As the story goes, Ol’ Sarge was a prisoner at Alcatraz, but a judge ruled to send him to Texas A&M when he became too tough for the guards to handle. Ol’ Sarge entertained cadets in illustrations throughout the 1940s, ’50s and early ’60s, when the university was still an all-male military school. He remains an enduring symbol of Texas A&M’s history and Old Army days. Ol’ Sarge made his first appearance in 1938 in the Battalion Humor Magazine comic strip as a character named Magarkin. He later morphed into the strong-jawed sergeant, where he embodied the demeanor of the rough-and-tough upperclassman. As Ol’ Sarge continued to develop, he depicted the comedic situations that reflected the experiences of members of the Corps of Cadets leading up to World War II.