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E. B. Cushing: The Man
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Edward Benjamin Cushing (1862-1924), Class of 1880, saved Texas A&M. In 1912, Cushing stood alone against the nearly overwhelming forces attempting to close the tiny Agricultural and Mechanical college of Texas. He was a man without parallel in devotion to his school. 
E. B. Cushing enjoyed an enormously successful 42-year career working for the Southern
Pacific Railroad, ultimately serving as chief engineer of construction for the Southwestern
Division. His friends claimed that during much of that time Cushing actually labored to improve
rail service to the College's station to attract more students to the school. Cushing was President
of the Alpha Phi Fraternity and the Alumni Association, forerunners of the Association of Former
Students. He was named President of the Texas A&M Board of Directors in 1912. His two years
on the board coincided with a perilous time in the school's history. The mess hall burned in 1911
and Old Main met a similar fate the following year. Amid the losses and confusion, state
appropriations slowed to a trickle and the school showed a deficit of $87,000. As if things were
not bad enough, certain members of the legislature attempted to close the school and move it to
Austin. More than equal to the crises, Cushing reacted immediately and decisively to bring order
out of chaos. He guaranteed Texas A&M's notes with his personal funds to obtain credit so that
the school could remain in operation. Cushing then burned up the telegraph wires with messages
to influential legislators inviting them to come to College Station to see for themselves exactly
what the school was doing to benefit the people of Texas. He even sent his private railroad car to
Austin to bring them to the campus. In the end Cushing prevailed, forever dispelling any notion
that Texas A&M should be consolidated with the University of Texas.
To E. B. Cushing, patriotism and loyalty were virtues--not abstract letters carved on a monument. Upon the entry of the United States into World War I, Cushing (then in his late fifties) petitioned for active duty. Authorities denied his request and suggested that at his age and state in life, Cushing should be concerned with other things. Cushing would not take "no" for an answer. Relenting, the Army quickly promoted him to colonel. In France with the American Expeditionary Force, Cushing served on General John J. Pershing staff as one of the chief transportation officers who directed rail, ship and barge traffic. He served with great distinction and a typically selfless manner. Cushing was a man of few words, but a giant in the accomplishment of difficult tasks. Col. Cushing died on February 17, 1924, a loss that many of his friends at Texas A&M considered irreplaceable. Further Reading:
Tutt, Bob, An Aggie to Remember |
©THE CUSHING MEMORIAL LIBRARY OF TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY