A statue of Texas A&M University’s collie mascot made its debut Friday in Kyle Field Plaza near the resting place of eight previous Reveilles on the stadium’s north side.
The bronze statue depicts Reveille — the American Rough Coat Collie known as the “First Lady of Aggieland” — with one paw raised mid-stride atop a base of six circles. Arranged in an arch, the circles represent both the six Aggie Core Values and the various dogs that have held the mascot position over the years.
The base, designed by sculptor Jim Scannell, depicts the daily path of the sun through the sky. The sun rises and sets, Scannell said, representing the lives of the mascots: each Reveille has her time in the sun. “We thought it was a good thing to symbolize and honor Reveille, but also for a person to reflect on their own personal lives,” he said. “We want it to be an enduring representation of this valued tradition throughout many generations.”
Friday evening’s dedication ceremony attended by donors, university leaders and Company E-2, the Corps of Cadets outfit responsible for Reveille’s care, was the culmination of a years-long effort to memorialize the mascot. The university announced an open call for professional artists in January 2021, and selected Scannell and sculptor Dawn Agnew Mundell as the winning artist team.
Lead donor Sonja Adams told the small crowd she was excited to get her first look at the statue, a moment that had finally arrived after eight years of planning.
Adams, a Baylor University graduate, first came to love Reveille while dating Neal Adams ’68, a former Head Yell Leader and cadet, who later became her husband. Decades later, she began the push for the statue after traveling to other schools throughout the Southeastern Conference. Unlike the other stadiums she visited, Adams noticed, Kyle Field lacked a statue of the school’s mascot.
Courtesy of Caitlin Clark, Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
“The turning point was when I brought my daughter’s friend and her two young kids to Reveille’s grave prior to a football game,” Adams said. “I asked them to look around and see if they could find something to read. They found a small plaque, but this only created questions: ‘What kind of dog is it? What does she look like?’”
Adams wondered if all visitors to Kyle Field had the same questions. This began her advocacy for the creation of a statue fit for a queen.
Now, fans will now be greeted outside by Scannell and Mundell’s sculpture that measures about six feet from tail-to-nose. As part of the installation, they included a QR code that visitors can scan with their mobile devices to learn more about the mascot.
The first Reveille dates back to 1931, when a group of cadets adopted a small black-and-white dog they found alongside Highway 6. She was named for her habit of barking when the bugler called reveille to wake the cadets each morning. All deceased Reveilles, including Reveille I, are buried outside Kyle Field near the statue site.
Reveille X, who took over the helm as mascot in April 2021, was in attendance at Friday’s statue unveiling, as was her predecessor, Reveille IX. While each dog shares the same sable-and-white fur characteristic of the American Rough Coat Collie, even the casual observer will recognize each Reveille has a distinctive look. That’s why Scannell and Mundell aimed to capture an image that could represent all past, present and future mascots.
“We wanted to show a sense of friendliness and enthusiasm, because that’s her role on campus,” Mundell said. “She makes everybody smile. When people meet her, they just light up.”
This is evident by students’ reactions when Anderson Dang ’25 walks Reveille around campus. Dang, a sophomore majoring in manufacturing and mechanical engineering technology, is a member of Company E-2 and one of Reveille’s handlers, a position that’s allowed him to see the impact the mascot has on Aggies every day.
He said students who are having rough day or who even just bombed an exam will say “it’s all OK now” when they meet Reveille.
“Just like Reveille herself brings a smile to everyone’s faces, I’m sure this statue will help promote the Aggie Spirit every day,” Dang said.
