presented plaques to two RVA Past Presidents, Jim Richards '69 and Mark Johnson '78, in recognition of their service to the organization. He also recognized two new RVA Life Members, Jim Ray '63 and Randy Hagler '74, and presented their Life Member plaques and lapel pins. The RVA appreciates all who came out to share an enjoyable afternoon with fellow RVs. For an album of photos from the event, click HERE.

RVA to Host San Antonio Social in August

If you live in or around the San Antonio area, make plans to join the RVA for a social event on Thursday, August 22 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm at "The Original" Aggie Park, home of the San Antonio A&M Club. Come spend an evening with fellow RVs and enjoy a complimentary fajita dinner with beverages, to include beer and wine. An email invitation will go out the first week of July to all RVs in our database with a San Antonio area mailing address on record. If you don't live in the San Antonio area but want to join us, you are welcome to visit the San Antonio Social page on the website to sign up. Registration is now open!

Fall Event Planned for October 6

SAVE THE DATE! Plan to join us for the 2024 RVA Fall Meeting & Lunch at Duncan on Sunday, October 6 from 11am to 2pm. This date has been conveniently scheduled on the same weekend as Rally to the Guidons and the Missouri football game. Registration will open in late August.

Is Your Membership Current for 2024?

"Thanks & Gig 'em" to those of you who have already joined or renewed your RVA membership this year! If you are not sure of your membership status, you can check it by logging in to your account at www.rvassociation.org. For inquiries regarding your membership status, please send an email to RVA Membership Chair Noel Bradford '89 at rva@corpsofcadets.org.

If your membership is not current, we ask you to consider a membership donation to the RVA as part of your annual charitable giving. RVA membership is based on a calendar year and starts at just $50, with several membership levels to choose from. Life Membership is the highest level and can be attained with a donation of $5,000 made over a 5 year period. Your membership donation supports the RVA's annual $20,000 funding commitment to the RV Company and helps grow our endowment. RVA membership donations are tax deductible and eligible for matching gifts.

We also kindly ask our members to assist us in our efforts to reach more former RVs and grow our organization. We encourage you to introduce your RV buddies to the RVA if they are not not yet members, and consider inviting them to join you at one of our social gatherings. The RVA recently established a program which allows you to sponsor a buddy's membership as one way of introducing them to the organization. For more information on this sponsorship program click on the third button below.

Join or Renew for 2024

Download PDF Membership Form

Sponsor a Membership for an RV Buddy

RV Company Leadership Announced

The RVA salutes outgoing RV Commander Adam Paris '24, his leadership team, and the entire Class of '24 RVs for a job well done! Congratulations to newly selected RV Commander Bryce Kelley '25 and the leadership team listed below who will lead the Company for the 2024-2025 school year. (Click image to enlarge.)

VIVA Fiesta! RVs March in San Antonio

The Ross Volunteer Company, along with the Aggie Band, FDT, and PMC, did an outstanding job of representing Texas A&M and the Corps of Cadets in the Battle of Flowers Parade on Friday, April 26. No doubt this impressive Corps contingent recruited many future cadets while marching along the nearly three mile parade route in downtown San Antonio. One of the ways your annual membership donations provide support to the RV Company is by funding bus transportation to parades, so here's a salute to you! The RVA also thanks the San Antonio A&M Club and the San Antonio Aggie Moms' Club for providing a hearty lunch and delicious desserts to the cadets after the parade. To view the complete album from the Battle of Flowers parade and the lunch gathering afterwards, click HERE. To view a video of the RVs marching in the parade, click HERE.

It's a Family Weekend Tradition

The Ross Volunteer Company kept tradition alive with an outstanding Family Weekend performance on Saturday, April 13. Forming up on the Quad, each platoon performed individually before coming together as a Company to execute the highly anticipated Ripple Line. (Watch a spectator-filmed video of the 2024 Ripple Line on YouTube.) The performance wrapped up with a ceremonial Change of Command during which the Class of 2024 passed down leadership of the Company to the Class of 2025. To view more photos from the Family Weekend performance, click HERE.

Making Mardi Gras Memories

Since 1947, the RV Company has traveled to New Orleans to represent Texas A&M in the Mardi Gras Rex Parade. Fat Tuesday fell on February 13 this year, and once again, the Ross Volunteer Company stepped off to serve as Honor Guard for the King of Carnival. Your RVA membership donations help provide funding for transportation and lodging expenses for this annual activity. A sampling of photos from the Rex Parade can be viewed HERE.

As they have done 74 times before, the New Orleans A&M Club welcomed the Ross Volunteer Company to the Crescent City and sponsored lunch for them at the Hard Rock Cafe on Bourbon Street. Club President and former BQ Paul Schott '86 provided this video from the lunch gathering. The RVA salutes the NOLA Aggie Club for their loyal and generous support of the RV Company! Laissez le bon temps rouler!

RV Platoons Perform at Aggieland Saturday

Aggieland Saturday, an annual campus open house for prospective TAMU students and their families, was held on Saturday, February 10. A little rainy weather didn't dampen the excitement of the crowd as they were treated to demonstrations of marching manuals and drill provided by the Tree and Meatball platoons. This was quite a busy weekend for the Company, as they were heading out early the next morning to New Orleans for Mardi Gras!

Spring Semester is a Time for Service

In addition to serving and representing Texas A&M University at numerous VIP activities and events throughout the year, the Ross Volunteer Company made time to volunteer at several local non-profits in the Bryan/College Station community during the Spring Semester. The photos below were taken at organized service outings to the Brazos Valley Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. Way to put the 'S' in RELLIS, RVs!

Reminder to Update Your RVA Profile

Please help us improve our communication efforts by logging in to your RVA profile and ensuring your mailing address, phone number, and email address are up to date in our records. Your username is the same email address this newsletter was sent to. If you can't remember your password, please utilize the 'Forgot Password' option from the login screen. The graphic below provides easy to follow instructions on how to update your profile and contact information online. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Cool Off with an RVA Fishing Shirt

The RVA offers a variety of logo apparel (to include the popular fishing-style shirts) through Core Image Group which is a third party vendor located in College Station. Merchandise orders can be shipped directly to you for a fee, or Texas-based residents can opt to pick up their orders in Aggieland at the Core Image Group office for free! Click on the image below to start fishing for some RVA gear!

Stay Connected with
The Ross Volunteer Association


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