Memorial Service Next Friday For Reveille VII

Photo of Reveille VII courtesy of A&M.

Courtesy of WTAW

News release courtesy of Texas A&M University:

Thousands of Aggies and other Texas A&M supporters are expected to converge on Reed Arena Friday, Sept. 6, for memorial services for the university’s retired mascot, Reveille VII. The 12-year-old American Collie died on May 30, but a university decision was made to postpone the memorial services until after all students returned to campus and had an opportunity to settle in after the start of the new school year.

Rev VII served as the university’s mascot from 2001 until 2008 and during that period participated in hundreds of events, including numerous Aggie football games.

The services for Rev VII are set for 7:30 p.m. in the 12,500-seat arena. In addition to the multitude of Aggies, including the entire Corps of Cadets, Rev VII’s successor, Reveille VIII, is scheduled to be on hand, along with several individuals who will make brief remarks, among them University President R. Bowen Loftin and Student Body President Reid Joseph, according to a spokesperson for the broad-based committee planning the ceremony. Also, the program will include a video tribute highlighting some of Rev VII’s most memorable moments and a performance by the Singing Cadets, the university’s well-known choral group.

The “Remembering Reveille VII” event is free and open to the public, and free parking will be available at several lots around and near Reed Arena.

The committee planning the ceremony includes Tina and Paul Gardner, the College Station couple who cared for Reveille VII in their home since her retirement in 2008. They too will participate in the memorial services. Mr. Gardner is a 1966 Texas A&M graduate.

“It would be our hope that all available Aggies, including former students, and anyone who loves Texas A&M University, come share Reveille VII’s last official event,” the couple stated. “We will be honoring her life as ‘The Queen of Texas A&M University’ and ‘The First Lady of Aggieland.’ While on active duty for 7 1/2 years, and even some while during her official five years of retirement, Reveille VII earned the recognition and the right to be honored in this manner. It will be an evening full of wonderful memories to share and add to your growing list of Aggie memories in your lifetime.”

“Having Reveille VII with us for five glorious years has been one of the greatest things to happen to us during our 46 years of marriage,” Mr. and Mrs. Gardner said in a statement immediately following the retired mascot’s death. “Besides our son, Todd, and his family, wife Stacey, and our three precious grandchildren — Avery, Addison and Adam Gardner — Reveille VII was right up there in our hearts and eyes.”

Mr. and Mrs. Gardner were asked by university officials to open their home to Reveille VII because of their active involvement with the university, especially the Corps of Cadets, for more than 40 years. Their son, Todd, is a member of Texas A&M’s Class of 1994 and was a member of Company E-2, the corps unit with which the university’s mascot traditionally resides.

The couple established a fund in 1998 to help cover out-of-pocket expenses for the cadet in Company E-2 designated to be the mascot’s primary handler. Additionally, they established a $50,000 endowment for the benefit of the Small Animal Clinic at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences “to give back to the university for the prestigious honor of taking care of Reveille VII during her retirement.”

The Tina and Paul Gardner Reveille VII Research Endowed Fund was established through the Texas A&M Research Foundation for basic science research. The couple invites others to make tax-deductible donations of any amount payable to the fund. Individuals desiring to contribute to the fund are requested to make their checks payable to the “Tina & Paul Gardner Reveille VII Fund” and mail them to the attention of Leo Paterra, Texas A&M Research Foundation, 400 Harvey Mitchell Parkway South, Suite 300, College Station, Texas 77843.

Free parking for the memorial service will be available after 5 p.m. in lots 100A, 100B, 100C, 100F, 100G and 100J. Overflow parking, if needed, will be in lots 61 and 97. The following link shows the parking lots and related information: http://transportmap.tamu.edu/parkingmap/ .

Fall Camp: Who Impressed?

Courtesy of Gigem247
by James Sullivan

The position battles are over and the walk-on scholarships awarded (Caden Smith, Alex Freeman, Gaston Lamascus and Travis Labhart, in case you were curious). After what feels like the longest summer in decades, Texas A&M football is officially in the home stretch before taking Kyle Field against former Southwest Conference rival Rice in its season opener.

WR Ricky Seals-Jones

Looking back on fall camp, though, the three-week-long odyssey revealed multiple strengths and weaknesses behind this loaded A&M squad. Gigem247 breaks down who impressed the coaching staff and made some noise around the fan base from fall camp as opening day sits less than a week away.

1) WR Ricky Seals-Jones: In early August, the true freshman entered fall camp only A&M's top recruit of the 2013 class. Coming into the final week prior to gameday, the 6-5, 220-pound monster athlete stands as one of the starting wide receivers, having impressed head coach Kevin Sumlin and his offensive staff enough to slide into the rotation.

2) P Drew Kaser: It may seem ridiculous to place the Aggies' starting punter on this list, but honestly, I had an internal debate with myself as to whether Kaser should take the top spot in itself. Not only did Kaser consistently look solid in practice, he was bombing punts during the fall scrimmage 60-70 yards with ease, to the point Sumlin was quoted saying special teams coach Jeff Banks was having trouble coming up with a coverage scheme for the distance Kaser was punting the ball.

