A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 15, at Rudder Auditorium on the Texas A&M University campus for former Texas A&M University System Regent Anne Legendre Armstrong.  Armstrong, 80, died July 30 in Houston.

Visitation services for Armstrong will be held on Friday, Aug. 1 from 2-6 p.m. at the Armstrong Ranch in Armstrong, Texas. A private burial service for immediate family members will be held in Austin.

“Anne Armstrong was a model public servant and set the bar almost out of reach for the rest of us,” said Bill Jones, chairman of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.  “She led an amazing life, serving her country, her state, even her home county of Kleberg while rearing five children. I replaced her on the board, but I am not sure if I have filled her shoes.”

Michael D. McKinney, M.D., chancellor of the Texas A&M System, said Armstrong “epitomized the pioneering Texas spirit of bygone days” and that “her love for this state and her country was acutely reflected in her patriotic service” to both.

Armstrong was appointed to the A&M System Board of Regents in 1997 by Governor George W. Bush, and served until her term expired in 2003. In addition to her A&M System service, Armstrong was the first woman to serve as United States Ambassador to Great Britain, and served as a cabinet-level adviser to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. She also was a Foreign Intelligence Adviser to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. President Reagan awarded Armstrong the Medal of Freedom in 1987 in honor of her service to the country.

Armstrong was born Anne Legendre in New Orleans in 1927 to wealthy coffee broker Armant Legendre and his wife Olive. Armstrong graduated from Vassar College in 1949 and married Tobin Armstrong the following year. After their marriage, the couple moved to his family's ranch in Kenedy County, which his grandfather had settled in the 19th century.

After his death in 2005, she succeeded him as Kenedy county commissioner, a position she held until her death.

Armstrong is survived by three sons, J. Barclay, James and Tobin Armstrong Jr.; two daughters, Katharine Armstrong Love and Sarita Armstrong Hixon; a sister, Katharine Legendre King; and 13 grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Armstrong's name to any of the following organizations: The Center for Strategic and International Studies; Texas A&M Foundation; Texas A&M University-Kingsville; or The Tobin and Anne Armstrong Texas Ranger Research Center.