upon my request, my friend wrote this for me last summer. i never had the opportunity to build a bonfire, but i wanted the freshman class to hear firsthand about its history, process and significance. i read it to my fish camp and gave them copies. i think it really is an excellent essay, and i thought i'd share it with you all.
Fightin’ Texas Aggie Bonfire
Texas Aggie Bonfire, which dates back to 1909, is the most visible and world-renown Texas A&M tradition that truly personifies the Aggie Spirit. This tradition that started with a random pile of trash evolved into an extremely detailed modern marvel with a wedding cake design divided into 6 different layers. Through the years, the structure and design changed, but the meaning and symbolism never faded; the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Bonfire represents an Aggie’s “burning desire to beat the hell outta t.u.”
The Bonfire process began each school year in late September with “Cut,” which is where the dorms all converge onto a predetermined site to chop down trees with an axe. Cut took place every Saturday and Sunday morning and would last until about 5 or 6 pm. Tradition had it that the new freshman class “built” the Bonfire each year, so under the guidance of the upper classmen, the fish of each dorm would take immediate ownership in the entire process. The logs that were chopped down each day would be loaded onto a flat-bed truck and transported to the polo grounds on campus. After enough logs were chopped down and the center pole was in place, “Stack,” the strategic process of placing the logs around the center pole, which was buried in the ground for structural soundness, would begin. Two weeks before the t.u. game at Thanksgiving, which is when Bonfire was lit, stack would be accelerated to a 24-hour process, which was referred to as “Push.” During Push, the dorms were assigned to 6-hour shifts where they would assemble at Bonfire site around the clock to complete the stacking process. As the holiday grew near, the final adjustments were made, and then thousands of Aggies from all over would converge on College Station on Thanksgiving night to participate in a yell practice, listen to football coaches and team leaders give motivational speeches, and light the Bonfire that the freshman class had been building for several months.
In the rich history of Aggie Bonfire, there were only two years that it did not burn. In 1963, the United States was mourning the assassination of President Kennedy, and in honor of his death, Texas A&M decided not to light her Bonfire. Mike Marlow, the head yell leader at the time, was quoted as saying, “It is the most we have, but the least we can give!” The Bonfire was actually dismantled log by log, and the student body joined in to reverently honor their fallen president. More recently, however, and perhaps with greater sorrow, Bonfire did not burn (and has not burned since) in 1999 with the tragic Bonfire Collapse. At 2:42 am on Thursday morning, November 18, the Bonfire fell taking with it the lives of 12 Aggies and injuring another 27. At precisely that moment, the entire Aggie community united to extend aid in any conceivable capacity. An emergency crew worked hand-in-hand with the engineering team to remove the logs one-by-one in hopes of saving as many lives as possible.
I was a freshman student at the time, and my dorm was working the midnight to 6 am shift, and the only reason that I was not out there is because I was at Evans Library until 2 am preparing for two exams that I had the next day. After calling my Mom at 4:30 am to let her know that I was alright, I went straight out to the site to help. Walking around campus that day, as you might expect, was eerie as everyone’s face was cold and without expression. We all were stunned, and truly did not know how to handle the grief. I cannot recall most of that next weekend, but I do remember spending a good portion of it at St. Joseph’s hospital because my Crew Chief (sophomore dorm leader) was one of the 27 injured, and he was undergoing several surgeries. All of us who were there at the time of the collapse probably have countless heart-wrenching stories, but I would like to share the following with you. While in the crowded waiting room of the hospital late one night following the tragedy, a scraggly old man in old leather biker gear came limping in the door towards the receptionist desk with a Crown Royal bag draped across his left arm. I could barely overhear his conversation, but he was requesting to meet with a university official. The entire waiting area watched him closely as we were all defensively tracking his every move; he finally met with a university advisor, and before we knew it, he was climbing back on his motorcycle. At that time, the advisor gathered the attention of everyone in the room to announce that this unidentified man was donating his life-savings in the Crown Royal bag to the families of those afflicted with hospital bills. The advisor was quick to point out that this man had been a long-time College Station resident and had forever admired the camaraderie and respect of the Aggie community and insisted that the university accept his small, altruistic donation of well over $1,000. In my humble opinion, this story represents so much more than a good deed performed by a “good Samaritan;” it symbolizes the attitude of the Aggie community and speaks volume for the “spirit that can ne’er be told!”
The issue of Bonfire’s return is one filled with passionate controversy and confusing uncertainty. The point to remember, however, is that the “the Bonfire did not build the Aggie Spirit; the Aggie Spirit built the Bonfire.” In other words, with or without Bonfire, a true Aggie still demonstrates an unparalleled amount of school spirit and does what s/he can to ensure the longevity of that prideful mentality. Bonfire was about introducing the concept of camaraderie and instilling a complimentary work-ethic in those who actively participated. A&M, as you are all aware, is a unique place, and that distinctiveness stems from our community of respect and unity. Challenge yourself, first, to understand fully what it means to be an Aggie and, second, to spread the Aggie Spirit. This all starts with the freshman class, so follow in the wisdom of General O.R. Simpson ’36: “The Aggie Spirit is both your heritage and you legacy; make the most of it!”
