One of Tyler Chapman’s good friends has her own cell phone and credit card. Pretty normal stuff for a girl, but this one also has an entourage and her own seat on a private plane.

When she’s out in public, people flock to her – they want to meet her, touch her, get a kiss from her.

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Sounds like a celebrity, right? Well, she is, in a way. She’s Reveille, an American Collie, Texas A&M’s mascot, and the highest-ranking member of the university’s cadet corps.

Chapman, a Lake Highlands High School graduate and sophomore at A&M, is her mascot corporal, meaning he accompanies her everywhere she goes, whether it’s outside to do her business or on a plane to a football game in Iowa or to the Governor’s mansion for a little meet-and-greet.

Chapman, a member of the E-2 company at A&M, from which Reveille’s mascot corporals are chosen, found out in late April that he would be the dog’s new handler. Jerred Crumley, who was Reveille’s handler last year, says Chapman was the natural choice of the 15 cadets who tried out for the job.

“It was between Tyler and another guy, and it was really close,” Crumley says. The selection committee talked to many in the freshman and sophomore classes, asking questions such as: Whom would you call if you had a flat tire? Who would you talk to if you needed something done right and on time? Who’s the most responsible person you know?

“It was always Tyler’s name that came up,” Crumley says.

Chapman is the fourth Lake Highlands resident to take over Reveille’s reigns in the last 10 years. Her three other neighborhood-based mascot corporals were Mark Boynton (’94-95), Jeff King (’95-96) and Kevin Graham (’99-00).

Chapman is friends with Boynton’s younger brother, and remembers playing with Reveille 6 (there have been seven Reveille’s since 1931, including the current one), when he was still a kid. It was one of the things that inspired him to take the job.

Boynton, who moved back to Dallas after college and keeps in touch with the Chapmans, isn’t surprised that so many mascot corporals come from the neighborhood. Jeff King was a friend of his in high school, and joined the E-2 company on Boynton’s recommendation.

He says the company’s reputation as the outfit to join has been passed down to neighborhood kids through the years.

“When I was a senior, my brother was a freshman and four or five of his friends joined E-2,” he says. “It’s kind of a case of: You might as well go to a group where you know people who are older, who can take care of you.

“Lake Highlands is kind of a tight-knit community,” he adds, “and all the kids kind of stay friends after high school.”

Chapman’s new charge is “a big responsibility,” Boynton says. During the summer, he put thousands of miles on his car, driving Reveille to appearances all over the state and beyond.

Reveille, or Rev as she’s known to those close to her, is indeed a very popular girl. She goes to Aggie Moms’ Clubs, Coaches Nights, Twelfth Man Foundation functions and more, and has photo sessions to raise money for scholarships. When school is in session, her appearances continue, but she also goes to all the home and away football games, most of the basketball games and, when she’s out in public, draws a crowd that Chapman must manage.

Crumley says that’s one of the best parts of the job. “It’s kind of like being with a celebrity all the time,” he says. “It’s like going from one day being just a freshman – a bald, scared nobody – to walking around with a movie star.”

Chapman has already experienced a sliver of that.

“You just get to meet so many people,” he says. “People come up to you while you’re walking to class – everybody wants to come and pet her. And it’s cool because you get to brighten somebody’s day.”

Reveille herself, both Chapman and Crumley agree, is great to have around. “She’s a ton of fun. She loves to play Frisbee,” Chapman says. “She has a burnt orange Frisbee and a Bevo doll she chews on.

“For University of Texas,” he adds, as if there were any doubt.

But, as much fun as she is, Reveille also outranks all human members of the corps, giving her certain powers. If she barks in one of Chapman’s classes, the professor must cancel class. If she chooses to sleep in Chapman’s bed (she lives with him in the dorm), he must sleep on the floor.

Traditions like these, of course, are strictly followed at A&M. And it’s that tradition, Chapman says, that drew him to the job of mascot corporal. “You really just get to experience it firsthand,” he says.

And, though he’s less than halfway into his term as mascot corporal, he’s already dreading the day when he’ll have to give her to the next cadet.

“The guy who gave it up last year said it was very tough,” he says.

It was, Crumley confirms. “I still miss her. I miss the dog and the fun and the rewards.” But, he says, “It’s nice to have my personal life back too.”

And, as experienced mascot corporals, Boynton and Crumley of course had some words of advice for Chapman.

“I would just say enjoy all the fun events you get to go to that normally you wouldn’t, except you’ve got that dog you’re walking. And enjoy all the cool people across the state you get to meet,” says Boynton, who met Rick Perry and the first President Bush on his watch.

Crumley’s advice, however, is a little bit more about the girl herself. “She’s very quirky. She doesn’t like motorcycles or golf carts,” he says. “And when the cannon goes off at football games, she hates that.”

And, because she is, after all, a celebrity, she can be a bit of a diva at times. “She only likes the expensive dog treats,” he stresses. “She would never eat a Milk Bone or a Beggin’ Strip. It has to be high-dollar dog treats.”