Decades after graduation, a Texas A&M tradition is fulfilled through the determination of a young student and newfound friend.
ELLIS COUNTY, Texas — Time has a way of highlighting the little things we set aside.
For Dr. Rohn Hendricks, a beloved 70-year-old equine veterinarian, one such thing was an Aggie ring—a tradition revered by graduates of Texas A&M University. Nearly five decades after graduating, Hendricks finally received the ring he never thought he’d own, thanks to a young Aggie’s determination and the community’s generosity.
In the 1970s, Hendricks was laser-focused on his education at Texas A&M. Balancing the demands of being in the Aggie band, pursuing his master’s degree, and later earning his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), his days were tightly scheduled.
“I treated school like a job,” Hendricks recalled. “I would study before my first class, eat lunch, and head back to the library if I didn’t have another class.”
But there was one expense Hendricks couldn’t justify at the time—an Aggie ring. “I was paying my way through school,” he said. “It wasn’t something I was going to spend my money on.”
To some Aggies, not owning the iconic ring is unthinkable. Yet for Hendricks, it was a distant memory until Abigail Lee, a Texas A&M student whose family owns mules and donkeys he treats in Ellis County, brought it up.
“I’d always talk to him about A&M,” Lee said. “One day, I asked him why he wasn’t wearing his ring. When he told me he never got one, I thought, ‘No, no. We’ve got to get you this ring.'”
Lee launched a grassroots campaign, reaching out to the local community and even contacting Hendricks’ old classmates. Within a week and a half earlier this year, enough money was raised to purchase the ring. Lee recently picked up the ring when other Aggies received theirs weeks ago.
“Everyone jumped on board,” Lee said. “I was getting texts from his old roommates and people who knew him from 40 years ago. It was amazing to see so many people come together.”
After Lee picked up the ring, the Ellis County community surprised Hendricks with his ring during a heartfelt gathering. Overwhelmed by the gesture, Hendricks admitted he was moved in a way he rarely experiences.
“I don’t get moved very often, but I got choked up whenever she presented my ring to me,” he said with a smile.
For Lee, the moment was about more than the ring. “It wasn’t even about the Aggie ring itself,” she said. “It was the fact that the whole community came together to celebrate all that he’s done.”
Hendricks now proudly wears the newest Aggie ring from the Class of ’76, a shining symbol of time catching up in the most meaningful way.
“To think a young woman like Abigail would do this—it’s pretty special,” he said.