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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEternal Spirit Page 12 The Bryan-College Station Eagle Thursday, November 18, 2004 -J" ;)fJ~ ,. , t t . .. . THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2004 THE. . , ~ Page 2 The Bryan-College Station Eagle . Thursday, November 18, 2004 LEGACY OF BONFIRE: THE DESIGN .. i. .... VOICES CAPTURED IN TIME ... - Nov. 18, 1999 - Sophomore Diana Estrada was one of dozens of students helping to build Bonfire and was about 100 yards from the stack when it fell at 2:42 a.m. "It justtDppled Dver, and the wires snapped and Ihe ligltis slar/ed sj)arking and gDing DU and Dff" she said. "Jl'r ran Ol'er there as fast as we ro/lld, and we cDuld see legs stickiug DUt aud hf{[ r J}eDPle screaming." . Closing the circle, honoring a -legacy Sophomore Michael Guerra said he left the site for a few minutes, then returned to find that the structure had collapsed. "PeDple were runuing arDuud mlling J)eDj)le's /la1lles and crying," he said. "Olher peDPle were just like zo1llbies. The)' cDuldu't belit've this had haJ)J}('lIed." . As day broke and word of the collapse spread, thousands of students flocked to tlle open fields around the site. Jhe air was still, punctuated by whispers, sobs and sounds of rescue equipment. The quiet was the result of shoc~ respect for the dead and tllOse whose fates were unknown, and the commands of rescuers trying to listen for survivors in tlle rubble. Television broadcast trucks appeared seemingly from nowhere, and before long dozens packed into the parking lots nearest the construction site. In an eene JuxtapOSItIon, a row of hearses waited a few hundred yards away for the next victim to be pulled from the pile of logs. Elsewhere on campus, students walked solemnly from class to class. "1fxas A &M is knDwu as Due Df the frimdliesl mlflJJI(SeS, bul ii's diffireut IDdfl)'," freshmau Paige Mausfield said. "EVft)'DlIe's q/lid. It~s crreJJ)'. Chilliug, aI1llDsl." (Conlillued, Nexl Page) Eagle photo/Butch Ireland The $5 million Texas A&M Bonfire Memorial was constructed at the spot where Bonfire collapsed Nov. 18, 1999. The accident killed 12 and injured 27. Granite monument built to represent Bonfire tragedy By BRETT NAUMAN Eagle Staff Writer cates the Bonfire Memorial, built where the tradition for years burned with pride and in an instant ended with horror. The memorial will forever link the tradition to the tragedy of Nov. 18, 1999, said George Rogers, director of the memorial and a professor of landscape architecture. "This memorial Viill help people understand why those 12 Aggies were out on that stack at 2:42 a.m. when it fell," Rogers said. "They all under- stood what the spirit of Bonfire was about. " The $5 million monument sits on A&M's Polo Fields at the spot where the 59- foot stack crumbled as students worked on the final stages of construction. A dozen rectangular portals and 27 granite blocks form the memorial's circular perimeter, known as Spirit Ring, representing those who were killed and injured in the worst disaster to occur on the A&M campus. Within the 14-foot- tall pOlials are bronze likenesses of the 11 students and on6 former stu- dent who died. Each portal opens to the center of the memorial and faces the hometown of the individual it honors. As visitors step into each portal, they symbolically fill the void left by the Aggie who died in the collapse, Rogers said. Writings from each Aggie and his or her family adorn the interior. It's the tradition that, for many, still symbolizes everything that is great about Texas A&M Universi- ty - the sheer commitment and spir- it that binds Aggies. For three months every fall, stu: dents chopped down trees and wired the logs together, working as a team to build the massive Bonfire. Through gallons of sweat, friendships were forged and lead- ers were born as the school demonstrated its "burning desire" to beat rival Univer- sity of Texas in the annual football game. One morning five years ago, 90 years of tradition came crash- ing down. Twelve Aggies who were building the log structure lost their lives when Bonfire collapsed on Nov. 18, 1999. Twenty-seven others were injured. The tragedy exact- ed a tremendous human toll in the few seconds it took the 2 million pounds of logs to topple like matchsticks. It left a proud universi- ty struggling to fill the void left by one of its most beloved traditions. And it's something Aggies say they always will remember. Not long after the collapse, the campus set about finding an appro- priate way to honor the victims, as well as the tradition's legacy. Years of planning and construction will culminate Thursday as A&M dedi- "We knew from the start this was something we could put our heart and soul into. The project just seemed right. We're hoping the memorial will touch people in many different ways?' JEFF RUSSELL Overlalld Partllers' project a rcll itect for tile Texas A&M BOllfire Memorial :Lrj&4~-r.-r!.---. If. ~mt-.~ \ ~. '.'."-~ ~, ." , . - "-0 <::::;) '....0 '; .... I; ~ I) 1"" Eagle photo/Butch Ireland The path leading to the Spirit Ring begins with a representation of the first Bonfire. " Eagle photo/Butch Ireland The Bonfire Memorial is lighted around its perimeter at night with an amber glow. The trip through the Bonfire Memorial begins at Tradition Plaza, the small area where visitors enter. "The Last Corps Trip" - the poem read before BonfIre was lighted - is engraved on a plaza wall. The plaza leads to a walkway that connects visitors to Spirit Ring. The path has 89 granite stones that repre- sent each Bonfire burned since the tradition began in 1909. The stone for the year 1963 is miss- ing. Bonfire festivities were canceled that year after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. San Antonio-based design firm Overland Partners beat out 194 other competitors to win the contract for the memorial. Jeff Russell, a 1981 A&M graduate and the project archi- tect, said the firm employs several Aggies who worked on Bonfire and passionately threw themselves into creating a winning memorial design. "We knew from the start this was something we could put our heart and soul into," Russell said. "The project just seemed right. We're hop- ing the memorial will touch people in many different ways." The firm's design team worked directly with family members of the Aggies killed in the collapse. Sculp- tor Erik Christianson used pictures to re-create the faces of the fallen Aggies for the portals, Russell said. "One thing we heard from the fam- ilies was, 'We want this to represent our kids,'" Russell said of Overland's meetings with the parents. "That inspired us. There's no way you can't be moved by that." The memorial is set to be formally unveiled Thursday during a 2:30 p.m. public ceremony marking the five- year anniversary of the collapse. But it already has affected those who vis- ited it in recent weeks, Rogers said. "The memorial means more to peo- ple than I ever could have thought possible," he said. "There's so many hidden layers of meaning. It exceeds all my expectations." Most of the structure is granite. Those areas represent the tradition of Bonfire, including the dedication, teamwork and leadership of workers who built it each year, Rogers said. Bronze inside the portals and on . each of the 27 granite stones repre- sents the individuals killed and injured in the accident. Kristen Unger, whose older sister Jamie Lynn Hand was killed in the collapse, said she appreciates that the memorial honors not only the tradition of Bonfire, but victims like her sister. Unger's husband, Bruce, also is recognized in the memorial. He was a Bonfire worker who broke several fingers and injured his ankle when he fell from the stack during the col- lapse, and his name is engraved in one of the 27 granite stones. Texas A&M President Robert Gates said the memorial has a rever- ent feel to it. "It's a very quiet place almost in the middle of campus," Gates said. "It's almost like being in church. As you approach it and see the whole thing from a distance, I think it's . awe-inspiring." Media from across the state are expected to descend on College Sta- tion for Thursday's dedication, A&M officials said. What remains uncer- tain is how many current and former students will attend. The committee in charge of the dedication ceremony has estimated the crowd could swell to 40,000. "I believe there will be a big crowd," Rogers said. "It's very impor- tant to Aggies. We'll see how much on Thursday at the dedication." . Brett Nauman's e-mail address is bnauman@theeagle.com. t . ,. . Thursday, ~ovember 18, 2004 LEGACY OF BONFIRE: IN PIHJf()GRAPHS The Bryan-College Station Eagle Page 11 The outpouring of grief and sorrow. following the Bonfire collapse produced countless memorable and moving images. Photographs snapped after the tragedv often revealed stories and emotions that words could n~t adequately convey. Years later, those images carry tlle viewer back to a time when the community mourned I and came togetller in the face of unspeakable loss. -- . -~....