Alumni spotlight: Cardo Gottlich ’20 continues Texas A&M tradition
Congratulations to Wesleyan alumni Cardo Gottlich ’20, who was recently named a key member of a unique tradition at Texas A&M. Gottlich is one of three handlers for Texas A&M’s mascot Reveille X, the Rough Collie who famously runs onto the football field in advance of the team and represents the university at various events. Gottlich was selected after a yearlong tryout process that assessed his responsibility, mental fortitude, and public speaking skills.
After graduating from Wesleyan and arriving at Texas A&M, Gottlich joined the Corps of Cadets, a student-led, military-style organization and the oldest student organization at Texas A&M. Participation in the Corps is voluntary, and the men and women of the Corps form the largest uniformed body of students outside of the United States service academies.
The tradition of Reveille started back in 1931 when a few cadets coming back from a Corps trip found a small, injured puppy. At the time, Corps rules stated that no animals are to be brought into the dorms; however, being the good “Ags” they are, they brought in the puppy and began to nurse it back to health. Once the morning came and the bugler started playing Reveille, the puppy could be heard barking along to the song, which earned her name Reveille. The cadets made it their duty to protect her at all costs, and she would follow them around everywhere on campus, reminding them of that dog they left behind back at home.
On Saturday, Sept. 18, Gottlich ran Reveille onto Kyle Field before the Aggie football team took on New Mexico. As one of Reveille’s three handlers, Gottlich’s responsibilities include escorting Reveille to all her public appearances, guarding her on the sidelines during Aggie football games, and daily care like feeding, training, grooming, and exercising Reveille.
In addition to serving as one of Reveille’s handlers, Gottlich also serves as his outfit’s fire team leader. As fire team leader, he mentors freshmen and helps hold them accountable to the Corps standard for physical training, academics, public appearances, personal conduct, safety, and well-being.
Keep up the great work, Cardo Gottlich!
To learn more Gottlich’s company, please follow @mascotcompany on Instagram, and to learn more about Reveille and this unique Texas A&M tradition, please check out @ReveilleX on Twitter.
