Our history
In 1995, a group of male student leaders were incredibly busy with school and the extracurricular activities they were a part of. Though they played 42 together often and watched Monday Night Football together every Monday, they found it difficult to find time to step away from all of their obligations and simply enjoy time with their friends like they wanted to. Ten founding members came together and wrote a constitution in September of 1995, earning University-approved recognition and creating the organization called the Old Army Gentlemen’s Society. Our inception was marked with the ideal of being “Aggies First” in order to bring together members from all walks of life at Texas A&M and contribute money, talent, and time back to our beloved University. T.J. Williams, the first president of the organization, was quoted in a 1996 Battalion saying that in OL’ AGS “we want to build friendships, give back to A&M, and have fun doing it.” He continued by saying “it’s not all service or all social; it’s a mixture of both.” From there, the ten original members selected officers and accepted new members, bringing the organization to 50 members and kicking OL’ AGS off in the right direction. They began raising donations for our original philanthropy with events like the Escort Pilot Program through the Guard Room and a volleyball tournament in the spring of 1997.
These notions set forth by our Founding Fathers continue to this day. We remain true to our social beginnings through events like crush parties, date parties, and mixers with various sororities and women’s organizations, yet service still plays a crucial and integral part of what we do. Since 1995, we have adopted three different philanthropies – Kingdom Ranch in Somerville, TX, Isaiah’s Place in Whitney, TX, and Head Start in Bryan, TX – that we give thousands of dollars to on an annual basis. In that same 1996 Battalion article, the original Finance Chair of OL’ AGS, Trip Franty, said that “with the potential of putting those types of leaders together, it was exciting to think of everything [we] could accomplish.” Now, more than ever, that statement rings true. OL’ AGS strives to take gentlemen from various areas of campus who have established themselves as leaders at Texas A&M in order to give them a social outlet from their various obligations. At the heart of it all, we operate under both our five pillars – Accountability, Honor, Humility, Integrity, and Passion – and the motto “Aggies First, Gentlemen Always,” remaining focused on how we can continue to give back to the University that has given so much to us.
The gentlemen of OL’ AGS have reached success both in their time at Texas A&M and in life beyond the walls of our University. Current and previous members have served in leaderships roles such as Student Body Presidents, Class Presidents, Yell Leaders, Texas A&M Foundation Maroon Coats, the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, the Ross Volunteer Company, Parson’s Mounted Cavalry, Fish Camp Staff and Counselors, delegates to the Abbott Family Leadership Conference and Spencer Leadership Conference, directors of FLO’s, and many more. Beyond A&M, these members have gone on to find success in the business, political, and military sectors throughout the nation and the world. We are honored to give our time back to our beloved University and are proud of our rich leadership history.
