On March 14, 1917, a telegram arrived on the campus of East Texas Normal College. The communiqué from Texas State Senator Richard E. Westbrook celebrated the approval of President Mayo’s urgent request of the state legislature. The private teachers’ college he founded and personally led through several difficult times would be invited to join the Texas public education system. Unfortunately, Mayo died minutes before the telegram arrived,confirming that the college would endure. Today, we are the beneficiaries of his foresight and commitment to making the dream of a college education an accessible and affordable reality. Westbrook closed his historic telegram with the line, “There is glory enough in this history for us all.” Whether we consider ourselves East Texas State or A&M-Commerce alumni, we are all immensely grateful and passionate about the university we call home.
We are lions, and it is time to tell the story of our historic century.
We invite you to join us on the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus walking mall to experience the beautiful new banners that tell the story of our Century as Lions. Please use this site as a companion reference to dig deeper into our rich history.