3) LB Nate Askew: After three seasons of competing for a wide receiver position but failing to break the starting rotation, Askew jumped ship and switched to linebacker during spring training with hopes of earning playing time with the defense. Just a few months later, the hard work and sacrifice has paid off as the senior looks to take up some starting minutes at outside linebacker. Purely from what I've seen in practice, Askew has shown incredible athleticism and should provide a valuable service in the Southeastern Conference in terms of containing versatile running backs.

4) WR Malcome Kennedy: Despite the fact Kennedy entered fall camp as a starter with the wide receiving corps, the junior has shown solid improvement in terms of route running and the intangible "football knowledge." Even with Seals-Jones taking up a spot on the inside, Kennedy provides veteran experience and a "bail-out" option for Manziel if pressure comes quick.

5) CB Otis Jacobs: With the suspension of star cornerback Deshazor Everett looming all throughout fall camp (final decision, half-game), Otis Jacobs stepped into the starting slot opposite DeVante Harris for the time being. The senior defensive back has impressed thoroughly, however, and looks to start for the remainder of the season, particularly following Everett's broken thumb during the final week.

6) DE Tyrone & Tyrell Taylor: Junior Tyrell and redshirt freshman Tyrone Taylor have exploded in terms of playing time over the course of camp, each taking reps with the starting defense at end. Tyrell has been particularly active, playing opposite Julien Obioha on a consistent basis in the 4-3 base formation while Tyrone has seen limited time with ones but constant action with the second team line.

7) DL Alonzo Williams: Similar to Otis Jacobs, Alonzo Williams stepped into a starting role during Kirby Ennis' probationary period and has flourished well under Snyder and defensive line coach Terry Price. After starting in seven games last season as a true freshman, including the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma, Williams owns the experience to make a consistent impact on the D-Line this coming year.

LB Jordan Mastrogiovanni

8) LB Jordan Mastrogiovanni: While Mastrogiovanni failed to enter Aggieland with any substantial buzz, he quickly created some with his play early in fall camp. The Dallas product seemingly jumped up the depth chart, earning playing time with the first-team defense during goal line simulation and consistent time with the two's throughout camp. Overall, my personal impressions of Mastrogiovanni centered around his incredible ability to blitz, which showed strongly during the goal line simulation drills.

9) LB Darian Claiborne: Another fall camp linebacker entry, Claiborne has been the second-team holdout for almost the entirety of the three-week ordeal. The Louisiana native looks built and has held down the middle linebacker position well. Personally, I expect him to gain significant playing time throughout the season, considering his contribution during both fall camp and the scrimmage two Saturday's ago.

10) S Clay Honeycutt: Taking over Floyd Raven's position at safety while his suspension time was still in question (final decision, full-game), Honeycutt hasn't done anything particularly flashy outside on consistent coverage against an incredible wide receiver corps. While Raven may deserve the starting spot due to his solid talent at the position, Honeycutt certainly has the potential to snare playing time.

Honorable Mentions:

DT Justin Manning: Despite his true freshman mantra, Manning has been a force up front against the second-team offensive line. The big-time recruit has potential to jump into the defensive line rotation during the season.

QB Kenny Hill: Another true freshman, Hill has impressed more than just the media during the back-up quarterback battle this fall camp. The coaching staff still currently has him in the running for Manziel's successor against junior Matt Joeckel, and Hill's mobility and sharp arm may rocket him into the second spot soon enough.

DT Hardreck Walker: Throughout camp, Walker's dominance of the second-team offensive line has been dangerously impressive, especially due to the fact he entered College Station considered the third best defensive tackle in 2013 recruiting class. Similar to Manning, expect Walker to earn some time on the field this season, particularly during Ennis' suspension and the "cupcake" matchups against Rice, Sam Houston State, UTEP and SMU.

• James Sullivan
• Contributor - Gigem247

Gentle Giant

Friends remember fallen Aggie football player

By Sean Lester

Published: Thursday, August 1, 2013

Updated: Thursday, August 1, 2013 01:08

Redshirt freshman defensive end Polo Manukainiu was entering his second season with the A&M football team. Manukainiu was killed in a car crash Monday in New Mexico at the age of 19.

The people who had the opportunity to meet Texas A&M student and football player Polo Manukainiu before his death described him as genuine, friendly, an ambassador and a gentle giant.

While on a return road-trip from Utah to Texas Monday night,Manukainiu was one of five occupants in a 2002 Toyota Seqoia. The driver of the vehicle drifted off a New Mexico roadway and overcorrected, rolling the vehicle several times, according to police reports.

Manukainiu was ejected from the vehicle and died on the scene. None of the four passengers were wearing seatbelts at the time of the incident.

“We lost a terrific young man,” Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlinsaid in a statement released by the A&M athletic department. “Polo was loved by his teammates and coaches. Anyone who came in contact with him was struck by his sense of humor and smile. My heart aches for his mom and family members.”

At A&M Manukainiu struck many people as a virtual giant. Upon meeting him for the first time, former Texas A&M football player Damontre Moore said he was caught off guard by the 6-foot-5, 275 pound Manukainiu.

