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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBonfire's Painful Legacy ... . Cqmn ~lTJC\.\t .Jl \('" r Thursday November 18,2004 Vol. 130, No. 323, 3 sections BONFIRE: THE ETERNAL SPIRIT The Nov. 18, 1999, Bonfire collapse at Texas A&M University killed 12 Aggies and injured 27 others. 'The Eternal Spirit,' an Eagle special report, looks back at the day that changed Texas A&M forever and takes a closer look at the Bonfire Menlorial. e e INSIDE TODAY High 76, ~ ~ Low 59 . ......... Clouds and sun Forecast! A 7 theeagle.com Bryan-College Station, Texas' 50 cents ADAMS FRAMPTON HAND HEARD KERLEE '[ can't even begin to imagine what the parents and the families that lost people, what they had to go through.' WILL HURD Former student body president at Texas A&M University War to keep brother from dedication By CRAIG KAPITAN Eagle Staff Writer As friends and loved ones of those who died during the Bonfire collapse descend Thursday on Texas A&M Uni- versity's Polo Fields for the memorial unveiling, at least one family member won't be able to make it. Major Scott Frampton, older brother of Bonfire vic- tim Jeremy Frampton, has been busy the past few weeks putting his life on the line near Fallujah, Iraq, as he helps coordinate air support for his fellow Marines. His inability to attend the ceremony alongside his wife and parents is especially dis- appointing given his history with the university, he said. A 1990 A&M graduate, he met his wife while working on the stack. Both he and his brother were proud members of the Corps of Cadets during their time at the school. "After growing up in Col- lege Station and being exposed to the Aggie experi- ence, I really do not think there was any other place to attend," Frampton said this week during an e-mail inter- view from Iraq. "It's just a very special place made up of very special people." The elder Frampton spent most of his childhood in Col- See BROTHER, Page AS '?ii,;ff.'. "* .. WEST BONFIRE'S PAINFUL LEGACY I i""' , II '" t i I A A photograph taken Wednesday through a rain-streaked window in a room on the 12th floor of the Texas A&M University Oceanogra- phy and Meteorology Building shows a handful of officials walking . A&M set for ceremony / A4 . Parking for the event / A4 . Monetary costs from 1999 collapse in the millions / AS . Opinions / A10 Eagle file photo/Dave McDermand Bonfire collapse victim John Comstock yells out In pain while going through rehab In north Dallas in November 2000. I I If; .t;- Unifying. tradition now divides t t. By HOLLY HUFFMAN Eagle Staff Writer An entire graduating class of students has come and gone since the 1999 Bonfire collapse, most never having seen the massive log struc- ture burn on the Texas A&M University campus. For many of those students, the longtime symbol of the Aggies' burning desire to beat the University of Texas during the annual November football game is little more than a tale passed down from previous generations. Some have tried to keep the tradi- tion alive with off-campus burnings, while others argue Bonfire should return to cam- pus or forever be left in the past with its horrifying demise. Five years after the early morning collapse on Nov. 18, 1999, killed 12 Aggies and injured 27, the legend and future of BonfIre have been stuck in limbo. Meanwhile, the university so closely linked to the tradition has looked for ways to move on. The annual fall project built by thousands of eager Aggies was suspended after the collapse - a decision made by former President Ray Bowen and later enforced by President Robert Gates after he assumed his duties in 2002. Whq.t has continued is the mourning of those who lost their lives in A&M's worst disaster, and this fall the uni- versity community again is gathering to remember instead of reveL The $5 mil- lion granite and bronze Bon- See BONFIRE, Page A4. Kmart announces mergerwith Sears Deal would create No.3 retailer in nation By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO Associated Press NEW YORK - A resurgent Kmart, home of the blue light special, is buying the once- dominant Sears department store chain in a surprising $11 billion gamble it is count- ing on to help both better compete with Wal-Mart and other big-box retailers. Led by Kmart Holding Corp. chairman Edward Lam- pert, the new Sears Holdings Corp. would be the nation's third largest retailer. Both chains would survive, but r- . I Today's smile I'm smiling because ... "it's kettle season. " several hundred stand-alone Kmarts throughout the coun- try are expected to be trans- formed into Sears stores. The goal: A quick kick-start to sales away from Sears' tradi- tional base of shopping malls. Lampert and Sears chair- man and CEO Alan Lacy, in announcing the deal on Wednesday, promised up to $500 million a year in savings within three years from store conversions, back-office job cuts, more efficient buying of goods and possible store clos- CAPT. HENRY HOUSTON Bryan Annie's Mailbox..........B6 Business .......B8 Classified.......Cl Comics ..........C6 Crossword......C6 Horoscope .....B6 Lottery...........A9 Obituaries ....A12 Opinions ......Al0 Sports ...........Bl Television..... ..B7 @ 2004 The B~an.College Station Ea~e Publishing Company I 7 12624 00050 f) J1e"se recycle See DEAL, Page A6 Eagle photo/Dave McDermand the grounds of the Bonfire Memorial as final preparations are made for Thursday's dedication. Thousa!1ds are expected to converge on A&M's Polo Fields for the ceremony. More than memories remain for SOme survivors of collapse By KELLY BROWN Eagle Staff Writer Each feels loss for the 12 who didn't make it, but only a handful, including Chip Thiel - who underwent nine hours of surgery to repair a punc- tured lung and a leg broken in 10 places - have reminders of their physical wounds. Still, none knows agony like John Comstock. Comstock, the last survivor' pulled from the wreckage after being crushed for seven hours, became a household name For most of the 27 injured when BonfIre crashed to the ground, life went on. They graduated from Texas A&M University. They found jobs, got married. A few became parents. And although the horrific memories still pull some back into the moments after 5,000 logs dismantled beneath them, the pain is just that - a mem- ory. See SURVIVED, Page AS Johnson to retire in 2005 CS superintendent wants to focus on teaching college courses By SOMMER HAMILTON Eagle Staff Writer my passion for teaching," he said Wednesday. "I hope that I've left the system in a better condition than I've found it." Johnson has been teaching a graduate course on school fmance each week this fall at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, He JOHNSON also taught education courses at Texas A&M University over the sum- mer. He said he and his wife plan to relocate to Central Texas near Cleburne, where he could College Station schools Superintendent Steve Johnson announced Wednesday that he will resign in a year to pursue a new mission - teaching col- lege students how to teach. Johnson, 54, was named superintendent in June 2001 after serving nearly two years as deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction. After 4 1/2 years as the dis- trict's top administrator and 10 years with College Station schools, he will step down Nov. 30, 2005, he said. "My passion for public schools is becoming second to teach at Tarleton State Univer- sity in Stephenville. School board President Marc Chaloupka said Wednes- day he is glad the board will not be rushed in hiring a new superintendent. Trustees will meet in a workshop session in the next few weeks to discuss their plan for a job search and interview process, he said. Johnson told board mem- bers Tuesday night of his plans. Chaloupka said trustees are sad to see him go but are not surprised, because John- son told them when hired that he planned to move on in three to five years. See JOHNSON, Page A7 -. Page M The Bryan-College Station Eagle Thursday, November 18, 2004 LEGACY OF BONFIRE: r-rlIE NIE;\I{)RIAL Shuttle service to J11eJ11orial offered Thousands expected for memorial event By BRETT NAUMAN Eagle Staff Writer Thousands are expected to converge Thursday on Texas A&M University's Polo Fields to dedicate a memori- al honoring the 12 Aggies killed five years ago when Bonfire collapsed. A somber ceremony filled with inspirational hymns and speeches will formally open the Bonfire Memorial, which sits on the site where the 59-foot-tall, 2-million- pound structure of logs crumbled Nov. 18, 1999. Family members of those who died and students who were injured in the collapse are expected to attend the public ceremony. The hour- long event likely will rekin- dle painful recollections of the A&M's worst campus dis- aster, university spokes- woman Cindy Lawson said. "There's going to be a wide range of emotions," she said. "There's going, to be a wide range of emotions. I think each person will be bringing with them memories of that fateful d )) aYe CINDY LAWSON Texas A&M spokeswoman "I think each person will be bringing with them memo- ries of that fateful