Texas A&M University alumnus Stuart Platt, Class of 1974, was recently named the assistant director of the Office of Professional Responsibility at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Platt has served as a federal prosecutor, U.S. magistrate judge, the general counsel for the Texas Department of Public Safety, inspector general for the Texas Public Safety Commission, member of the U.S Army Reserve and assistant professor of criminal justice at Abilene Christian University. Platt left retirement from public service to fulfil a long-desired dream of working for the FBI.
Platt said that when he was in law school, he applied to be in the FBI as a special agent. However, he wrote down he may have had asthma on the pre-screening form, and they did not admit him.
“I didn’t want to lie to the FBI, and I’d been to an allergist and didn’t know if I had asthma or not,” Platt said. “I put yes and was disqualified. … I thought it was a lost dream, but about six months into retirement, this opportunity presented itself. It’s like a dream come true to me.”
Platt met his wife and many mentors at A&M that have helped to shape him into the man he is today. According to Platt, the connections he made in the Aggie Network helped to define him as a person and a public servant.
“I had such good mentors from my experience in Aggieland that helped me become who I am today,” Platt said. “I think Texas A&M equipped me very effectively for the work I do.”
he traditions of A&M helped Platt grow as a leader. According to Platt, certain traditions allowed him to learn how to connect better with people, which has positively impacted his career. Platt said that the community-oriented towards serving others at A&M taught him how to be a genuinely useful and effective public servant.
“The practice of saying ‘Howdy’ really ingrained in me a nature to make eye contact with people and interact with them,” Platt said. “I think that’s been part of my style of doing business in terms of leadership and dealing with people. That practice, which seems like a simple one, is such a significant tradition at A&M. It was ingrained in me from the first day I stepped foot on A&M.”
Platt said traditions, such as Silver Taps and Muster, help to create a community of service. The traditions that set A&M apart from other schools have stayed with Platt since he graduated in 1974.
“I don’t know any other university that does Silver Taps,” said Platt. “When you hear the Ross Volunteers, and you hear their taps on their shoes, it’s special. You are never really forgotten there. Silver Taps and Muster are two really sacred traditions. I don’t want those traditions to never stop.”
Platt has had a very successful career and continues to serve his country in new ways. Platt said he hopes that all current students seek a career where they can find fulfillment in serving others, just like he has.
“When you get to the end of your career, you’ll stop and think ‘What have I done?’” Platt said.
“It’s not about how many toys you’ve collected, but how many lives you have affected. Make certain that you are serving people, and you can look back and realize that you’ve done right every day.”