~ -~ ,":'. '>;.~" ~ - .. ,':~,t;-W~'~i,.,: .~: ,": '.~:. ":~.' :"-C<:._'-,. -'- -:. ';::<: .'. . ~ ..'''1tM.,'''..>i#;< ^ . ,.~^" .',. Y'''.lVd ^ ~ <M\.". """" 'C',.:"": ..;;;.: #', .,r ..' ...~ .... I ....~~ ,. .. --.. ".... I ..,;:. .,,"'.1 -~~'''~.~~~ "i;'~ ~ ... ~f: .. "" .>-':,.Y:; Eagle file photo/Dave McDermand Twelve crosses were placed near the Bonfire site shortly after the collapse to represent the 12 Aggles who were killed. Before dawn on the morning of the collapse, students mill around the collapse site, lit by searchlights. Rescue workers sent students outside the perimeter of the Bonfire construction site. ,11 -'0/ Eagle file photo Butch Ireland Eagle file photo/Dave McDermand Above: Kristin West, sister of Bonfire victim Nathan SCQtt West, attends a memorial ceremony on the one-year anniversary of the collapse. The rainy ceremony was held at the exact time Bonfire fell. Below: A small shrine bearing the date of the disaster lies outside the west fencing of the collapse site the day after the accident. " ~ l ~~\ ~. t "i'M Eagle file photo/Butch Ireland .. .~ .. ,,~ i(~. I "l "L .i .. ./ ~~ .. I .t~ ~ i~ No ,~~..i/h .",,<<-- :.u.."'t:: ~~~.... "'.... W' .~ ,1. " I I I ~"fC~ ... I ,"..' l..,;, ~ .. ..:~~:.;.: ~'('\'-. '~.....- ~ ,.' j/ ~...-:~')~" 'r- . i J >~,,/\, ~(P, / :/ .' ,," " ~,.-,.( .< .~ ~.". Eagle file photo/Butch Ireland Eagle file photo/Dave McDermand .... "/ .~. ;~ f' "..... ...A. ;........ ~<:ll .~-; ..... .i"'f,,~,,- ~ ,~. r~ J " .,-.<' .It' , {j t J. \" 4. Jf!'r ~~,... ,^~ /, "'f' "" ....... Go ,,,,1'<1 ... .. 'F ".. 4 ... ~.) " i=~ ~, Eagle file photo/Butch Ireland Above: Brian Gamble celebrates after recovering a fumble near the end of the fourth quarter to help seal A&M's 20-16 victory over Texas on Nov. 26, 1999. Above left: Chad Hutchinson, surrounded by notes from well- wishers, suffered a collapsed lung and facial fractures in the accident. Left: Jayme Speer whoops it up with tens of thousands of other Aggies at Midnight Yell Practice a week after the collapse. The yell practice replaced the one traditionally held before Bonfire was lighted. 1".. Texas A&M student Jeff Whiting left his Aggie Ring in front of the flagpole of the Administration Building on the A&M campus on the day after the tragedy. It was part of a shrine that grew there throughout the day. .t """ ;, Eagle file photo Butch Ireland I I Page 4 The Bryan-College Station Eagle Thursday, November 18, 2004 LEGACY OF BONFIRE: rT'11E r'ALL()lrr AND 11lE FUrrURE . VO ICES CAPTURED IN TIME .oo As news of the Bonfire accident spread\ A&M's phone and computer systems were o\'enrhelmed , by messages from people all orer the world. By 5 p.m. Nor. 19\ the front page of A&M's Web site had been \iewed more than 2 million times, oHicials said\ up from 1.08 million hits Nov. 18 and 450.000 hits the day before. , , . Pinned to the ground by three massive logs, Alex Jones lay face down amid a pile of timber\ keeping a single thought in l~is mind and heart: God was there. "He is absolllte'-)' the on0' thing that will gel llS through," the jreshilia n said the da)' after the Bonfire collajJse, recoveringfrom mts and bmises. "He was with lfle frolll the llIolllent the Bonfire callie crashing down on IlS. I llIight be a big gllJ, bllt I'IlI not strong fTlollgh to sllstain what I did. I Ie did it." Jones was one of 27 Texas A&M Uni\'ersitv students , injured in' the school's dead- liest disaster, but he counted himself among the "so very lucky and blessed." . II , I I I I Texas A&M University senior JefrWhiting scrawled out a note and placed it amid a cluster of flowers near the Administration Building. Then\ he slipped the thick, gold ring from his finger and laid it atop the small slip of paper. .His script read: '''/0 ollr fallell Aggies, I want )'ou all to wenr Ill)' ring toda)' sinCf )'ou who have jJassed ([((Ia)' will never gef to e.\jJfrifTIcf the jo)' and hajJJJinfss I was fortllnate fllOllgh to feel. I want )'Oll all to havf /II)' ringfor awhile. YOIl will relllain in /Jill' henrts forfver. (signed) Jdf Whiting '00" And then he walked away. To the 12 lost members of the Aggie family\ he oHered his senior ring - the ultimate symbol of pride and achie\'ement among A&M students. (Contiulled, Nfxt Page) I I, II I I 1\ I' I I II '[The designers] really treated it as a work of love. And for that, I think we're all grateful.' TIM KERLEE SR. Speaking about the Bonfire Memorial FIRST IMPRESSIONS Victims' families share their thoughts on the Bonfire Memorial A few family members of the 12 Aggies killed in the Bonfire collapse saw the memorial for the first time Wednesday, but most already walked through it when they came to campus a month ago for an infor- mal gathering organized by Texas A&M officials. Several made the trip on their own. The following are their impressions. * Of the nine jurors who selected a design for the Bonfire Memorial, only one - Richard West - lost a child to the collapse. The father of Nathan Scott West credited the artist who creat- ed the Aggies' sculptures for the memorial as "extremely talented." The tough part for the family, he said, was choosing from a mountain of available material the letters and. quotes that would accompany Scott's likeness. "What it does is it gives you a shadowy feeling of him, what kind of personality he was, what kind of person he was," Richard said. "It's more of an effort to transmit some little idea of what Scott was like to people who might come visit it in 20,30 years," * After a recent visit to the memo- rial, Jerry Ebanks said the monu- ment honoring his son, Michael, was not what he expected. "I think it's great," Jerry said. "When we first saw the design, we were not too excited about it, but it is a lot more elaborate with all the Aggie symbolism, so we began to get real excited. It is quite a piece of art." * Andrea Heard has been back to College Station only once since her son, Christopher, died in the Bon- fire collapse. Thursday's dedication will be the first visit for her husband, Les, in five years. The Heards said it will be hard to return, but they are looking' forward to taking their first in-per- son look at the memorial. "We were impressed with the people who put it together," Andrea . said. "They were so sensitive to our feelings, and the sculptor did an awesome job. He really wanted to get it right." * Jim Kimmel and his wife, Walieta, arrived in College Station on Wednesday with two of their older children and their families for the Thursday dedication honoring their son, Lucas. Jim said he was impressed with the memorial when he saw it a few weeks ago. "I think it is a wonderful thing," he said. "It is hard to say what I like most When you walk in there and someone was on the other side of it, it amplifies your voice, and it echoes like a chamber. It's like you're in a world all by yourself." * Mike Self, father of Bonfire vic- tim Jerry Don Self, said he had the chance to preview the memorial when he was in College Station for the Texas A&M-C1emson football game Sept. 18. He said he liked the design and thought it was a fitting tribute to Andrea and Less Heard, who lost their son, Christopher, in the Bonfir& collapse, were Impressed by tl1e work on the Bonfire Memorial. "They Eagle photo/Butch Ireland were SQ sensitive to our feelings, and [sculptor Erik Christianson] did an awesome Job. He really wante.d to get it right," Andrea said. those who lost their lives. "It's for the memory of the kids; they needed to do it right for the kids," he said. * Miranda Adams' parents have embraced the memorial as some- thing they say will honor their daughter as long as the bronze por- trait of her stands on the grounds of her favorite university. It was hard to include everything their 19-year-old daughter did to explain her to the world, father Kenny Adams said. He said he's most pleased that her portrait shows her "wonderful smile and expressive eyes." "There was so much to talk about her, especially to put that into a bronze piece so that the reader can figure it out many years down the road," Kenny said. "But it's not hard to figure that out once you turn around and look at her.portrait." * Tim Sr. and Janice Kerlee said recently they wished the memorial had been something more tradition- al and more recognizably tied to Texas A&M, such as having all 12 in bronze carrying a log or linked arm in arm together. But the Kerlees said the memorial that in part honors their son, 17- year-old Timothy Kerle~ Jr., still is beautiful. "They really treated it as a work of love," Tim Sr. said. "And for