day." Jerry Ebanks, whose 19- year-old son, Michael, died when the structure fell, and Chip Thiel. who suffered major injuries, will speak on behalf of the dead students' families and the 27 who were hurt. Gov. Rick Perry, A&M President Robert Gates and student body President Jack- son Hildebrand also are fea- tured speakers. Visitors are MEMORIAL COVERAGE Eagle Staff Report through traffic at University Drive, and New Main Drive will be closed at Texas A venue. Entrance to the area during this time will be avail- able through George Bush Drive to Bizzell. During the hours the streets will be closed, those who hold permits to park in P A (parking area) 31 will be allowed to turn right onto Bizzell only when exiting. Permit holders for P A 47 must enter via University Drive to Polo Road. Parking Area 50 will be opened to PA 51 permit hold- ers beginning at 6 a.m., at which time P A 51 will be reserved for handicapped and special guests. At noon, PA 15 and 55 per- mit holders will be able to access the area via George Bush Drive to Bizzell Street only. Also at noon, P A 16 and 54 permit holders may access their lot by way of Ireland and Spence streets. To exit the area, they must use Ross Street to Spence Street. P A 58 permit holders will be allowed to turn left onto Bizzell only when exiting. Central Campus Garage permit holders will need to enter the garage via Bush and Bizzell streets, and Souths ide Garage permit holders should enter and exit onto Bizzell Street. However, between 12:30 and 3:30 p.m., that entrance/exit will be closed and they must use Spence Street. Transportation Services officials say delays should be expected due to increased traffic and necessary check- points in the area, and those who park in these lots should be prepared to show permits at the checkpoints. For those who typically use the shuttle buses, regular bus service will end at 1:30 p.m. Between 1:30 and 6 p.m., bus service will follow the sum- mer schedule and regular night service will begin at 6 p.m. For information on road closures and maps of the area, go to http://transport. tam u.ed u/ specialeven ts/ ann ounce/bonfire.aspx. The Bonfire Memorial dedi- cation will be aired by local tel- evision stations KBTX News 3 and KAMU-TV beginning at 2 p.m. Coverage also can be seen live on the Internet at www.theeagle.com. Off-campus visitors plan- ning to attend the Bonfire Memorial Dedication on Thursday are being asked to park at Post Oak Mall or Reed Arena to board free shuttle buses to the site. No public parking will be available on site the day of the ceremony because of a lack of space in the area, according to a spokesperson for Texas A&M University Transportation Services. Street closures may cause some difficulty for faculty, staff and students who have permits to park in the area around the Polo Fields, offi- cials said. These permit hold- ers may choose to park near J.C. Penney at Post Oak Mall or Reed Arena and ride the free shuttles beginning at 12:30 p.m., officials said. After the ceremony, shut- tles will return passengers beginning at 3:45 p.m. The last bus will leave New Main Drive at 6 p.m. From noon to 4 p.m., Bizzell Street will be closed to 'I'm sure there will be other new traditions. Will they take the place of Bonfire? I doubt it.' ROBERT GATES Texas A&M University president Bonfire I From At fire Memorial built on the campus Polo Fields where the stack fell is set to be dedicated Thursday, the five-year anniversary of the collapse. The massive structure con- sists of 12 portals - each aligned with the direction of the hometown of the Aggie it memorializes. "Just as BonfIre was a sym- bol of Aggie unity, I think the memorial will be as well," Gates said during a recent interview. On each anniversary, people have gathered in silence on the Polo Fields at 2:42 a.m. to remember the tragedy at the precise moment it struck. No early-morning ceremony was planned this year because of the memorial dedication at 2:30 p.m., when thousands are expected to converge on the fIelds. "It's a very quiet place almost in the middle of cam- pus," Gates said, recalling a recent visit to the site. "There were a lot of people out there, but it was almost like going to church. Everybody was very quiet, lost in their own thoughts and emotions. I think that's the way it will be." Gates was working part time as interim dean of A&M's George Bush School of Govern- ment & Public Service when Bonfrre collapsed. He said he and his wife visited the fallen stack and were struck by the thousands of personal memen- tos that mourners and well- wishers left along the perime- ter fence. "People were just in shock," Gates said. "We got a measure of how deeply it affected the entire campus." Will Hurd was student body president that semester and remembered feeling as though he was operating on "autopi- lot" during the days after Nov. 18. He recently remembered that it took three or four weeks before the reality of the col- lapse actually sank in. "It's hard whenever I hear 'Amazing Grace,'" he said. "It takes me back to being out there at the Polo Fields at three in the morning on the night it fell and seeing the mass of wood and the ambulances and the fire trucks. I can't even begin to imagine what the par- ents and the families that lost people, what they had to go through." Since graduating the follow- ing May, Hurd hasn't had any official involvement with the university and its plans for Bonfrre and the memorial, he said. The 27-year-old works as a diplomat for the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, and won't be able to attend the service. But Hurd said the dedication of the memorial fmally may provide closure for Aggies and the families of those injured and killed. "We'll remember this, and hopefully nothing like this will ever happen again," he said. A legacy in limbo It is the former students - Aggies who went to A&M when Bonfire still was a cam- pus institution - who seem to miss the tradition most, Gates said. Bonfire started as a haphaz- ard trash pile in 1909 but even- tually grew into a massive, student-run construction project on campus. It burned every subsequent year except 1963, when President Kennedy was assassinated. Over its 90-year course, the tradition came to dominate campus life during the fall semester as thousands of stu- dents chopped trees, tied the logs together and gathered en masse to set the stack ablaze. Bonfire was, Aggies boasted, the embodiment of their school spirit. And within a few seconds five years ago, it all came crashing down. "I think that people feel like there's SOli of an empty place in the fabric of our traditions, if you will," Gates said. "I think the Bonfire, as much as anything, symbolized Aggie unity. I think Muster and Sil- ver Taps do the same thing. There is nothing like either of those at any other place in the country - they are absolutely unique." Both Muster and Silver Taps are ceremonies that pay tribute to Aggies who have died. Gates is quick to point out that there is more to A&M than Bonfire, or the lack thereof. The College' Station university is known for its academic rigor, sports teams and research, he said. . But Hurd, expressing the sentiment of many former stu- dents, said Bonfire was spe- cial because it provided a common bond among Aggies. It's sad to think that students haven't been able to partici- pate in one of the university's hallmarks, he said. "Bonfire was not about put- ting a bunch of logs together and burning them. It was about the campus coming together for several months and doing a tremendous task," Hurd said. "It was about togetherness." The tradition wasn't started by administrators or former students, he said - it was members of the Corps of Cadets celebrating a victori- ous football game. The idea to build a bonfire was sponta- neous, and whatever tradition eventually replaces the mas- sive log structure likewise cannot be forced, he explained. Gates agreed that A&M's traditions should be student- driven. Virtually all the tradi- tions at the university have been started by students, and Bonfire was no different "The traditions come into being because of the students - it's a living thing," the pres- ident said. "I'm sure there will be other new traditions. Will they take the place of Bonfire? I doubt it." From time to time, Gates receives e-m&ils with opin- ions about what ultimately should happen with Bonfire and possible alternatives. But the tradition's future will not be discussed while lawsuits stemming from the collapse are pending, he has said. So for now, Gates simply invited to tour the memorial after the ceremony. The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band and other musical groups from A&M will pro- vide entertainment starting about 30 minutes before the dedication begins at 2:30 p.m. A&M officials said they could not predict how many will attend the ceremony, although unofficial esti- mates range from 5,000 to 40,000, Lawson said. After- noon classes for the univer- sity's 44,500 students have been canceled so they can attend. Clear skies and tempera- tures in the 70s should pre- vail when the