As music from the Aggie Band echoed against Kyle Field, Reveille VIII joined her predecessors at the Reveille Memorial where she can watch the Aggies out-score their opponents and continue to be remembered as much more than a mascot.
Members of the Aggie family and distinguished guests gathered at the north end of Kyle Field to share memories and honor the life of the late Reveille VIII on Aug. 30. The beloved Reveille VIII began her reign in Aggieland in August 2008 and retired to Texas A&M’s Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center in May 2015.
University President Michael K. Young said Miss Rev has been an important legacy throughout the history of Texas A&M.
“As important Reveille is to our sports tradition, she really is much more than that,” Young said. “She represents the Aggie Spirit, she’s a symbol of our unity, our loyalty, our support, our commitment, our engagement. Tradition is a wonderful part of what makes A&M so special, and she represented that extraordinarily well.”
Among the six former handlers of Reveille VIII in attendance was Ryan Kreider, Class of 2017, who famously blocked Miss Rev with his own body from football players bearing down on her during an SMU game in 2014.
“Her impact on my life was much more than a simple block on the sideline,” Kreider said. “Serving as her handler and visiting her over the years at the Stevenson Center has truly deepened my love for Texas A&M and the traditions that we hold so dear. Reveille was beautiful, she was intelligent and she was loving, and in my opinion was one of the best mascots this university ever saw.”
Kreider said his time with Reveille VIII gave him memories that he will treasure for years to come.
“I also saw first hand how she inspired and touched so many lives, whether it was a photo or a surprise visit at a children’s hospital,” Kreider said. “The excitement that she brought into a room was unlike any other.”
John Busch, former handler and Class of 2011, said it was a privilege to be the first handler of Reveille VIII.
“I had an opportunity to see Rev seamlessly transition from the pup from Kansas into Texas A&M’s mascot, representing Aggies all across the nation,” Busch said. “Reveille, to me, embodies a real, tangible tradition, something that every Aggie at Texas A&M can be part of.”
Ellie Greenbon, associate director of the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center, knew Reveille VIII during her retirement period at the center and said Reveille continued to make an impact after her time as a mascot.
“She continued to represent the university with honor in retirement as well as during her tenure as mascot,” Greenbon said. “Reveille truly enjoyed her retirement and showered the center staff with reciprocal love and comfort, and I speak for everyone at the Stevenson Center when I say that Reveille proudly embodied the Aggie spirit and enriched our lives tremendously.”