that, I think we're all grateful." The couple worries that some of the symbolism -; such as the stone steps that lead up to the memorial ring to stand in for the years of Bonfire - won't be obvious to a first-time visitor. The bronze portrait also makes it hard to see what their son really looked like, Janice Kerlee said. "Some things just don't trans- late," she said. "But I think it's as good as any memorial." * A picture taken while Chris Breen was on a camping excursion is the one the family chose tor the bronze relief sculpture. His smile shines through. . "The sculptor did a beautiful job with Chris," his mother, Marian Breen, said proudly. Knowing they weren't coming to the memorial ceremony later in the mQnth, Marian and husband John made the trip a few weeks ago. It was late in the afternoon on a Sat- urday when the~ quietly toured the Carolyn Adams wears a pin with her daughter Miranda's picture In It. Miranda was ope of the 12 Aggles killed In the 1999 Bonfire collapse. Eagle photo Butch Ireland memorial alone. "I thought on whole it was stiff," Marian said. "There's something foreboding about the memorial - maybe it's just my take on it. "At night, I'm sure it's lovely with the lightirTg there to soften it and make it more mellow, more emo- tional," she said. One thing that visitors will not see at the memorial is a picture of Bonfire, though the entire theme is centered around A&M's one-time ~ost-revered tradition. "I feel very positive about that," Marian said. "It shouldn't be about a Bonfire. It should be about these 12. "The less said about a Bonfire, the better." * Neva Hand said recently she . has mixed feelings about the Bon- fire Memorial, although she does think it's a beautiful and symbolic work of art - something her daughter, Jamie Lynn Hand, an aspiring artist, would have appreci- ated. While each of the 12 Aggies killed when Bonfire collapsed are honored, Neva said the memorial is more about honoring A&M's 90-year tradition. The idea of honoring the 12 seems somewhat strange, Neva said. . . "My daughter is not some kind of . hero. It's not like she gave her life. Their lives were taken by a freak accident," she said. "I have to ask why is my child being memorial- ized." * Neither Judi Frampton Hed- strom, who lives in New York, nor Richard Frampton, who lives in California, had seen the Bonfire Memorial before coming to College Station for the dedication ceremony. At first, Judi had mixed feelings about the memorial honoring the 12 Aggies killed, including her son, Jeremy, because OT its hefty price tag. Having lived and worked in a third-world country since her son's death, she knew there were other things the money could be used for, she said. But since then, she said, she has realized the benefit in having a place for her son's words and mem- ory to inspire other generations of Aggies. "I've come around, and I see now that there's real value in that," she said. ~ Bonfire's suspension has harmed traditions, some say By GREG OKUHARA Eagle Staff Writer Texas A&M University is defined by the ,many tradi- tions that have emerged dur- ing its long history. But none seemed to match the sense of purpose and glory that stirred the Aggies each fall when the time for BonfIre approached. Then came the 1999 collapse and subsequent suspension of the annual event. Now, some current and former students say the banishment of Bon- fITe from campus has had a far-reaching effect on many other traditions that bond Aggies. The fallout, they say, is not positive. Jill Taylor, a former stu- dent who now works on cam- pus, is among those who believe some traditions have suffered as a result of Bon- fire's cancellation. "Bonfire was one of the biggest foundations [of other traditions]," Taylor said. "When you take that out, it makes the rest of the tradi- tions as unstable as Bonfire was, so to speak." Taylor works as a depart- ment manager at the book- store in the Memorial Student Center and said she has a good feel for the pulse of the student body. She said, for example, that when she walks around campus there are fewer "Howdy" greetings from students. "It's a feeling," she said. "It's hard to put into words." Bonfire made the campus inclusive, she said. It didn't matter if a student was in the Greek system, a dormitory resident or Corps of Cadets member, because students could take part by cutting logs or serving snacks and soft drinks to workers. "When you saw it burn, you wanted to say, 'I was a part of that,'" she said. Aaron Gregg, a junior, said the campus retains its friendly and kind nature, but there is a division among students who are fanatical about keeping the traditions going and the rest who don't participate as much in those traditions. "On campus, the communi- ty is very polarized," said Gregg, who is a Fish Camp counselor. He agrees with Taylor's assessment that the absence of Bonfire is a likely cause for the shift in how the general student body feels about the school's traditions. "I don't necessarily miss [Bonfire]," he said. "It defi- nitely warranted [sttspending the event]." Junior Scotty Schmidt also said Bonfire's absence has hurt how students view the rest of.the traditions because it was such a unifying pres- ence for the campus. "Traditions just aren't as strong," he said. "We lost ... our common celebration." Despite such sentiments, other students are deter- mined to keep A&M's tradi- tions alive. Senior Hayiey Henderson, a third gener,ation Aggie and Elephant Walk director, said she and her colleagues are hard at work every day to make sure the traditions don't fizzle out. She thinks the traditions are a selling point to prospective students who want something more than a conventional educa- tion. "The only reason I came . was for the tradition and cul- ture," Henderson said. But she said she also . believes the campus doesn't participate in traditions as it once did. To an extent, Hen- derson said, not having Bon- fire around hurts the other traditions. But that doesn't change the fact that A&M's traditions are what set it apart from other schools, she said. . "Times change, but the heart remains the same," she said. Henderson said her resolve to keep traditions going at A&M remains strong. "We want to look back at those traditions and see them continue and grow because of the heart we had," she said. . Greg Okuhara's e-mail address is gokuhara@ theeagle .com. -t . Thursday, November 18, 2004 The Bryan-College Station Eagle Page 5 I I I LEGACY OF BONFIRE: r-rlIE f~\LL()UT' AND T1IE FtrrCRE Courtroom battles over collapse loom First trial set to begin in March in Brazos County By CRAIG KAPITAN Eagle Staff Writer Their names spread out over an entire page of the lawsuit - injured students, the families of some who were killed, a who's who list of Aggie admin- istrators and a handful of for- mer student leaders. Nearly 60 defendants, about a dozen plaintiffs and an army of lawyers have been entan- gled in litigation over the past few years as judges have been asked to assign responsibility and consequences for the Bon- fITe tragedy. Now, five years after the annual tradition abruptly came to a halt following the deaths of 12 Aggies and the injury of 27 others, all sides are preparing for the fmal court- room battle. The crowds are expected to convene upon the Brazos County Courthouse in March - that is, unless the defense decides to appeal a pre-trial ruling or the plaintiffs decide to request a change of venue. And there's always a possi- bility of a settlement putting a halt to the process. Both sides are in court -ordered mediation that is being overseen by Deb- orah Hankinson, a former state Supreme Court justice. But the plaintiffs are ready to go, Fort Worth-based attor- ney Darrell Keith said last week. University officials have declined throughout the lawsuit to comment on the pro- ceedings. "We've been on a fast track of trial preparation," Keith said. "We have a powerful case. I think the Aggie nation is going to be truly shocked when they learn what really happened." The movement of Bonfire victims or their families to fIle lawsuits started in March 2001, when Keith fIled on behalf of J acki Self, the mother of deceased student Jerry Don Self. University leaders - from student red pots in charge of constmction all the way up to former university President Ray Bowen - were responsi- ble for the death of her 2O-year- old son by not properly over- seeing the event, the lawsuit contends. "These defendants actively encouraged and enticed stu- dents and former students to work on the Bonfire stack while they turned a blind or consciously indifferent eye to the peril," the lawsuit states, alleging that one reason it was- n't stopped beforehand was because it had become such a great marketing tool for the school. By the end of 2001, Keith's clients also included the