ceremonies begin, National Weather Ser- vice officials in Houston said. Security officers man the perimeter of the Bonfire Memorial on Wednesday as final preparations are Eagle photo/Dave McDermand made for Thursday's dedication. The ceremony begins at 2:30 p.m. It is obvious, Babb said, . That spirit is what drove that both the Bonfire collapse students to disassemble the and the suspension of the tra- massive log structure in 1963 dition have affected, if not following the assassination of divided, the university and. President Kennedy, he said, its students. and it's what prompted an Five years after the col- outpouring of concern in 1999 lapse, he said, probably two- when the 5,000 logs toppled. thirds of the student body rec- Students are pushing for ognizes the loss of Bonfire new activities to rekindle the and misses the tradition, but Aggie spirit, he said. The manages to move forward recently established fall without it. The remaining activities council has third instead focuses its ener- attempted to coordinate fes- gy on off-campus bonfires not tivities leading up the annual sanctioned by the university. A&M-UT football game in an "Bonfire was here to unite a attempt to fill with events a campus. It was here to unify a semester left empty without student body," Babb said. Bonfire. The tradition brought The Farmers Fight Fest, a together Aggies from all carnival and concert on the walks of life - current and Simpson Drill Field in fall former students, those living 2002, was one of those activi- on and off campus, members ties designed to give students of the Corps of Cadets, foot- something to do during a time ball players and sorority and previously reserved for Bon- fraternity members, he said. fire. "It's so important that we But just three years recognize Bonfire did not removed from the collapse, build Aggie spirit," Babb many students weren't ready said. Rather, Aggie spirit is for a replacement, and the fes- "what pushed Bonfire for 89 tival didn't go over well, Babb or 90 years." said. files the suggestions away for use at a later date. "Who knows what the future is for Bonfire," he said. Filling the void A&M senior Josh Babb, chairman of the Traditions Council, never saw Aggie Bonfire burn. He was a fresh- man when then-President Bowen announced in 2002 that plans to overhaul Bonfire would be shut down because of ongoing safety concerns. The 21-year-old recalls standing in the Memorial Stu- dent Center Flag Room, where scores of Aggies gath- ered to learn of Bowen's deci- sion, as the news was broad- cast on television. The reac- tion on the faces of the sen- iors - students who were freshmen the year Bonfire collapsed - surrounding him was "unreal," he remem- bered. "It was like you were taking away a piece of them," Babb said. "Some say it was. the last standing piece of what a lot of people called Old Army." But he believes the student body has become more uni- fied in the past five years by rallying around' the memory of those lost and looking to other unique traditions, such as Silver Taps, Muster and saying "Howdy" to one anoth- er while walking across cam- pus. "We've had to turn to those and look at the hemi of what A&M is all about," Babb said. "Bonfire is the single greatest . loss ... this university has ever experienced, but it also has been the single most uni- fying loss this university ever experienced. " 'This is their occasion' Traditions have come and gone at Texas A&M through- out its 128-year history, as the all-male university became cooed and membership in the Corps of Cadets become optional. Bill Kibler, a forme!: Bonfire adviser who was a Texas A&M student affairs administrator at the time of the collapse, said those changes altered the face of the university, but the Aggie spirit survived. "I've found the notion of Aggie spirit to be an extraor- dinarily resilient concept that kind of lives in hearts and souls of people," said Kibler, who left A&M in May for Mis- sissippi State University and is returning Thursday for the memorial service. An immensely sad period began Nov. 18, 1999, when Bonfire toppled, former Presi- dent Bowen recalled last week. Like a terrible sickness within a large family, the deaths of 11 students and one former student made many reflect on the frailties of life, he said. "I think, in a sense, the fam- ily has moved forward after a great loss. You get about your main business and begin to function again, but I don't think you ever put it out of your mind," said Bowen, who stepped down in 2002 after eight years as president "When you lose