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Time Capsule

A Real Good Ag

By Clare Fusselman '21

Marketing Writing Student Worker
Judson Loupot '32, aka "Ol' Army Lou," lended a helping hand to Aggies for decades as the owner of Loupot's Bookstores, which grew to three locations in College Station before being bought out in 2012. 

With the Ross Volunteers, Singing Cadets, Reveille and more than 300 people in attendance, Judson Loupot’s funeral in 1995 was a fitting and reflective testament to his tenure in Aggieland. A member of the Class of 1932, the 85-year-old legend spread maroon and white cheer in the Bryan-College Station community for more than half a century.

Known more commonly as “Ol’ Army Lou,” or simply, “Lou,” he arrived at Texas A&M in 1928 fresh off a small dairy farm near Dallas. “From the moment my dad stepped off the train, he could sense there was something special about Aggieland,” said Judson Loupot Jr. ’72, Lou’s son. As an entering freshman, Lou had only his high school ROTC uniforms to wear. To conform to the Corps of Cadets’ uniform regulations, he was forced to trade, wheel and deal to obtain the proper clothes. That’s when he got started in the clothing business.

By his junior year, fueled by his passion for people and bargaining, Lou ran a business out of his dorm room with roommate Olin Teague ’32 selling used clothes, books and anything else he could acquire. When a surprise inspection by the Commandant nearly got the pair kicked out of school, friends helped Lou open a warehouse at Northgate. This business eventually evolved into Loupot’s Bookstores, a long-running College Station staple that expanded to three locations before being bought out in 2012.

As the founder and face of Loupot’s Bookstores, Lou was nothing short of a local celebrity. Walking into the store on University Drive, students were greeted with a “Howdy” and a smile, plus a sign above the front entrance that read: “Through these doors pass the greatest men on Earth: Fightin’ Texas Aggies.” Loupot Jr., who helped his parents work the store after school, remembered how his dad lit up at every opportunity to interact with students.

  • Trade with Lou

    Advertisement from the Sept. 27, 1945, edition of The Battalion. The ad tells freshmen: "Meet Loupot. Lou has been around A. & M. for a long time, and you can count on him for a friendly word and a fair trade. You will always see Lou at the Aggie ball games, and if you are in trouble of any kind, remember that the Trading Post is something more than a good place to buy your school supplies."

  • "Thar's Money in Them Things"

    A Loupot's advertisement from the Sept. 12, 1944, edition of The Battalion depicts two cadets hurrying to make their deals at Loupot's Trading Post.

  • Loupot's Comics

    An advertisement from the Sept. 21, 1942, edition of The Battalion features comics about Loupot's Trading Post drawn by different students.

  • Deals for New Freshmen

    A Feb. 6, 1946, edition of The Battalion includes an advertisement that encourages freshmen to "follow the old students to Loupot's Trading Post."

  • You Gotta Buy

    A Loupot's Bookstore ad from the Feb. 4, 1966, edition of The Battalion says, "You gotta buy something, some place, sometime, somehow; see Ole Lou before you do!!" A second ad features Cadet Slouch promoting drawing instruments at Loupot's stores.

“In Lou’s store, it didn’t matter if you had the money to pay for your textbooks; you always walked out with what you needed,” he recalled. “Money was never any interest to him, but relationships were.”

In a profile on Lou from The Battalion, he was quoted saying, “I’ve loaned out money and merchandise to Aggies just on their word as an Aggie, and I’ve lost very little money that way.”

Lou’s generous habits often led him to buy senior boots for cadets, give away his own football tickets, bail students out of jail and even help hide the occasional “borrowed” mascot of other universities. In 1943, he began an annual tradition of bringing a truckload of ice to Final Review ceremonies so that cadets could keep cool in the sweltering heat. He also supported Aggie Bonfire, the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, the Yell Leaders and the Singing Cadets.

As one of his last acts of generosity, Lou created the Old Army Lou ’32 Student Assistance Program endowment, which still provides scholarships to students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Today, stories of Lou’s good deeds are interwoven into the fabric of Aggieland and exemplify what it means to be an Aggie. “Texas A&M will forever be impacted by how my dad so passionately loved the students and this university,” said Loupot Jr. “He was just a real good Ag.”

Do you have a fond memory of Ol' Army Lou? If so, we'd love to hear it. Please send your story our way at info@txamfoundation.com.

Memories of Ol’ Army Lou 

  • “I couldn’t afford to order new senior boots, but I found a nice pair of used ones at Lou’s. When I asked how much they cost, Lou simply asked how much I had. When I told him I only had $15, Lou just smiled before replying, ‘Well, that’s the exact price of those boots!’” - Philip Agnew '62
  • “My fish year, I got caught at the Memorial Student Center during a downpour without my rain gear. Ol’ Army Lou happened to see me, struck up a conversation and gave me a ride to my next class. It was a real treat to talk to him about his experiences in Aggieland!” - Michael Asuncion '96
  • “I worked at Loupot's in 1997 and 1998, and those years are full of such great memories! I remember selling shirts, stacking textbooks at the start of every semester and wrapping sabers for the Corps." - Christine Springer '98
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