James Earl Rudder High School

James Earl Rudder High School is a public high school located in Bryan, Texas (United States). It is part of the Bryan Independent School District. The school enrollment is more than 1,300 students. In 2015, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency. In addition to portions of Bryan, the school's attendance boundary includes Kurten, Lake Bryan, and Wixon Valley. About James Earl Rudder High School is named after James Earl Rudder who was a highly decorated World War II soldier. His honors include the Distinguished Service Cross, Legion of Merit, Silver Star, French Legion of Honor, and others. While lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, he led the group up 100 ft. cliffs on a beach in Normandy on D-Day. After the war, Rudder served as mayor of Brady, Texas from 1946-1952. In 1955 he was appointed State Land Commissioner, where he worked to “increase the permanent endowments for public schools and universities.” Afterwards he became the president of Texas A&M College (now known as Texas A&M University) in 1959, located in neighboring College Station, Texas. While president, he was instrumental in allowing women to attend the university.