a member of your family, it affects you the rest of your life." Bowen, among the adminis- trators since sued by families of the dead and those injured, said most students who were at A&M when Bonfire col- lapsed have graduated, and that's a good thing. Universi- ties continually refresh them- selves with new crops of stu- dents, which allows them to look forward rather than back, he said. But there is no shortage of those in the community - former students, administra- tors and rescue workers - who still think about the col- lapse and the pain it caused the Aggie family, he said. And that pain pales in comparison to the sadness felt by families who lost sons, daughters, brothers and sisters in the collapse. "You can put in your soul something like this and insu- late around it, but it comes out at times," Bowen said. "It must be very hard on the fam- ilies. "This is their occasion." . Holly Huffman's e-mail address is hhuffman@theeagle.com. t . ( The Bryan-College Station Eagle Page AS Thursday, November 18, 2004 LEGACY OF BONFIRE: 1~IIE NIE~1(JRIAL Monetary costs from collapse in the millions By CRAIG KAPITAN Eagle Staff Writer Texas A&M University racked up an estimated $5 million bill to build the Bonfire Memorial, which is set to be unveiled Thursday. While the endeavor might be among the most expensive Bonfire- related costs incurred by the insti- tution in the five years since the deadly collapse, it certainly isn't the only one. Memorial scholarships, reim- bursed travel and funeral costs for the families of those who perished, hospital bills and a lengthy investi- gation into how the catastrophe occurred have added millions of dollars in expenses over the past five years. Some of those payments have come from charity funds created in the hours after the Nov. 18, 1999, collapse, while others have come from insurance policies or univer- sity funds. In the months following the Bon- fire collapse, the university doled out $10,000 through its insurance policy to the guardians of each Aggie killed, according to docu- ments obtained by The Eagle in 2001. With 12 deaths, the benefits totaled $120,000. In addition, nearly everyone of the victims who required an overnight stay in the hospital received another $10,000 in bene- fits. The most severely injured sur- vivor, John Comstock, is thought to have received $15,000. With 11 of the 12 Aggies who died still enrolled in classes at the time of Bonfire collapse, the university also reimbursed parents for fees and tuition expenses incurred dur- ing the semester of the collapse. An additional $378,030 in pay- ments were given during that same nance of the site, officials have said. Most of the money donated to the Bonfire Memorial Fund has been used to create. 13 scholarships - one named after each person who died and an additional one in honor of those who were injured. In all, the scholarship costs have totaled about $650,000. But not all university expenses have been aided by insurance or charitable funds. An investigation into the cause of the collapse by the Special Commis- sion on the 1999 Aggie Bonfire cost the university an additional $1.8 million. The commission's findings were released in May 2000. And with half a dozen families of fallen Aggies filing lawsuits against the university alongside several injured students - at least one of whom, Comstock, is expected to have medical expenses for the rest of his life - the university's future expenses are uncertain. "They were hoping that A&M would do the right thing and take responsibility," said the plaintiffs' attorney, Darrell Keith, explaining that part of that is paying an ade- quate amount of compensatory damages. "But that did not happen, so it was necessary for them to retain lawyers." Although attorneys won't reveal the amount they are seeking for their clients, Keith said his expens- es alone in preparing for the trial will probably be in the millions. That makes it highly unlikely the plaintiffs will want to settle for less. Meanwhile, the university has been assigned a team of lawyers from the Texas Attorney General's Office to put together a defense. Rescue workers try to free victims trapped under tons of logs that collapsed Nov. 18, 1999, during the building of Bonfire at Eagle file photo/Dave McDermand Texas A&M University. Monetary costs of the collapse total in the millions. time period - including $129,500 to families of those killed and $248,530 distributed among the 27 injured students - from donations to the Bonfire Relief Fund, set up by the Association of Former Students. Families