fami- lies of deceased students Christopher Lee Heard and Bryan Allan McClain, as well as two student survivors of the collapse. The family of Chad Powell also fIled suit, along with John Comstock, the most severely injured of the sur- vivors. While filed separately across the state of Texas, the cases were consolidated and sent to Brazos County in Stun- mer 2003. The county's three district judges later decided to give oversight of the case to Steve Smith - the only one of the three who isn't an Aggie. "At its inception, the Bon- fITe stack consisted of little more than piles of wood and trash [but] over the years it evolved into a mammoth, com- plex and risk-significant stmc- ture," Keith wrote in the law- suit, explaining that the roughly 6,000 to 7,000 logs used in building BonfITe weighed more than eight Boeing 747 jumbo jets. "The BonfITe had grown over the years from a simple structure that could be designed and built by T AMU students to a complex and risky stmcture that could not," the lawsuit states. Repeat appeals Brazos County isn't the only place where lawsuits have been fIled regarding the Bon- fITe collapse. Many of the same plaintiffs, along with three other families, have fIled suits against A&M in federal court. Although the case has been thrown out by an appeals court, there isn't likely to be a definite conclusion anytime soon. Judges have offered sev- eral opinions about whether or not the case should contin- ue, and each decision has been met with an appeal. Written arguments for the latest appeal, fIled by the plain- tiffs, aren't due until January. "I expect that whoever loses [the next decision] will appeal," said Fort Worth- based attorney Steve DeWolf, whose clients include the fam- ilies of deceased student Lucas John Kimmel and alumnus Christopher Breen, as well as a student who was injured dur- ing the collapse. While the state case deals with negligence under tradi- tional Texas law, the federal suit involves the concept of state-created danger. According to the plaintiffs, university officials broke fed- erallaw by creating a danger through their indifference in preventing the collapse. This last summer, a federal court in Galveston agreed there was evidence of state-created dan- ger, but it ruled in the univer- sity's favor after concluding that the doctrine wasn't yet recognized by the court at the time of the collapse. "They are denying that the law was in effect at the time BonfITe collapsed," Keith said. Another difference between the state- and federal-level law- suits is who is being sued, DeWolf said. Student partici- pants are not included. "From a philosophical standpoint, [my clients] thought it was appropriate to sue the university and its offi- cials because they're the ones they felt were responsible," he said. 'Fatal tradition' In addition to monetary compensation, one of the main reasons for the suits, Keith said, is to seek an injunction against the yearly Bonfire event. "We're not seeking to pre- vent Bonfire being brought back, but we are seeking that a safe Bonfire be brought back if A&M decides to do so in the future," he said. Among the requirements requested by the plaintiffs is professional oversight by engineers - something that the tradition did have until three years before the col- lapse, when two unofficial faculty adviser positions were allowed to go vacant, the lawsuit states. The school has proposed its own safety features, but "there is no guarantee" with- out a court mandate, Keith said. In addition, he said, the safety measures the victims and their families are requesting "go a bit beyond" what the university has pro- posed. For instance, it addresses drinking and haz- ing, he said. Given the culture sur- rounding Bonfire - the drive to make it bigger and bigger every year - there is a strong likelihood that the tradition would revert to its 1999 ways if left alone, Keith predicted last week. "A&M has many great tra- ditions, but unfortunately Bonfire turned out to be a fatal tradition," he said. . Craig Kapitan'S e-mail address is ckapitan@theeagle.com. Investigating commission felt 'call to duty' By HOLLY HUFFMAN Eagle Staff Writer Allan Shivers Jr. isn't quite sure why he remembers the precise term used to describe what caused the 1999 Bonfire to collapse. The upper tiers of the 2 million- pound structure put too much pres- sure on the lower tiers, forcing the logs apart and causing the structure to crumble, Shivers said. "It was a failure of hoop strength," he said, effortlessly recalling the find- ings 4 1/2 years later. "For some rea- son, I remember that." Shivers, then chairman of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commis- sion and owner of an Austin invest- ment and consulting company, was one of five members of the BonfITe Commission. The independent panel was charged with determining why the massive log structure collapsed on the Texas A&M University campus during the early morning hours of Nov. 18, 1999. That year's Bonfire was one week from completion. It was set to burn on Thanksgiving night before the annual football game with the University of Texas. Twelve Aggies were killed in the collapse, and 27 were injured. "I happened to be in College Station on business the morning after the Bonfire collapsed," Shivers said by phone last week from his Austin office. "I saw the expressions on stu- dents' faces ... shock, sadness and var- ious stages of just incomprehensible grief. I don't think I'll ever forget that." Determining what caused the tragedy was a task unlike :my other Shivers and his colleagues had been asked to tackle, he said. Other com- mission members were Veronica Kas- trin Callaghan of El Paso, Hugh G. Robinson of Dallas, William E. Tuck- er of Fort Worth and Leo Linbeck, a Houston construction executive who chaired the group. Their charge wasn't to assess blame or to determine whether the beloved tradition should continue in future years. Their job simply was to deter- mine how and why Bonfire collapsed. "It was like a call to duty," Callaghan said last week from her office in El Paso. "None of us knew Committee seeks answers on Bonfire collapse . Nov. 21, 1999 - A&M President Ray Bowen lays the framework for a commission that will work to determine what caused the collapse. Bowen says the commission is "to satisfy itself that the truth about what caused the accident is known as far as it can be discovered and to report its findings and conclusions with recommendations for corrective actions, if war- ranted. " . Nov. 26, 1999 - University officials announce that Leo Linbeck Jr., the head of a large Houston construction company. has agreed to serve as chairman of the commission. -I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility and obligation to find the truth associated with this occur- rence," Linbeck says. -This undertaking dictates an open and totally transparent procedure." . Nov. 30, 1999 -'- Linbeck chooses four fellow commission members: Veronica Kastrin Callaghan of EI Paso. Hugh G. Robinson of Dallas, Allan Shivers Jr. of Austin and William E. Tucker of Fort Worth. . Dec. 3, 1999 - The commission meets for the first time and develops a list of 50 ques- tions it wants answered, ranging from student leadership over Bonfire to the roles carried out by A&M administrators and faculty. . Jan. 1S, 2000 - A fourth and final consulting firm hired by the commission will examine if individuals or supervisors made mistakes in building the stack. Other firms will obtain pic- tures from past Bonfires; analyze the guy ropes and density and gaps between logs; create a 3-D animation of the construction sequence; measure. weigh and classify the logs; evaluate the soil; study the Centerpole of the stack; interview witnesses; and review thousands of doc- uments related to the accident. . March 2000 - The commission asks A&M officials to double the investigation's budget to $2 million and push back to May 1 the deadline for announcing its findings. . May 2, 2000 - The commission's final report on the collapse blames structural failures, but also sharply admonishes generations of administrators for having -tunnel vision" and for allowing unqualified students to build the stacks. The 261-page report details how 12 Aggies were killed and 27 others injured when wires on the logs began breaking. support on one side shifted, guy wires snapped, massive logs fell into the gaps and the third- and fourth-level logs shifted. Thousands of logs crashed to the ground in a matter of seconds, crushing most of the victims. . Among the commission's findings were these factors: the wiring of the logs provided insuf- ficient binding strength and was the first component of Bonfire to fail; internal stresses were put on the stack due to aggressive wedging of the second stack of logs into the first stack, which created a