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The only thing wrong with NG is that pitchers cost more than $5 at the Chicken
WHAT!!! Man, old army IS dead...lol
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Regardless I think 99 would have been an obvious choice.
I am glad that '99 was not a part of this statue in any way. Afterall, it is time that we stop remembering Bonfire as just an horrible accident that happened in 99, and remember it for what it was.
Dont get me wrong here....we should never forget, and I never will. But for the past couple years, everyone uses the term Bonfire to describe and accident that killed 12 people and not to describe the awesome tradition that it was. Yes, 99 was a part of its amazing 90 year history, but that is not all there is to it.
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Updated May 13, 2005 6:14 AM
Bonfire-themed sculpture dedicated
By GREG OKUHARA
Eagle Staff Writer
Sculptor Edd Hayes didn’t attend Texas A&M University, but he has plenty of friends who did.
So when he was approached to create a life-size sculpture capturing the tradition and feel of a student Bonfire worker, he had plenty of inspiration to draw upon.
“I feel like it came out pretty good,” he said. “It’s one of the easiest pieces I’ve ever designed.”
The sculpture, titled Aggie Spirit, was dedicated during a ceremony Thursday morning at the Northgate promenade. The $50,000 sculpture was paid for by College Station through the Art Council of Brazos Valley’s public art program. Dudley Construction donated the foundation work.
Hayes said he was able to create the statue without any preliminary sketches or drawings. All it took was the knowledge of A&M’s traditions shared with him by friends.
“I think it shows the life and the spirit that these young people have,” Hayes said.
The 90-year-old Bonfire tradition came to a tragic halt in 1999 when the log structure collapsed while under construction, killing 12 Aggies and injuring 27.
Netta Simek, Arts Council of Brazos Valley president, said the sculpture reflects the strength and hope that A&M students provide for the Bryan-College Station area.
“This symbol of tradition is just a part of what we do every day at the Arts Council,” she said during Thursday’s ceremony. “It captures the courage and determination of an Aggie redpot at work, and shows how Aggies work together toward a common goal.”
A Class of 1995 Aggie ring adorns the right hand of the Bonfire worker. The logs at the base of the sculpture form an “A,” and the student is pointing toward the campus Bonfire site.
“I think it’s symbolic of building teamwork, the teamwork students had building Bonfire and went on to help win World War I and World War II,” said P. David Romei, executive director of the Arts Council.
Romei said there are no numbers on the worker’s helmet, or pot, so all Aggies looking at the sculpture can feel that he’s a part of their classes.
Northgate was chosen as the location for Aggie Spirit because a large number of Aggies will be able to see the sculpture there, Romei said.
“It’s symbolic of respect, and maybe for Aggies who are there it will inspire a certain amount of respect among each other,” he said.
Aggie Spirit is the 25th sculpture installed in the Bryan-College Station area through the Art in Public Places program.
“I’m extremely honored to have been chosen to create this sculpture,” Hayes said. “As students pass by this sculpture, I hope they pause and reflect a little bit. It’s as much a part of them as they are a part of it.”
I thought these two statements were are little weird. If his pot is blank, and he has a 95 ring on...then he is not part of my class.
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The logs at the base of the sculpture form an “A,”
I gotta vent a little about this. I am guessing the "A" stands for Aggie.(?) It really bothers me that everyone seems to not know that our school Letter is the Block T. It is not the aTm (as those are letters), it is not a block A, and it is not a T-Star.
Our letter has always been a block T. You can find it all over campus but whenever you see something official from the university, it is like they are scared of it. They dont want to use it. Our own administrators think that tu has all rights to the block T and we have none.
They have even started making clothes and shirts for kids that say "A is for Aggie." Althought that is cute, and I get it...its for kids. We are going to have a whole generation coming in here at some point (if we dont already) who have no clue what the Block T is for...and will wonder why the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band forms a Signature Block T on Kyle Field and not a Block A.
T = TEXAS Aggies or TEXAS A&M or TEXAS AMC
I know I am probably over-analyzing here. The statue is not the problem, it is just the growing mentality, or loss of knowledge about A&M. Its just like when I have classmates ask me why is there a Granite Block T in the endzone of Kyle Field (Reveille), I have to tell them that that is the stone that use to mark Rev's graves prior to the zone. They say, "oh, but why a block T??" That is the question that hurts me and the "A" doesnt help the problem...not that the problem needs any help.Rant over....
[This message has been edited by Aggie99 (edited 5/13/2005 11:31a).]