were asked by the organization - which has received about $600,000 for the fund - to request more money, if needed, to cover expenses related to the col- lapse. Today, about $250,000 remains in an interest-bearing account set aside for long-term medical care for those who were injured. In addition to the Bonfire Relief Fund, the Bonfire Memorial Endowment Fund was created in the days following the collapse to help manage the flood of donations from people moved by the incident. "Money just started pouring in," university spokeswoman Cindy Lawson said Wednesday, explain- ing that people have continued to donate through the years. "The number is constantly fluctuating." The memorial fund, operated by the Texas A&M Foundation, has raised about $900,000 - roughly $250,000 of which has been con- tributed to the building of the memoriaL Most of the $5 million memorial has been paid for with interest earned on the university's reserve funds, Lawson said. Additional money will be needed for mainte- . Craig Kapitan's e-mail address is ckapitan@theeagle.com. 'We're the lucky ones. The 27 of us have our lives. We're a living memorial.' CHIP THIEL One of 27 who were injured in the 1999 Bonfire collapse Survived I From A1 I among Aggies who followed his recovery from near-death until he was released from the hospi- tal after five months. Then 19, he went home in a wheelchair. His left leg had been amputated just above the knee. He made it a goal to walk by his 21st birthday. Five years later, he's still in a wheel- chair. To walk again remains his objective. But his recovery has been slow and arduous, hin- dered by limitations his body mandates, not his mind. Information about the recu- peration process for the 24- year-old - who patiently answered questions from the media in the year following the worst disaster in A&M's histo- ry - isn't as detailed as in pre- vious years. One thing that changed is Comstock, whose medical bills easily exceeded $2 million by the one-year anniversary, hired a lawyer, and a lawsuit was fIled in 2002. What followed was an order from a district judge that required Texas A&M and Com- stock's side not to comment about the case, scheduled for trial in March. "There are quite a few ongo- ing co'l1cerns and medical needs for John," said Bryan attorney Scott Scherr, who two years ago estimated Com- stock's lifetime medical expenses would exceed $5 mil- lion. "He's still undergoing intensive physical therapy. I can't elaborate beyond that." Comstock fell 50 feet from the fourth stack, and only his left arm was free from the jumbled logs pinning him. In previous interviews, he played down his paralysis and internal injuries, saying the pain is just a reminder that he's alive. "Medically, I guess I am a miracle," he told The Eagle in November 2000. "Maybe the Brother t I From A1 lege Station' and graduated from A&M Consolidated High School in 1986, but by the time it was Jeremy's turn to pick a college, the family had uproot- ed to California. It was due partially to his brother's stories about A&M and its traditions - including Scott's many nights spent wiring logs on top of the Bon- . . purpose for me surviving this is that I might inspire some ' other people in a tough situa- tion to realize they can get through." He resumed his studies at A&M in 2001, but ongoing health complications forced him to drop out the following year. In between, his older brother was in a serious motorcycle accident in Florida, breaking more than 100 bones. Father Philip Postell, presi- dent of the Jesuit College Preparatory School Comstock attended in Dallas, said the family's strength has been miraculous. "Their mom, Dixie, was still putting her younger son back together when the older one was hurt - it was emotionally depleting for everyone," Postell said last week. Comstock, who took classes at Richland Community Col- lege while living with his mother and stepfather in Richardson, returned to A&M earlier this year and is a junior five years after first starting school. Scherr said Comstock likely will be able to take only six to nine hours of coursework a semester due to his physical limitations, including nerve damage to his right hand and wrist that restricts movement. Outside of Comstock's circle of friends and classmates, he can get by relatively unrecog- nized on campus because most students still were in high Eagle file photo/Butch Ireland school or eighth grade when Bonfire victim Chip Thiel Is applauded as he enters Kyle Field for the Texas A&M-Unlversity of Texas game in 1999. Bonfire collapsed. But