Photo by Luniqua Louis

When was the last time you said “howdy” and meant it? Opinion columnist Maddie McMurrough says you need to embrace “howdy” to earn your “Here.” (Graphic by Luniqua Louis)

Howdy. 

To most of the world, the term “howdy” conjures images akin to a Clint Eastwood western. If you said “Howdy!” to someone who is not an Aggie, they’d assume you were preparing for a Mexican standoff for the position of town sheriff. The deadliest dillinger on this side of the Mississippi. 

But when you say “howdy” to an Aggie, it’s a word that conjures images of home.

I can hear the train whistle blow and the roar of a packed night at Kyle Field. I see the most beautiful sunset over campus and the crisp khaki uniform of a cadet. I can smell the Dixie Chicken and the rain after getting caught in it on the way to class. 

“Howdy” is the universal language of Texas A&M. So why is it that we don’t say it much anymore? 

When was the last time you said howdy? Was it in an email to your professor, trying to prove that you’re redass enough to deserve extra credit? Was it at a job interview where an Aggie alum was looking to hire, and you knew they couldn’t resist hiring another “proud” Ag? Was it on a campus tour or in a class in response to a lecturer trying to get you excited about whatever they were talking about? Unfortunately, those scenarios don’t count. 

OK, when was the last time you saw an Aggie out in the wild — and by “wild,” I mean outside of Texas? Did you say howdy, or did you ignore the gold ring and keep walking? 

I’ll make it simple: When was the last time you said “howdy” with feeling? Not for some sort of gain but rather the simple pleasure of connecting with a fellow Aggie.  

I can bet you a round at the Chicken that you haven’t said “howdy” with feeling since Fish Camp. 

This one word unites thousands of people. How cool is that? This five-letter word sends you back to when you opened your acceptance letter, got your ring, crossed that graduation stage and everything in between. These two syllables can be understood across language barriers, across party lines and even across religions. Because what forges that bond in Aggie gold is the universal privilege of experiencing life at this university. 

We’ve all gotten out of breath climbing the stairs of Heldenfels. We’ve all missed a class because the train decided to come when we were already 15 minutes late. We’ve all cried, stressed and struggled here. 

But we’ve also fallen in love here. Adopted our furry best friends here. Met the people we can’t live without here. Some have even had their babies here. Without that first howdy, you wouldn’t be a part of the greatest university and community in the world. 

At your very core, you are and always will be an Aggie if you keep that fire burning. That spark begins with a simple howdy. 

Not only that, howdy is a cyclical tradition. A tradition that began before you were born and will continue after you die.

Howdy is the beginning of our life as Aggies. The end comes when Aggies who know nothing about you will gather together at Muster to say “Here” to remember you and what unites us. Because no matter how little they knew of you in life, they mourn you as one of their own. Because you are their Aggie family. To get a “Here,” you have to start with a “howdy.”

We cannot let this tradition fade away. Our traditions and remembrance of the Ags that came before us are what make us special. 

Bring back “howdy,” and really feel it when you say it. Remind your fellow Aggies what it feels like to dunk your ring, visit the Bonfire Memorial for the first time and watch the sun set on our university. Remind them that we are a part of something bigger, and that starts with five letters, two syllables and one word. 

Howdy. 

Maddie McMurrough is an agricultural communications and journalism senior and opinion columnist for The Battalion.