Editor-in-Chief Gauraangi Gupta posing with UH mascot Sasha at a Basketball game on Saturday Oct. 18, 2025 at the TDECU stadium in Houston, Texas. | Cindy Rivas Alfaro/ The Cougar
America’s 250th birthday is a very special moment, not only for everyone who calls this nation their home, but also for every Coog out there.
Two years ago, former Editor-in-Chief of The Cougar, John Lomax V, penned a beautiful letter where he said it’s not easy being a Cougar, but it’s absolutely worth it. At that time, I was still new to the University to understand what he meant. However, now as a recent undergraduate and an incoming graduate student, I couldn’t agree with him more.
Working at The Cougar, I have felt moments where the University administration could have prioritized student life more. In fact, while visiting Texas A&M University for my sister’s orientation, I was thrown off by the enthusiastic “Howdy!’s” and the sea of maroon around me. Is this what I was missing out on?
Back in India, while navigating the uncertainty of moving halfway across the world, I spent months researching universities. Amidst all the emotional chaos, University of Houston always stood out to me. Our motto, In Tempore—”In Time,” gave me confidence that everything would happen when it was supposed to.
It wasn’t just UH’s mission, vision and values that called out to me, but it was also the University’s rich history that made me feel like I’ll be a part of something meaningful.
While looking through the archives, I found out how intertwined UH was in the 1940s during World War II. Hundreds of students left to serve their country and within just a few weeks, UH contracted with the Navy to provide training and logistics for new recruits.
The campus built an all-weather facility for drills, physical education and meals. It became one of the designated training sites for American servicemen and produced 500 civilian pilots. By 1943, about 10,000 trainees were enrolled in war production courses at the University.
Years later, during the Civil Rights Movement, UH played a role in integrating higher education in Texas. In fact, by March 1963, the University had 20 Black students and was fully desegregated.
In 1964, UH also became the first major University in the south to desegregate intercollegiate sports programs. Former Head Coach Guy V. Lewis recruited the school’s first Black athletes which led us to producing legends like former center/forward Don Chaney and former guard Elvin Hayes, reflecting the University’s willingness to move forward, even when the rest of the world hesitated.
Our University had the nation’s first educational television station. In 1953, KUHT-TV began pioneering educational broadcasting and shaped the future of public television in America.
The University has also produced notable alumni like the longtime president of the Motion Picture Association of America, Jack Joseph Valenti, The Big Bang Theory lead actor Jim Parsons, The Parent Trap actor Dennis Quaid, Grammy-winning artist Lizzo, Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis and many more. Every generation of Cougars leaves its mark somewhere new.
With every passing day, UH is becoming better with its research, academic excellence and diversity. Whether we acknowledge it often or not, being a Cougar comes with a lot of pride and responsibility to keep the legacy going forward.
We aren’t built on century-old traditions or iconic chants alone. Our culture comes from resilience. From students who answered history’s call. From veterans who returned to rebuild their futures. From researchers, artists, athletes, journalists and every graduate who carried the University’s values into the world.
Is UH perfect? Of course not, and we should continue holding our University accountable. We should continue asking for it to be better, because that’s part of loving a place enough to want it to improve.
Because when I was surrounded by maroon-clad Aggies, yelling “Howdy!” with their thumbs up I realized I’d rather wear my Cougar red anywhere, any day and at any given point in time.
With the Centennial year approaching, stop here and look back at the history, take a moment and let it sink in. Look at how far we’ve come. From a small junior college to one of the largest universities in Texas. From WWII to a prominent tier one public research university.
You are a Cougar. You are a part of America’s history that mattered. Be proud.
Happy Fourth of July, go Coogs!
editor@thedailycougar.com