anonymity is probably where the man who said he doesn't want sympathy from anyone wants to be. "I'm alive, and that's more than anyone ever expected," Comstock said in the 2000 inter- view. "Some people don't get the chance to wake up like I did. I'll take life any way I can get it." Injured Aggies Ten students and one former student were killed when the stack of logs weighing 2 million . pounds - more than twice the weight of a 747 jumbo jet - crashed to the ground in less than 10 seconds. An 11th stu- dent, who at 17 was the youngest victim, died the fol- lowing day in a hospital. Several of the 27 injured were hospitalized for days, including Bill Davis, Dominic Braus, J.J. Washam and Thiel. Their images are not on the Bonfrre Memorial that will be dedicated Thursday - and that's just the way it should be, Thiel said. "We're the lucky ones," said Thiel, who works as a fmancial adviser in Sugar Land and lives with his wife, Stephanie, in Richmond. "The 27 of us have our lives. We're a living memorial. This structure is a memorial to 12 lives and a tra- dition left behind." Thiel was on the fourth tier of Bonfrre with three buddies he met in the Corps of Cadets when the stack started to cnun- ble. Two fell straight down to the ground, and the third was crushed by heavy timber. Why Thiel jumped from the other side is something he said he'll never know. "I think about them every single day," said Thiel, who was asked to speak at the dedi- cation ceremony for the memo- rial, which he describes as "breathtaking. " While the tragedy took the Lives of three of his closest friends - Chris Breen, Jeremy Frampton and Jerry Don Self - Thiel said he won't let it take the life out of him. "I don't believe in closure - there's no such thing," said Thiel, who still has pain in his leg where doctors implanted a steel rod. "What happened that morning is part of my life. Has it kept me from living my life? No. I am four years in,to a career I love and have a won- derful wife. I'm living the American dream as far as all that's concerned. "Has the collapse had a last- ing affect on my life? Absolute- ly. How could it not? I can't close that pali and drive away. It's a pali of all of us and always will be, but life has to go on." . Kelly Brown's e-mail address is kbrown@theeagle.com. frre stack - that made Jeremy certain he wanted to return to Texas, family members have said. "My fondest memories are of going to cut site," Scott Framp- ton recalled this week. "Chop- ping logs with my Corps bud- dies was a great experience. Nothing like hard work to build friendships and charac- ter, my upperclassmen always reminded us." Then he met his wife, Polly, when they were assigned to be Bonfrre Buddies - randomly paired students who are sup- posed to give each other gifts and support through the build- ing process. "I consider myself one of the luckiest men in the world to have met her, and it was through Bonfrre," he said. Scott Frampton was sworn into the Marine Q.>rps on the A&M campus in 1990, follow- ing the path of a fellow cadet who left a good impression on him. The career soldier currently is serving his frrst tour of duty in Iraq, and he doesn't expect to return home to his wife and three children in San Diego until February or March of next year. While Frampton said he very much would like to attend the ceremony Thursday to share with other families the grief and memories of the fallen Aggies, duty to country and the Marine Corps is more important. It's something Jeremy would have under- stood, he said. The last time the 37-year-old visited campus was in late 1999, when he traveled with his father after the collapse to pick up his brother's belong- ings "It was very difficult then, and I'm sure it will be very dif- ficult in the future," he said. "However, I must admit that I have some of my fondest mem- ories around Texas A&M. "Going back will always be a mixture of complex feelings." In the past, he said, the uni- versity's tradition, cama- raderie. spirit, toughness and kindness always have been a consoling force for him. The Bonfire Memorial hopefully will symbolize all those things, he said. And if things become too bit- tersweet during future visits to the memorial, he said, there are always longtime hangouts to help him remember the good times in Aggieland shared by him and his brother - albeit a decade apart. "A burger from the Chicken Oil Co. and a beer from the. DLxie Chicken will set things right," he said. "Jeremy loved these things as well." . Craig Kapitan's e-mail address is ckapitan@theeagle.com.