prying effect between the logs and increased the tensile loading on the wires; and there should have been a cable around the first tier of logs. Evidence showed that worker safety processes were either inadequate or not sufficiently enforced; however, they were not directly linked to the collapse. The enforcement track record of Bonfire safety programs was poor by any standard, though no evidence linked poor safety to the collapse. and there was a lack of a written Bonfire design or construction manual. Sev- eral theories about what caused the collapse are disproved: a weak Centerpole. soft soil. faulty guy ropes and impact from a crane at the construction site. Staff report where it was going to take us." The task was daunting. There were no specific plans or blueprints for the structure because all designs were passed down orally, commission members recalled. The group hired investigators, consultants and engi- neering fu'ms, and they relied heavily on computer models and engineering studies. Five months and $1.8 million later, the commission's 261-page final report blamed the deadly collapse on structural failures and criticized gen- erations of A&M administrators for "tunnel vision," or cultural bias, when reviewing Bonfire. "We called it tunnel vision or group think, which is a bigger concept," Callaghan said. "It's a psychological concept." The commission report said tunnel vision prevented administrators from taking steps to correct potential dan- gers in how Bonfire was built. Since May 2000, when the report was released, university officials say they have worked to ensure long-standing traditions don't take priority over safety. A&M President Robert Gates said increased communication between the academic and administrative sides of campus has been a key step in eliminating tunnel vision among stu- dent leaders and university officials. Before the collapse, the two divi- sions acted nearly independently of one another, Gates said during a recent interview. After some adminis- trative reshuffiing, both are overseen by the executive vice president and provost, David Prior. "Now the executive vice president and provost is really the chief operat- ing officer of the university," Gates said, "He is able to coordinate their work and bring them together, bring about a level of communication acrOS$ the administrative divisions and colleges that I think has not taken place." Whether the 90-year-old Bonfire tra- dition should ever return to campus was not a decision for the commission to make, Shivers and Callaghan said. Other universities across the coun- try have bonfire traditions, though they are not nearly as large as the Aggie Bonfire was, Shivers said. And students at many colleges, particular- ly military academies, engage in high-risk behavior, he noted. Fresh- man cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy steer ships, and roughly one-third of the students at the Air Force Academy skydive, he explained. The commission member said he has a personal theory about Bonfire and its collapse - though it isn't sup- ported by any hard evidence. Shivers said he thinks order at the site slowly eroded over recent decades as fewer students working on Bonfire were members of the Corps of Cadets. Until the 1960s, Texas A&M students were required to be in the Corps. "There was a discipline within the Corps of Cadets and a command struc- ture that transferred itself to the con- struction of the Bonfire," Shivers said. As the Corps members began making up smaller percentages of the student population, he said, "you lost that inherent command structure. That's very hard to establish those lines of command and responsibility and organization." . Holly Huffman's e-mail address is hhuffman@theeagle.com. Risk assessment plays prominent role in student activities By BRETT NAUMAN Eagle Staff Writer t After the 1999 Bonfire col- lapse, Texas A&M University administrators were faulted for not having policies in place to limit risks at the stu- dent-run event. Aggies building the 59-foot, 2 million-pound structure of logs weren't required to fol- low university-authorized guidelines. They simply relied on knowledge handed down each year by the upper- classmen leadership. Oversight of student activi- ties is much different five years after the worst-ever campus tragedy, A&M offi- cials say. In fact, the univer- sity is considered a national . leader in eliminating poten- tial dangers at student-run events, said Tom Reber, interim assistant vice presi- dent for student affairs. In the years since the col- lapse, A&M has adopted aggressive measures designed to limit the risks taken by student organiza- tions. The process - referred to as risk management - requires forward thinking to identify and address poten- tial hazards before they occur, Reber said. The university created a risk management office with- in the Department of Student Activities. Three employees are devoted to working with student organizations to ensure campus events are "If any positives came out of [the Bonfire collapse], I'd say [risk assessment] is the one?' TOM REBER IlIterim assistallt vice president for student affairs at Texas A&M safe, Reber said. The office helps students make educated decisions in planning activities, said A&M staff member Matt Fry, program coordinator for stu- dent risk management serv- ices. Student organizations with the most liability work clos- est with A&M officials, Fry said. Fish Camp, Big Event, Aggie Wranglers, Ross Vol- unteers, CARPOOL and the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band are a few of those groups. Each organization has a unique set of risks. Fish Camp requires busing 800 incoming freshmen at a time to an East Texas conference facility. Members of CAR- POOL drive fellow students home from bars and parties to reduce drunken driving. And, each student organi- zation has an officer who works with the administrJ.- tion to assess and reduce risk, Fry said. The process has moved beyond student organizations with the recent creation of the Office of Risk Manage- ment & Safety, Fry said. The office addresses risks of other campus activities, beyond those run by students. "Risk management" is a buzz phrase at colleges throughout the nation, and A&M's approach has been copied by other institutions in the five years since Bon- fire fell, Reber said. He has spoken to other campuses about the tough lessons A&M learned follow- ing the tragedy to persuade them to adopt risk manage- ment policies. "If any positives came out of Bonfire, I'd say this is the one," Reber said. "We would've gotten to where we're at eventually, but not as fast." VOICES CAPTURED IN TIME .oo "When I wns a jresllll/flll: all I mlllti think abollt lOflS gelting that rillg," Whiting said. "Whfll I h('(ml storirs of those kids who diaL I saw thl'irJrimds and frlll/i,-\' J(l)'ing' how thel' want('(! to be ,/ -' all Aggie as long as tIll')' col/ld rnl/fll/ba. "I thollgltt SO//lf W(~l': sO//lrhow. //Imbe the\' mllM . - - gef thf saJ//f jeeling I had fro//l that ring.:: I I I I I I 1'1 f I I : I ! I : I , I I : I I I I Nov. 20, 1999 , I A 30-year \'Cteran agent of the FBI: Bob Wiatt has been at both ends of a bullet. I-ks chased down murderers\ interrogated evil and helped resolre one of Amerids hloodiest prison sICges. But nothing in his career: which includes almost 18 years as director of security at Texas A&~l University. i' could have prepared him for the collapse of Bonfire. "'[his was the //lost //Iassive loss of life h,(, Sf{'l/ at onf ti//le in //I}' 48 )'{'a n of wmring th{' b{u!gr/: Wiatt mid. "It j)rob{/b~l' hit //Ie lum!a thall ((/~\' otha singlf nl{'lIt ill //I\' c((/'f{'r.:' - , ,. '01' Nov. 22, 1999 A scar on his stomach and a few scrapes were the only \'isible reminders of the accident that claimed the lives ofJJ. Washam\s room- mate and 11 other Aggies when he was released fi'om 5t. Joseph Regionall-Iealth Center. As Washam was escorted out of the hospital by his parents and about a dozen friends: he recalled the events of the night. As a result of his il~U1ies, he lost his kidney and spleen. He was wiring logs to each other on the second stack of Bonfire when the pile oflogs began to shiH\ he said. "I rfll/fll/brr it //loving and J kllew it was coming down':: hf said. ':1 adllft/I\' rf'J//rJ//ber frt/lingfro//l that stark. I blacked Ollt a cOllj)le of tillles.:' Washam said he would like to see Bonfire continue. "Evenbod)' t"at died wOllld ,/ - wallt it to keej) going/: "f said. (Col/til/I/fd: Next Page) .1 I :: I ~ .1- ;1 " Ii I I I: LEGACY OF BONFIRE: A WALK THROUGH THE MEMORIAL '~ .......... ..................:;, ~<>,.