Ring Of Fire: Aggie Bonfire

I love Texas A&M. My time there was some of the most enjoyable years of my life. I really love the traditions that are part of the core of being an Aggie. Things like saying 'Howdy' when you pass someone, taking your hat off when in the Memorial Student Center (MSC), yell practice, Silver Taps, etc. (see list here: Aggie Traditions).

One of my favorite traditions was bonfire. There was no way I could explain it to friends and family, but there was something incredible about working on that stack of logs. I really wish my nephews were able to experience bonfire at Texas A&M.

The November, 2009 edition of Texas Monthly has an article on this revered tradition. It uses the words of those that worked on Bonfire to capture some of the magic of building bonfire, but it also captures the tragedy of what happened on November 18, 1999. I could have quoted 90% entire text here, but it would be easier for you to just read the article.

"Five thousand logs, cut by hand. Five thousand logs! The center pole alone was a hundred feet tall. When you stood on top of stack, it felt like you were on top of the world. We lit it around Thanksgiving, and when we got back from Christmas break, it was still smoldering."

"Most people just came to see it burn. But the way my buddies and I looked at it, burning it was the least important part. We didn’t build it to burn it; we burned it to get it out of the way, so we could do it again."

"Suddenly, in some unforeseeable twist of fate, my life changed, and the life of every Aggie who came before and after me changed. Texas A&M changed."

"Twenty-seven students were injured in the collapse. Forty-two hours after the accident, Tim Kerlee, who was seventeen years old, became the twelfth, and last, student to die. The number resonated with the Aggie community because of the long-standing Twelfth Man tradition, which began with E. King Gill, a student who suited up and stood ready to help his team during a hard-fought football game in 1922. Ever since then Aggies have stood for the duration of their football games to show their willingness to support the eleven players on the field."

Click on the image above to read the article.

Thanks to Rob Adams for making me aware of the article.