According to her personalized license plate, JoAnn Ledlow Hobson's family is “40 Ags” strong.
Ask anybody what it means to be an Aggie and you may get several different answers depending on their experiences. But if you want to understand what it means to be an Aggie family, study the life of JoAnn Ledlow Hobson. According to her personalized license plate, her family is “40 Ags” strong.
JoAnn “Granny Jo” Ledlow-Hobson’s family includes her husbands, (retired) Professor Phil Hobson and the late Jim Ledlow ’53; brother, Fred H. “Uncle Ted” Walton III ’52; six children; sons- and daughters-in-law; grandchildren and their spouses; and step-children and their families.
The common thread throughout JoAnn’s life is Texas A&M University. Growing up in Shreveport, Louisiana, she was first introduced to Texas A&M through her older brother and only sibling Fred H. Walton III ’52, or “Uncle Ted” as the Ledlow children called him.
After graduating from St. Vincent’s Academy, an all-girls Catholic school, she became an Aggie sweetheart and wife, and later an Aggie mom, grandmother, and stand-in mom, substitute grandmother, second mom, and retired Aggie librarian.
In her youth, not everyone had a car and it was common for area Aggies to share rides to College Station with family and friends or to hitch-hike. On one of the many trips between College Station and Shreveport with her brother Ted, JoAnn met her future husband, James “Jim” C. Ledlow ’53.
They married in August 1953 after Jim’s senior year and went to live in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, until 1957 when they moved to Lafayette, Louisiana. Jim started his own company, Louisiana Well Testing and Engineering Service, and JoAnn stayed home and managed their six children: Jim Jr.’76, Jeff ’78, Joe ’79, Jeannine ‘81, John ’84, and Jennifer ‘87.
The Ledlow Legacy
Imprinted from an early age, their children shared fond memories of football games at Kyle Field in the late 1950s, the ’68 Cotton Bowl, Texas A&M activities with the Lafayette A&M Club, and Aggie Muster ceremonies.
Trips to campus became a family tradition in 1972 when their oldest son enrolled at Texas A&M and they would load their station wagon with their kids, the kid’s friends, and boxes of food to drive five hours to College Station and unload at Harrington Hall, the Aggie band dorm.
JoAnn with Tyson Voelkel '96, president of the Texas A&M Foundation. As a reflection of their love and appreciation for their mother’s lifetime devotion to her Aggie family, the Ledlow children established an Endowed Opportunity Award (EOA) in her honor to support middle-income students who often miss out on other need-based funding but still require significant support to attend Texas A&M.
By 1975, three of the four brothers, Jim Jr., Jeff and Joe, were at Texas A&M, and sister Jeannine would follow. It was no surprise to find JoAnn with a buffet of hams, turkeys, cookies and cakes on an ironing board in one of the dormitory hallways to feed one and all, or at home with the Lafayette A&M Mother’s Club taking care of traveling cadets.
Helping Others to Aggieland
In addition to their children, Jim and JoAnn influenced more than a dozen young people to attend Texas A&M and helped new Aggies secure scholarships, making it affordable for the out-of-state young men and women from the Lafayette area to attend Texas A&M.
“Jim was an exemplary Aggie, and was determined to encourage, cajole, convince, and assist young folks in choosing and attending Texas A&M. He and JoAnn influenced a dozen or so young people, apart from their own children, to attend Texas A&M,” said Jim Ledlow Jr. ‘76
The Ledlow family enticed one young man in particular, John Trosclair ’79, to turn down a Navy scholarship to Tulane University. “I will never forget the day I got that letter from Texas A&M stating that it had already filled its quota of 100 Navy scholarship students,” Trosclair said. “Big Jim simply picked up the phone and called the commandant to recommend me. As he hung up the phone, he said, ‘Now they have 101 Navy scholarship students and you are going to Texas A&M!’ ”
Since then — and after many more episodes of Ledlow love throughout his four years in Aggieland — Trosclair is now like any other member of the family. “Both of my parents have severe mental disorders, so the Ledlow family has been my firm foundation. Since seventh grade, there are so many times they have stood by me. What a blessing this family has been to me.”
In the summer of 1981, Jim tragically passed away after suffering from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Within a few weeks of Jim’s passing, JoAnn became a grandmother.
As a single parent and empty nester, JoAnn decided it was time to make a change when her youngest, Jennifer, left for Texas A&M. She decided that she would move to College Station, too. JoAnn packed up the family home and moved to a small College Station apartment.
Focused on making a new start, JoAnn took an auto mechanics class, borrowed a typewriter and taught herself how to type, landing her first job at Texas A&M as a clerk in the Placement Office, now the Career Center. Later she moved to a position in the university library and became known to everyone as “Granny Jo.”
JoAnn’s life was changed again by an Aggie when she met Phil Hobson, a professor of veterinary medicine, at the Hall of Fame country-western dance hall. JoAnn’s Aggie family grew even more when she and Phil married in 1987.
Unconditional Love and Devotion
Front row (L to R): Allysa Holstead, Gyna Trosclair, Mellisa Ledlow '78, Jeannine Ledlow Rayfield '81, JoAnn Ledlow Hobson, Phil Hobson, Jim Ledlow Jr. '76, Jennifer Ledlow Holstead '87. Back row (L to R): Jack Holstead '20, John Trosclair '79, Janice Ledlow, Jeff Ledlow '78, John Holstead '86, Mark Rayfield '79, Joe Ledlow '79, Suzanne Ledlow '80, Erin Ledlow, John Ledlow '84.
“Granny Jo” and “Paw Paw” Phil shared a devotion to Aggies and stayed involved, attending Class of ’53 functions, Aggie athletics events, supporting the local Lion’s Club, the Century Club, the 12th Man Foundation, the Sul Ross Corps Scholarship program, and various Texas A&M Foundation scholarships.
JoAnn raised her Aggie family to respect the Aggies of the past who created the Texas A&M we love today. Her life’s work demonstrates how Aggies strive to become an inspiration for others who will follow.
JoAnn retired in 2003 after 20 years of working for the university. Her dedicated service has been recognized by the President’s Meritorious Service Award, as well as being a Fish Camp Namesake and featured in a Bugle Call at Kyle Field.
“We don’t know anyone who loves Texas A&M more than JoAnn does. She has unconditional love and devotion for all Aggies and nothing you say would ever deter her love for you,” said Jim Jr. ’76.
As a reflection of their love and appreciation for their mother’s lifetime devotion to her Aggie family – personal and extended – the Ledlow children in 2015 established an Endowed Opportunity Award (EOA) in her honor.
These scholarships support middle-income students who often miss out on other need-based funding but still require significant support to attend Texas A&M. Their $50,000 gift will fund two awards that will provide students an annual stipend for four years. The family paid additional funds to expedite the awarding of the students and they will begin fall 2016.
The Ledlows were recognized with other EOA donors at an annual campus celebration during Parent’s Weekend, and they will have the chance to develop a relationship with the recipient of their award.
Through their gift, JoAnn’s love will forever inspire future Aggies by allowing deserving students the opportunities she experienced.
By Carolyn Allen '87
Texas A&M Foundation
The Texas A&M Foundation is a nonprofit organization that solicits and manages investments in academics and leadership programs to enhance Texas A&M’s capability to be among the best universities.