-,,~~- ~- -" ",,' "- "'- ><1~k"; ... :('. " " ';, "- " .j~ ./ ,//1/ ~ " Page 8 The Bryan-College Station Eagle Thursday, November 18, 2004 LEGACY OF BONFIRE: J\ (~()rvlNfUNIl'Y IN NI()lJRNING I I I II I VOICES CAPTURED IN TIME ... The Arizona Republic newspaper retracted an editorial cartoon that compared the Aggie Bonfire tragedy to the 1993 Branch Davidian inferno and the murder of a black man in Jasper. Texas A&M President Ray Bowen later would refi.lse a $ I 0,000 peace oHering from the newspaper, saying "it would do violence to our ethical standards to accept it." - Nov. 25,1999 Tens of thousands of silent mourners lighted candles near the Bonfire site in honor of the 12 Aggies who died after the stack of logs crumbled. The ,.igil, and Yell Practice immediately after, replaced what would have been the school's 90th Bonfire, which represents the students' burning desire to defeat the Universitv of I Te..:as. "Tha(':5 still fir(' ha(' tOlligJd ... tha(':5 still a joillillg of sj)irit/: said for1l/('r stud('//t 10dd [M1I/s. "'That's thr wa)' th(' j)('Oj)l(' who di('d would h a7!(' Wflllt ('d it to b('.:: . Uni,.ersitv oHicials I estimated at least 40,000 people circled the police-tape perimeter where Bonfire stood before its collapse a week earlier. Former President Bush and his wife, Barbara, as well as Texas Gov. George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, were among those who attended the vigil. As the sun set, people began lighting their candles and the crowd grew silent. Pinpoints of flickering light blanketed the site, illuminat- ing the area where many of the estimated 5,000 logs that made up the stack before its collapse still remained. During Yell Practice, in contrast to the vigil, stu- dents applauded and whooped as the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band played, Aggie football coach R.c. Slocum spoke, and the Yell Leaders led the crowd in traditional veils. I (Colltillurd: Nr:d fagr) Spirit of caring shined brightly In A&M's hour of need, a community responded without hesitation By SOMMER HAMILTON Eagle Staff Writer Lt. Randy McGregor, a member of the Bryan Fire Department's tech- nical rescue team, only could share his horror - with a quiet "Oh my God" to his wife - when his pager sounded just after 2:42 a.m. Nov. 18, 1999. "Bonfire collapsed. Please respond. 20 to 30 people trapped," the message read. But McGregor - just like the more than 225 rescuers and first responders who eventually answered that call over the 24 hours that followed - would rely on his training to help push those emotions aside as he arrived at the Texas A&M Polo Fields. There, beyond the hurried figures running past the pulsing lights of emer- gency vehicles, McGregor saw what would become syn- onymous with Aggies over the next few weeks - a col- lapsed stack of 7,000 or so twisted logs and pain on the faces of everyone. And from the surrounding area McGregor and others witnessed a kind of charity that became synonymous with the Bryan-College Sta- tion community. No calls were made, but the images flashing across television screens across the region sent the message loud and clear: Whatever you have to offer, bring it. Spiritual guidance or tangible items or just a ride. Simple ges- . tures meant so much too so many. So ministers and coun- selors showed up to aid the grieving, equipment never requested made its way to the scene, water and other drinks turned up for work- ers and the thousands of stu- dents who had gathered, unwilling to leave until the last log was removed. Boxes filled with sweaters and sweatshirts arrived to warm the cool chill that had set in. Cell phone companies handed out phones to the thousands of students who waited for news of the recov- ery efforts at the site, telling them to call their parents to let them know they were OK. Thousands in Bryan-Col- lege Station not directly involved in the rescue poured in with all types of support, including sending flowers to the families anx- iously waiting at St. Joseph Health Center in Bryan and College Station Medical Cen- ter. No Bonfire would burn Eagle file photo/Dave McDermand A group of Bryan fire and rescue personnel take in the scene of the 1999 Bonfire collapse a day after the stack fell. that year. A tradition that brought students, alumni and the community together was replaced in the fall of 1999 with a bond formed through adversity, mourn- ing and now, five years later, the heralding 12 lives. "We'd never been exposed to anything like this before," remembered McGregor, now assistant chief. Emergency crews from Bryan, College Station, Texas A&M University and Brazos County spent the day carefully pulling logs one-by- one from the crumpled stack. Hundreds of others provided support service at area hospitals, emergency and operating rooms and at the emergency operations center opened just after 3:30 a.m. across Texas Avenue from the collapse site. So much food came that some donations had to be turned away, said College Station Fire Department spokesman Bart Humphreys, who throughout that fateful day gave updates on the death tolL "After the community realized this was what had actually happened, every- body wanted to help." Humphreys said. "We expected the community to be behind the effort, but nobody could have imagined the quality and quantity of that support." Portable toilets were brought to the site for the rescuers, and a command post complete with a tent was erected at dawn while the rescuers worked the har- rowing scene. It was under that tent that emergency crews would meet every few hours to update their progress and share resources, and outgoing workers would meet with counselors before they left the scene and went home to their families. Crews crawled into the twisted logs early that morn- ing to release those who were easily accessible, tan- gled in ropes and hidden in voids beneath the tumbled stack of logs. They then lis- tened with high-tech sensors for survivors who might be trapped beneath the logs, the entire site falling silent by mid-morning after the last survivor, John Comstock, was pulled from the wreck- age. Bonfire workers and stu- dents who never before had lifted a log, along with A&M football players, helped carry of logs one by one as the stack was dismantled. A&M engineering professors guided the removal of ill-bal- anced logs as workers strad- dled lumber to cut wire ties that held some together in lose formation. A Huntsville logger brought in a special crane that could delicately lift logs. It was an unusual situa- tion, one never encountered before and one that would become a case lesson for emergency management teams across the country. "It was a life-and-death game of pick-up sticks," Bryan Fire Chief Mike Dono- ho said. "If you move log A, what's going to happen to the rest of the logs and who could be underneath?" McGregor recalled that as bodies were found in the stack, the firefighters and workers - which by after- noon included members of the urban rescue squad Texas Task Force One - would form a human wall around the area to protect each students' dignity. By late morning, worried family members started to arrive at the scene where thousands of students had gathered qui- etly to watch, pray and wait. By nightfall, blankets and jackets arrived by the truck- load at the Polo Fields. Bat- teries arrived in boxes for flashlights and electric equipment. The community responded practically and helpfully with donations coming together during the area's most significant time of need to show a bond of caring with one another and the outside world, College Sta- tion City Manager Tom Brymer said. Residents and students grieved for the 12 killed and 27 injured by pouring by the thousands into Reed Arena that week for a memorial service that changed for many the meaning of the song "Amazing Grace" as the crowd spontaneously sang the spiritual. Hundreds of thousands gathered at the Polo Fields, forming a sea of candles on the Thanksgiving night Bon- fire was to have burned. "The community was under a spotlight in the midst of a terrible adversi- ty," said Brymer, who helped lead efforts at the emergency operations center set up in a building neigh- boring City Hall. "While we showed we were human and in pain, we showed we could come through that adversity. "Until you go through something like this, you can't understand how big that spirit of caring is." . Sommer Hamilton's e-mail address is shamilton@ theeagle .com. 