Sterling, a Bryan native, was admitted to Texas A&M along with two other African Americans in 1963 - made possible by the former state senator who pushed for the Morrill Act 101 years earlier.
In an effort started in the 1980s, Texas A&M students have continued to fight for the representation of former Texas Sen. Matthew Gaines on campus. Now, the Matthew Gaines Society
The legacy of Matthew Gaines, who was born into the bonds of slavery and went on to serve in the Texas Legislature during Reconstruction, was memorialized Friday in the heart of the university campus he helped establish.A statue of the former state s