March to the Brazos

Marching to the River
March to the Brazos is an annual event during the spring semester. The cadets conduct a road march from campus to a site on the Brazos River, a 14 mile round trip. After the first leg of the march, cadets participate in various competitions (tug-of-war, relay races, etc.), eat lunch, and un-officially transfer ranks for the following school year.

April Fools Day
March to the Brazos originated in 1908 and was held on April 1 to keep the cadets from playing April Fools jokes on each other and their professors. It was held annually until 1912.

A Revival for Charity
March to the Brazos was revived in 1977 when cadet leadership saw the natural tie between March to the Brazos and the March of Dimes. This special partnership was seen as a way to build Corps spirit and also benefit a very worthwhile charity.

Fill-the-Boot
Each school year the Corps raises money through door-to-door collections (residents and businesses), Fill-the-Boot (senior cadet boot) collections at key intersections in town, and donations from friends and family members (locally and in their hometowns).

The March of Dimes
During the 24 years from 1977 to 2000 the Corps has raised nearly $900,000 for the March of Dimes, whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Funding raised goes to support the medical research and education programs advanced by the March of Dimes. Grants are provided to local health organizations through a Chapter-wide proposal search and to Texas A&M University research projects through a national proposal search. Also provided are educational materials and programs for our local area.