Jimmy Tyree’s path to becoming a yell leader at Texas A&M took an interesting turn through the men’s restrooms. “Yeah, I said restrooms,” Tyree smiled. He unquestionably loves telling this part of the story. “You had to have votes to be elected yell leader, so I put up a sign above the urinals,” he laughed.
When you take a pee
Think of me
Jimmy Tyree
Junior Yell Leader
The unorthodox method worked, and Tyree, now a resident of Arbor Oaks senior living community in Bryan, spent the next two seasons on the Aggie sidelines. Tyree is a man filled with stories from a life well-lived, starting with meeting his wife in a fashion almost as unorthodox as the restroom election ploy. “She sat in front of me in 7th grade and she had a sash on her dress, like most girls did in those days,” he recalled. “So, I tied the sash to her chair and when she stood up she noticed what had happened, which meant she noticed me.” It may have been love at first sight for the pair, but his future bride’s mother took a while to warm up to Jimmy. “Eventually she decided I wasn’t so bad for a practical joker,” he laughed. Tyree’s time at Texas A&M left a permanent impression in his life. His apartment at Arbor Oaks is full of collegiate athletic memorabilia, old yearbooks, photos and more. “I’m as big a fan of Aggie football today as I was back in ’54 when I graduated,” he shared.
Written by Jeff Bell
