To celebrate Howard Hesby's dedication to countless Aggies throughout his 34 years of service to Texas A&M University and to honor him as a professor who embodied the true Aggie Spirit, the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University will remodel the Kleberg Animal and Food Sciences building's atrium and dedicate it as the Howard Hesby Student Atrium.

During the first phase of construction on the Kleberg Atrium, elevated gathering and eating areas will be built over the existing planter boxes and seating will wrap around the space. Construction on the first phase of the project is set to begin in early 2007.

In the second phase of construction, a coffee service and snack bar will be built near the larger lecture rooms in the Kleberg Center along with additional seating and eating areas.



Each day during the fall and spring semesters, the Kleberg Center hosts numerous undergraduate classes with student enrollment in excess of 100 students per class and the atrium serves as a student gathering location before and after classes. Also, within the past year, the once heavily populated Kleberg student lounge area has been converted into office space to make room for the new Department of Nutrition and Food Science. In light of these circumstances, the current layout of the Kleberg atrium does not adequately accommodate student needs.

The project will have to be privately funded and the Department of Animal Science is initiating the Howard Hesby Student Atrium Fund. Donations to the fund will be used to modify and enhance the existing atrium space into a more welcoming environment for students at Texas A&M. The Howard Hesby Student Atrium will be a focal point for student interaction in the Kleberg Center following the completion of two consturction phases.

The goal of the Howard Hesby Student Atrium fund is to raise $300,000. An anonymous donor has already made a significant pledge toward this project in honor of Dr. Hesby's enthusiasm for students at Texas A&M, but much more is needed to reach the goal.

Howard Hesby Memorial Page

For more information about this project, please contact:

Dr. Gary R. Acuff, Department Head
Department of Animal Science
2471 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-2471
979-845-1543
gacuff@tamu.edu

Lee Ann Knox, Assistant Director of Development
Texas A&M Foundation
College Station, TX 77843-2142
979-845-4740
l-knox@tamu.edu