'It was a terrible occasion, yet the outreach of faith was a sublime anchor to so very many students.' THOMAS McMULLIN Director of the College Station Latter-day Saints Institute of Religion A painful lesson in life Tragedy led to religious reflection By MELISSA SULLIVAN Eagle Staff Writer Father Michael Sis said the most important les- son the Bonfire tragedy taught the world is this: Life is short, and it is valuable. "Remember that you are still alive," said Sis, who is pastor at St. Mary's Catholic Church, which three of the 12 killed in the collapse attend- ed. "God still has good work for you to do on this earth. Ponder how fragile and pre- cious the gift oflife is." In the months following the collapse, Thomas McMullin, then the president of the Cam- pus Ministry Association, said he often referred to a statement from a former church leader, Spencer Kim- ball, when explaining to stu- dents what happened early that November morning. "Could the Lord have pre- vented these tragedies? The answer is yes. The Lord is omnipotent, with all power to control our lives, save us pain, prevent all accidents ... save us from labor ... and even death if he will. But he will not." McMullin, who now serves as director of the College Sta- tion Latter-day Saints Insti- tute of Religion, said students turned to their faith for answers as to why the lives of 12 Aggies were taken. "It was a terrible occasion, yet the outreach of faith was a sublime anchor to so very many students," he said. "My respect for these ministers only deepened as I felt their love and concern, regardless of denomination, for families, friends and others who had been so profoundly affected by this sudden tragedy." One lesson he discussed with students was the impor- tance of life and living it free from regret, McMullin said. "We were enveloped in deep reflection on the fragile nature of life," he said. "We shared in the grief and were moved by the huge outpour- ing of love and unity that stirred from the very heart and soul of Aggieland. But my students' ability to cope with such a profound event was Huge ribbons adorn A&M United Methodist Church In College Station after the 1999 Bonfire Eagle file photo/Dave McDermand collapse. Congregants from around the Brazos Valley mourned the loss of lives. bolstered by the knowledge provided by our religion." Father Dean Wilhelm, pas- tor at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in College Station, was a volunteer police chaplain at the time of the accident. He was called out to the Polo Fields about 15 minutes after the stack col- lapsed. Upon arriving at the site, Wilhelm said he could hear a voice within the mangled logs of the stack. Moments later, he said he could no longer hear it, and he knew a life had been taken right in front of him. "I think at that age group it is easy to think you are invin- cible," Wilhelm said. "Some- thing like this really brings home how fragile human life is." On Sunday, Wilhelm said he touched on the upcoming five-year anniversary of the collapse by asking his congre- gation to question all the bad things in their lives. "A failed relationship may be the end of the world, but when you compare it to tl1.is, it is a question of perspec- tive," he said. "In the grand scheme of things, it's a drop in the bucket." . Melissa Sullivan's e-mail address is msullivan@ theeagle.com. Thursday, November 18, 2004 The Bryan-College Station Eagle Page 9 LEGACY OF BONFIRE: A CO~!IJ\:IUNITY IN ~!I()URNIN(; . t 'It's a very impressive collection. It's a collection the community can look at and see how A&M pulled together.' PATRICIA CLABAUGH Curator for the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M University 1-0, - ~~ .1 I - ."- !..., . '''~~ VOICES CAPTURED IN TIME ... At the conclusion of yell practice, the lights dimmed and a cannon fired 12 times, in honor of each of the victims. The football players later came onto the field for the playing of the Aggie War Hymn and then hugged several people on the sidelines who were injured when Bonfire collapsed. Nov. 26, 1999 Eagle file photo/Dave McDermand Many students laid flowers, handwritten notes, photos and other mementos at the site of the 1999 Bonfire collapse. A spontaneous outpouring of grief Archivists preserving mementos left at makeshift shrine for Bonfire victims By GREG OKUHARA Eagle Staff Writer Texas A&M: University professor Sylvia Grider specializes in the . study of what she calls "sponta- neous shrines." So when a shrine evolved only sev- eral hundred yards away from her office after the 1999 Bonfire collapse, she felt compelled to document and preserve the items left by visitors to the site of the tragedy. The orange plastic fencing used to block off the site quickly turned into the backdrop for a makeshift memo- rial where a grief-stricken communi- ty could pay respects to the 12 Aggies who died. Mourners left flowers, crosses, handwritten notes, photos, Corps of Cadets memorabilia and much more along the perimeter. Grider, an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology, and her colleagues collected about ~5,000 items from the site about a month after the accident. Their efforts to preserve the artifacts became the Bonfire Memorabilia Col- lection Project, and the work contin- ues today. Each artifact left at the memorial was the manifestation of a person's feelings, Grider said in a recent interview. "It appears what's going on is peo- ple are expressing their private grief in a public place," she said. Grider is a folklorist and has stud- ied spontaneous shrines across the United States, particularly roadside crosses that memorialize victims of car accidents. After Bonfire collapsed and people began leaving mementos at the orange fencing, Grider offered her services to help collect and preserve the items. Student leaders wanted to make sure the memorial items were saved, but they didn't have the expertise. Grider stepped in, and the Bonfire memorabilia project began. With the help of Patricia Clabaugh, curator for the Department of Anthropology, Grider and student volunteers began collecting and doc- umenting the items left at the Bon- fire site. They divided the fence into 10-meter sections and carefully gath- ered everything - no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. Clabaugh said it is believed to be the only spontaneous shrine that was systematically and fully collected. "The reason we collected every- thing was because we weren't smart enough to make the decision [of what to collect and what not to collect]," Patricia Clabaugh (left) and Sylvia Grider stand among hundreds of carefully archived boxes containing Items left at the shrine that sprang up at Bonfire collapse site. The boxes are stored on cam- Eagle photo/Dave McDermand pus in the Texas A&M University Archaeology Building. Clabaugh is holding a poster made by elementary school students bearing messages of condolence for the victims and their families. she said. "There's no sense in throw- ing something out in the beginning and to fmd out later that it had some connection. "As far as we're concerned, every- thing was sacred." Each item left by mourners at the makeshift memorial has a story, Clabaugh said. "It's an emotional thing," she said. "I can read the same passage three months later and get choked up." Grider said the memorial was a typical spontaneous shrine, like those that appeared after the shoot- ings at Columbine High School, the death of Princess Diana and the Oklahoma City bombing. "It's one of the more interesting things in modern cultural practices," she said. Among items left at the Bonfire site were Aggie boots, Corps brass, 12th Man towels and sets of grodes and pots, the clothing worn by Bon- fire workers. Some people left their Aggie rings with notes saying the 12 who were killed could borrow the cherished possessions. Organic items, such as clothing and paper, suffered the most damage. from the monthlong exposure to the elements. Grider said the items sat through rain, sleet, wind and sun, and the process of cleaning and sta- bilizing the memorabilia is ongoing. The items were dried in a local warehouse, and contaminants such as mud and grass were brushed off. Then they were placed in plastic bags and boxes and are stored in a controlled-environment room in the Anthropology Building to prevent further damage. "The enemies of artifacts are humidity and light," Grider said. She and Clabaugh now are cata- loging the items, a process that includes taking digital photos and measurements, assigning bar codes and recording descriptions of each item, and noting where the items were located. The documentation of the memora- bilia will help researchers accurately l:ecreate what the memorial looked like using a computer-generated presentation. People who left items at the Bon- fire site can help the researchers by e-mailing them the story behind their contributions. More informa- tion can be found online at http://bonfire.tamu.edu/beam. Although there are no concrete plans to display the preserved memo- rabilia, Grider said the collection may be part of a rotating exhibit at the visitors center planned to be built at the permanent Bonfire Memorial. Clabaugh said she and Grider and the rest of the staff have worked hard to properly preserve the items and would enjoy the opportunity to dis- play them for visitors. "It's a very impressive