[This message has been edited by onearmyag (edited 11/18/2004 11:40p).]
Fightin’ Texas Aggie Bonfire
Texas Aggie Bonfire, which dates back to 1909, is the most visible and world-renown Texas A&M tradition that truly personifies the Aggie Spirit. This tradition that started with a random pile of trash evolved into an extremely detailed modern marvel with a wedding cake design divided into 6 different layers. Through the years, the structure and design changed, but the meaning and symbolism never faded; the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Bonfire represents an Aggie’s “burning desire to beat the hell outta t.u.”
The Bonfire process began each school year in late September with “Cut,” which is where the dorms all converge onto a predetermined site to chop down trees with an axe. Cut took place every Saturday and Sunday morning and would last until about 5 or 6 pm. Tradition had it that the new freshman class “built” the Bonfire each year, so under the guidance of the upper classmen, the fish of each dorm would take immediate ownership in the entire process. The logs that were chopped down each day would be loaded onto a flat-bed truck and transported to the polo grounds on campus. After enough logs were chopped down and the center pole was in place, “Stack,” the strategic process of placing the logs around the center pole, which was buried in the ground for structural soundness, would begin. Two weeks before the t.u. game at Thanksgiving, which is when Bonfire was lit, stack would be accelerated to a 24-hour process, which was referred to as “Push.” During Push, the dorms were assigned to 6-hour shifts where they would assemble at Bonfire site around the clock to complete the stacking process. As the holiday grew near, the final adjustments were made, and then thousands of Aggies from all over would converge on College Station on Thanksgiving night to participate in a yell practice, listen to football coaches and team leaders give motivational speeches, and light the Bonfire that the freshman class had been building for several months.
In the rich history of Aggie Bonfire, there were only two years that it did not burn. In 1963, the United States was mourning the assassination of President Kennedy, and in honor of his death, Texas A&M decided not to light her Bonfire. Mike Marlow, the head yell leader at the time, was quoted as saying, “It is the most we have, but the least we can give!” The Bonfire was actually dismantled log by log, and the student body joined in to reverently honor their fallen president. More recently, however, and perhaps with greater sorrow, Bonfire did not burn (and has not burned since) in 1999 with the tragic Bonfire Collapse. At 2:42 am on Thursday morning, November 18, the Bonfire fell taking with it the lives of 12 Aggies and injuring another 27. At precisely that moment, the entire Aggie community united to extend aid in any conceivable capacity. An emergency crew worked hand-in-hand with the engineering team to remove the logs one-by-one in hopes of saving as many lives as possible.
I was a freshman student at the time, and my dorm was working the midnight to 6 am shift, and the only reason that I was not out there is because I was at Evans Library until 2 am preparing for two exams that I had the next day. After calling my Mom at 4:30 am to let her know that I was alright, I went straight out to the site to help. Walking around campus that day, as you might expect, was eerie as everyone’s face was cold and without expression. We all were stunned, and truly did not know how to handle the grief. I cannot recall most of that next weekend, but I do remember spending a good portion of it at St. Joseph’s hospital because my Crew Chief (sophomore dorm leader) was one of the 27 injured, and he was undergoing several surgeries. All of us who were there at the time of the collapse probably have countless heart-wrenching stories, but I would like to share the following with you. While in the crowded waiting room of the hospital late one night following the tragedy, a scraggly old man in old leather biker gear came limping in the door towards the receptionist desk with a Crown Royal bag draped across his left arm. I could barely overhear his conversation, but he was requesting to meet with a university official. The entire waiting area watched him closely as we were all defensively tracking his every move; he finally met with a university advisor, and before we knew it, he was climbing back on his motorcycle. At that time, the advisor gathered the attention of everyone in the room to announce that this unidentified man was donating his life-savings in the Crown Royal bag to the families of those afflicted with hospital bills. The advisor was quick to point out that this man had been a long-time College Station resident and had forever admired the camaraderie and respect of the Aggie community and insisted that the university accept his small, altruistic donation of well over $1,000. In my humble opinion, this story represents so much more than a good deed performed by a “good Samaritan;” it symbolizes the attitude of the Aggie community and speaks volume for the “spirit that can ne’er be told!”
The issue of Bonfire’s return is one filled with passionate controversy and confusing uncertainty. The point to remember, however, is that the “the Bonfire did not build the Aggie Spirit; the Aggie Spirit built the Bonfire.” In other words, with or without Bonfire, a true Aggie still demonstrates an unparalleled amount of school spirit and does what s/he can to ensure the longevity of that prideful mentality. Bonfire was about introducing the concept of camaraderie and instilling a complimentary work-ethic in those who actively participated. A&M, as you are all aware, is a unique place, and that distinctiveness stems from our community of respect and unity. Challenge yourself, first, to understand fully what it means to be an Aggie and, second, to spread the Aggie Spirit. This all starts with the freshman class, so follow in the wisdom of General O.R. Simpson ’36: “The Aggie Spirit is both your heritage and you legacy; make the most of it!”
[This message has been edited by onearmyag (edited 11/18/2004 11:40p).]