Rudder Tower - The Ranger Who Remade A&M
A stop on Texas A&M Campus Walk, a free self-guided tour.
The tower above the fountain is named for James Earl Rudder, Class of 1932. On D-Day in 1944, Rudder commanded the Army's 2nd Ranger Battalion as it climbed the 100-foot cliffs of Pointe du Hoc in Normandy under fire to knock out a German gun battery. More than half of his Rangers were killed or wounded.
Rudder came home to Texas, served as state land commissioner and became president of Texas A&M in 1959. During his years the college became Texas A&M University, began admitting women, and made membership in the Corps of Cadets voluntary, changes that set the school on the path to its present size. He led the whole A&M System from 1965 until his death in 1970. Former university president Robert Gates has said there is little dispute that Rudder was the most consequential president in the school's history.
The tower and theater complex rose between 1971 and 1974 on the site of Guion Hall, the old campus auditorium. Find the original 1980 statue of E. King Gill on the west side of the fountain.
Getting here: Walk north about a minute to Rudder Plaza and its fountain at the foot of the tower.
Did you know?: A special training unit in today's Corps of Cadets is called Rudder's Rangers in his honor.
Photo op: Stand at the edge of the fountain and frame the jets of water against the tall face of Rudder Tower.
More on Wikipedia: James Earl Rudder · Pointe du Hoc · Robert Gates
Stops on this tour
- Academic Plaza - Where Silver Taps Is Held
- Academic Building - A Dome Built From Ashes
- Cushing Library - From Clay Tablets to The Hobbit
- Bonfire Memorial - Twelve Portals Facing Home
- Corps Arches - Gateway to the Quad
- Haynes Ring Plaza - The Aggie Ring Writ Large
- Kyle Field - Home of the 12th Man
- Memorial Student Center - A Living Memorial
- Rudder Tower - The Ranger Who Remade A&M
- George Bush Library - Horses Over the Wall
- Century Tree - Where Aggie Stories Begin