A&M Chancellor's Century Council Dinner

I drove to Bryan-College Station yesterday for the dinner. I had no idea what to expect - not being an Aggie, but being notified that I was to receive an award, I invited the coolest Aggie on the planet to accompany me ~my brother Eric. His blood runs maroon. He is the only one I know that will tell you when he retires and has HIS place, it will have three flags - a U.S. Flag, a Texas flag, and the A&M Flag. And not on one flagpole mind you - nosiree - THREE poles. Very emphatically described -- this guy is the definitely the coolest Aggie I know.

We arrived and were BLOWN away by the new A&M alumni center, pictured above. Just beautiful. Dozens of flat-panel televisions on a wall that produces highly digitized presentations. And the alumni that are part of the Century Council were there. People who graduated from A&M in 1941! All kinds of people - so happy to be there and you could definitely feel the positive energy. The other A&M campus administrators were there including the president from my institution and his wife. The tables were gorgeous - fresh flowers, beautifully printed programs, and then at the front of the room - a table with the awards. Six of them. Yes, only SIX from the whole A&M system were selected to be on the Chancellor's Academy of Teacher Educators (CATE). I realized for the first time what an honor this was going to be and was a tad nervous...but figured I'd handle whatever came my way :)  (You can click on any of these photos to enlarge...especially the space shots. Amazing.)

                               Click to enlarge: and check out the desserts. Eric and I shared :)

                                              Doesn't he look handsome? Note the big ring outside of the window.
                                    Yes, a huge replica of THE A&M ring that is so distinctive.

                                              Chancellor McKinney - such an affable person!.
                   He came over to meet me, gave me a hug and called me a "Rock Star". I really like him.                                    .
After dinner, The Chancellor made some perfunctory remarks and then had each of the six CATE inductees come to the front of the room, one at a time, to receive their medallion (they put it on like I won the Olympics or something), certificate and then a photo op. All while the announcer is reading a bio for each one. I have little recall of what the announcer was saying as I tread to the front and up the stairs...except I heard one of my favorite phrases, "creating lifelong learners" and knew they were talking about me.

                                               And then - it was my turn! Wearing medallion and receiving (trying to open)
                                                                         special certificate.

After the presentations, Dr. Richard Linnehan, a former NASA astronaut who logged more than 58 days in space and who has recently joined the Texas A&M System as Director for Space Science, Policy and Education, gave a presentation. The photos were awe inspiring - I tried to capture them here but believe me, they are way more incredible in person:

                                   Discovery Shuttle - 'cooling off'. Look at the background.(click to enlarge)

                                       International Space Station

The Crew of STS 123:

Light from earth as seen from space:

                                      Maneuvering equipment in space: notice the tethered feet, and they can only
                                           work with one hand:

                                                Jupiter - a giant gas ball.

After the program, there was a photo-op. I'm sure some official photos will be released -- this is one my brother took for me. Thanks Eric!

It was, to say the least, an incredible evening. I feel so incredibly blessed to receive accolades for doing what I sincerely and passionately love to do - teach others. I hope to live up to the expectations of this committee and give back to the profession that has provided me and countless others with so many blessings in the form of teachers and mentors!

AND -- thank you Eric for accompanying me. You are still the coolest Aggie I know!!! :)