The Class of ’80 Core Value Award for Selfless Service is the first university-wide award for one of the six core values of Texas A&M University. It is a $5,000 award given annually to a graduating senior that best exemplifies selfless service during their time at Texas A&M.  The award is one of the most prestigious awards given by the university.  The selection process is managed by the Launch committee and the actual selection is made by a committee of faculty, students and administrators using the criteria developed by the Class of ’80.

Thanks again to each of you that helped establish the first core value award at Texas A&M University. The Class of ’80 can truly be proud of giving back to Texas A&M to memorialize the core value of selfless service for generations of future students!

Read the History of the Class of ’80 Core Value Award for Selfless Service.

Read Spirit Magazine’s Spring 2023 Selfless Service Article and learn more about The Class of ’80 Core Value Award for Selfless Service and our first three recipients. The entire Class of ’80 should be proud of the quality students receiving this award.

Please read Kade’s thanks to the class below:

To the Texas A&M University Class of ’80,

I first want to express my gratitude to you on behalf of all Aggies…thank you for caring so deeply about our Aggie family and all that we stand for. I am so honored and humbled to be awarded the Class of ’80 Core Value Award for Selfless Service. I am a first-generation Aggie but have known about A&M’s remarkable 12th Man and his story for as long as I can remember. My high school’s fight song has lyrics that refer to the 12th Man’s role, which led to my parents sharing the famed selfless act of E. King Gill in 1922. To be given an award with Gill’s name attached is an honor that my family and I will treasure forever.

When I am asked by family and friends what my favorite part about attending Texas A&M University is, I tell them it is the core values that all of the faculty, staff, and students exude. The pride that all Aggies have for the six core values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity, and selfless service is truly what sets our university apart from so many others. My education here has been top-notch and prepared me for professional school, but it is the core values that have impacted me the most. I grew up with the same values, but to be surrounded by so many others that push you to be your best is an amazing experience. Serving others is a core value that brings me such joy and I am so thankful that A&M encourages students and provides so many opportunities to perform acts of selfless service. During my time as a student at the university I have had the pleasure of serving others, near and far, as a proud Aggie. I thank the Lord each and every day for leading me to Texas A&M University, where the Aggie motto of “Service before Self” is visibly making a positive impact on the world.

The Class of ’80’s commitment to Texas A&M, selfless service, and the students within the Aggie family, truly embody the 12th Man spirit and spell out for others what it means to be an Aggie. Moving forward, I will continue to seek out opportunities to serve others and make the world a little better each day, and with each one will give a nod to my beloved A&M, the Class of 1980, and E. King Gill. In July, I will begin medical school at Texas Tech University and am more excited and energized as ever to begin, feeling so loved and celebrated by my Aggie family.

Thank you again for your support and incredible generosity.

Gig ‘em!
Kade McAdams ’24

Read more about Kade and his accomplishments while at Texas A&M.

Read about J. D. Carter ’23, the fourth recipient of the Class of ’80 Core Value Award for Selfless Service.

Read about Christopher J. Thompson ’22, the third recipient of the Class of ’80 Core Value Award for Selfless Service.

Read about Alexandra Ramos ’21, the second recipient of the Class of ’80 Core Value Award for Selfless Service.

Read about Lauren Breazeale ’20, the first recipient of the Class of ’80 Core Value Award for Selfless Service.

E. King Gill Statue Prototype

Have you seen this man? This is a photo of one of the Prototype Statue that were available in 1980 when our Class of ’80 Gift was being created. We are trying to locate them. Do you have one or do you know who does? If so, please contact any of your Class Agents.

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