“He was this huge kid,” Moore told The Associated Press. “I’d been in college already for like two years and he was this huge monster who had at least two inches over me and he was so intimidating. And when he talked he was the kindest person in the world. He was like the gentle giant.”

Moore told The Associated Press that Manukainiu “never complained” as a redshirt freshman and was like a brother to everyone on the team.

Manukainiu came from a tight-knit Tongan community in Euless, Texas. Tonga, a set of Polynesian islands, is known as the “Friendly Island” with a heritage that brought Manukainiu and Texas A&M swimmer and Olympian Amini Fonuatogether

as the only Tongan athletes at A&M.

“The likelihood of two guys going to A&M, both being athletes and — being Polynesian is rare, but being Tongan is rarer — so both being Tongan, we connected on that,” Fonua said. “We would walk past each other at (Netum) Steed and we would joke with each other or speak Tongan to each other. There was a commonality between us because of our background.”

Fonua said he received text messages early Tuesday informing him of Manukainiu’s accident, which eventually drove him to an early departure from work.

“It hit me on so many different levels,” Fonua said. “There are so few Polynesian sports stars out there. He was someone who I think could have been a really great role model not just as a Tongan but as an Aggie. Everyone that knew him on the football team loved him.”

Fonua told stories of walking through the Bright Football Complex with Manukainiu only to be stopped countless times by teammates or friends, guys and girls, yelling his name.

Manukainiu was described by Fonua as humble, family-oriented and the opposite of the untouchable celebrity athlete, talking to anyone and everyone in his path.

“He was one of those guys that when you go to study hall there are people you hope to see and I know he was one of those guys,” Fonua said.

Senior agricultural leadership & development major Jerron Reese spent last year working as an intern for Student Athlete Services and Career Coordinator Zerick Rollins. During his time at the Bright Football Complex he would signManukainiu into study hall, making casual conversation.

“It wasn’t just a ‘hello’ and ‘thanks’ when he would stop,” Reese said. “I would sign him in for study hall and he’d hang around the desk talking to me and whoever was sitting up there with me at the time. He would ask about classes, how the year was going, or would talk about football, or any games that had gone on in the past week. He would also ask the lady who I shared the front desk with, Mrs. Janice, about her children and how her day was going as well.”

For Reese, Manukainiu’s interest in other people’s everyday lives showed how much he cared for everyone.

“It says a lot about his character for him to stop and talk to me without necessarily knowing me,” Reese said. “He genuinely seemed to care about how I was doing. He was a great Aggie, outstanding football player, and an overall phenomenal human being.”

A member of A&M’s 2012 recruiting class, Manukainiu was traveling with friends from Euless Trinity High School when the accident happened. Also killed in the wreck was incoming freshman for the Utah football team, Gaius “Keio” Vaenuku.

Manukainiu helped Trinity High School to an undefeated regular season and the state playoffs in 2011 as an all-district defensive end and was a four-star recruit according to ESPN.

“Not only were they physically bigger than life, but so were their personalities,” Trinity principal Mike Harris said in a statement. “They were loved and adored. They were kids you loved to send out as ambassadors for Trinity High School. We took as much pride in their being Trinity graduates as they did from being Trinity grads.”

On Tuesday, around 2,000 people gathered at the indoor facility of Trinity High School to honor Manukainiu and the others killed in the wreck. The school set up a “Memories & Messages” page on its website on which more than 80 comments have been posted remembering the young men.

Economics teachers, lunch ladies, classmates, parents of friends, Macy’s employees, coaches and nurses all have written personal accounts of interactions with Manukainiu on the page.

With only a year of school under his belt at A&M, Manukainiu was already beginning to make a similar impact at the university, most apparent in encounters experienced by individuals like Reese.

On Tuesday, many Aggie football players took to Twitter to express their condolences in addition to former coachesKliff Kingsbury and Tim DeRuyter. Texas head coach Mack Brown tweeted his thoughts and prayers along with former Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel tweeted his sorrow Tuesday morning saying, “Heart hurts waking up to news about Polo.. I think I speak for everyone on our team when I say we love you brother you will be missed.”

Manukainiu, 19, was a recreation, parks and tourism sciences major and he is survived by his mother, Lima Uhatafeof Euless.

Manukainiu is the second Aggie football player killed in an auto accident in less than two years as senior offensive lineman Joseph Villavisencio, 22, was killed in a December 2011 car accident. Manziel mentioned Villavisencio during the Heisman Trophy ceremony last year.

While Texas A&M has not yet decided on wearing patches with Manukainiu’s No. 90 for games, his legacy will continue to live on as more and more accounts like Reese’s come up.

“It seems he really made an impact on a large number of people’s lives during his short time on campus,” Reese said. “We were lucky to have had Polo.”

Fonua too hopes that the legacy of Manukainiu can live on and “galvanize” the football team. But things will certainly be different around the A&M football team without their gentle giant around, Fonua said.

“There’s definitely going to be a little less sunshine around the Bright Football Complex,” Fonua said.