collection," she said. "We're very proud of it and have learned a lot from it. It's a col- lection the community can look at and see how A&M pulled together." . Greg Okuhara's e-mail address is gokuhara@theeagle.com. AGGIES INJURED IN THE 1999 BONFIRE COLLAPSE The 27 students injured in the collapse include: Nate Atkinson Dominic Braus Jennifer Calaway . John Comstock William" Bill" Davis Clayton Frady Leslie Graham Lanny Joe Hayes Will Harlan Britt Henley Caleb Hill Chad Hutchinson Jody Jacobs Paul "Alex" Jones Brandon Allen Jozwiak John Kramer William Lyckman Amy McLeod Mandy Nakai Matthew Robbins Holly Rotenberry Lauren Scanlan Milton" Chip" Thiel Bruce Unger J.J. Washam Jeremy Woorley Derek Woodley The decades-old rivalry between Texas A&M University and the University of Texas was tempered with respect and friendship Nov. 26, as the Aggies upset the Longhorns 20- I 6 at Kyle Field. "'There's not the sallie hatred," said Ben McHenr)', a junior in A &M's Corps of Cadets. "H'e're aI/ just here to watch football." That camaraderie shined when Texas' band played "Amazing Grace "at halftime in tribute to the 12 Aggies who died wht;n Bonfire collapsed. It burned brightly from two ribbons - one Aggie maroon, one Longhorn orange - that a young fan pinned to her shirt in remembrance of the tragedy. Other students wore single white ribbons, the one color shared by both schools. "[think the relatiollshijJ has forever changrd/' A &M stu- dent body jJresident Will Hurd said after the game. "J1'e will alway be - and should ahva)'s be - rivals on the field, but friends off' Page 10 The Bryan-College Station Eagle Thursday, November 18, 2004 ETERNAL SPIRIT: HIS'T()RY BEllIND 'TIlE TRADrrl()N Key dates in the evolution of Bonfire Early Bonfires were little more than plies of wood and trash that Aggles "acquired" from areas near campus. Complexity increased over time. I Centerpoles were Introduced In I 1909 the 1940s and were used In every ~ design until the 1999 Bonfire. The first Bonfire By the late 1970s, the stack t....... . . took on a weddlng-cake design, IS'"bUI It:-- - which continued through 1999. Since the 1980s, all Bonfires also had been 60 to 80 feet tall, made of six tiers bound by wire, built around a two-part spliced centerpole and surrounded by four perimeter poles with guy ropes. A completed Bonfire could weigh more than 2 million pounds. - - -~w -- --- .... 1935 Texas A&M ,~wdecidesto-take charge of Bonfire after a farmer's barn is "acquired." ll- I i I $:" *:;~ 1928 First known photo of Bonfire taken. Source: Bonfire commision report, Texas A&M University ~~- --- -- +.~~ m i~, ~~,~~~-~~ /" . 1963 1955 t1946 The fi rst time a -cent"erpoTe-rs ~ - used. In 1947, the first spliced center pole is used. :-11 il!-l . 1943 The first all-log ~ -~ Bonfire is built. :~ III Bonfire is built ~_IH'~ __......._ _ _ but not lighted because of President Kennedy! s assassination. . Bonfire is - - """"""'- moved from Simpson Drill Field to Duncan Field. ~967 "Red pots" take over control of Bonfire's construction from yell leaders. 1984 During the 1970s, Bonfire started to take.on the I "weddingcake" I shape. The 198~ Bonfire illustrates the design. I '"' 1970 A&M limits the size of Bonfire to 55 feet high and 45 feet wide. ~\ - \ 1969 The tallest Bonfire - standing 109 feet, 10 inches high - is built. This picture is believed to be of that Bonfire. :~ >t~ 1999 On Nov. 27, construction executive Leo I.!inbeck Jr. agrees to A&M:President Ray Bowen's request to serve as chairman of the commission :nvestigating thB collapse. . I . , Bonfire shifts and starts to lean. The structure is torn down and rebuilt in time to light the night before the game. @ .!l. ;,;] 1999 On Nov. 18, the Bonfire ";3:" structure collapses,:" ~ ~ Twelve are killed, and 27 are injured. A candlelight vigil is held for the victims on Nov. 25. 1994 ~- ..' .. .. ,: .. .. ~ 2000 pn M~X4~ ~~~J Bonfire -Gommissionwrepor-t- blames structural failures and tunnel vision for the collapse. 2000 On May 31, the ~ ~'" -~<A&M-Faculty Senate urges an end to Bonfires. 2000 John Comstock, the last "'~victim-pulled~from'the- --- collapsed stack and the most critically injured, goes home from the hospital on April 18. ~~: >w;@~ w @ 2001 The first lawsuit is filed in March by the fa mily-of"Cm e of the victims. Five other I families and several of the injured E!ventually do the same. 2000 2000 On June 17 , A&M '''''=-~President HaS/Boweh suspends Bonfire until 2002. A memorial service is held at 2:42a.m. on Nov. 18 - the time of the 1999 Bonfire collapse. f0:::' . . L >>'=:-:w - ... 2004 On Nov. 18, the $5 million Bonfire Memorial is , dedicated on the site i-1 where the 12 died. 2002 On Feb. 4, President Bowen shuts down plans for a redesigned Bonfire. 2003 The largest off-campus bonfire built since the collapse burns in rural Brazos County. Eagle graphic ! ~ \ t ~ : to; " . . .. .. ... . . "': .... " .. <; : .... ,., . -! ~ .. . ,; t~ . . Thursday, November 18, 2004 The Bryan-College Station Eagle Page 3 LEGACY OF BONFIRE: TI-IE DESIGN ~ [)uniu.; ~ MIRANDA DENISE ADAMS '02 Orw;~~ '03 $;~ 1-(((2 BRYA:tlLAN !^cCLAIN fA . '02 G~ ~~ MICHAEL STEPHEN EBANKS '03 r"~ .RAM'TON '99 CHRISTOPHER DAVID BREEN '96 ~~ CHRISTOPHER LEE H.EARD '03 ,,-- J ~v;r V ~/;J.. TIMOTHY DORAN KERLEE. JR. , 03 ~~ '03 f!4t~ ~~ JERRY DON SELF NATHAN SCOTT WEST ~1 ~2 CHAD ANTHONY POWELL '03 -.. j 'I'm just really honored to have been a part of it. I'm always wanting my work to b~ the best it can be. This is one of the biggest things I've ever done.' ERIK CHRISTIANSON Bulverde sculptor who created the 12 bronze likenesses of the Bonfire victims A VISION IN BRONZE Bulverde artist painstakingly re-created faces of 12 for memorial By BRETT NAUMAN Eagle Staff Writer The faces of the 12 Aggies whose lives were cut short by the Bonfire collapse five years ago remain etched in the mind of artist Erik Christianson. The Bulverde sculptor spent the past year creating bronze likenesses of the 10 men and two women for Texas A&M University's $5 million Bonfire Memorial. Family members of the fallen Aggies spent hours with Christianson recounting mem- ories of those who were killed when the 59-foot tower of logs crumbled on Nov. 18, 1999, while under con- struction on campus. "It was real personal," Christian- son said. "The stories were so trag- ic. These kids were just the cream of the crop. They all had so much going for them." Christianson, 40, was hired by San Antonio design firm Overland Part- ners to craft the sculptural portraits that are the focal points inside the 12 portals of the Bonfire Memorial. The project was arduous, said Christianson, who has worked on dozens of monuments - primarily for churches and companies - in his 15 years as a professional sculp- tor. "All the way around, this was the most difficult thing I've ever done," Christianson said. "This was very important. It meant a lot to me, working with the families. But it was very challenging." He created a likeness of each Aggie with a clay mold, using photo- graphs sent to him by their families. Parents or other relatives then visit- ed his studio to offer suggestions on ways to make the depiction more accurately reflect their loved one. Giving the families final say on the sculptures made the project dif- ficult and time-consuming, Chris- tianson said. But it was only right to do so, he said. "Sometimes the process would go real quick," he said. "Some families would stay for a while. I wanted peo- ple walking out of there happy. The reactions I've gotten so far have been good." It was while the families were at his studio that he learned about each Aggie. Parents spoke of their child's dreams and recounted their favorite childhood stories. For example, Walieta Kimmel told stories about son Lucas - an aspir- ing veterinarian - and his love for his dog, Maverick, Christianson said. The two were so inseparable that Christianson agreed with the mother that Maverick shQuld appear with Lucas in his Bonfire Memorial portal. The sessions with parents usually were emotional, and bringing up the memories often moved them to tears, Christianson said. "I don't know how they do it," he said. "I wouldn't be able to handle it if I lost a child at that age. When they would just tell me their stories, it wQuld kind of make me choke up." The clay sculptures were sent to Overland Partners to be cast in bronze after the families and Chris- tianson came to agreement on the design. The Bonfire Memorial is one of the most high-profile pieces Chris- tianson has created in his career. His body of work includes sculp- tures now on display across the nation. Most depict religious figures in churches. His next project will be creating "Our Lady of Flowers," a design of the Virgin Mary in a field of flowers, for the San Fernando Cathedral in downtown San Anto- nio. A sculpture of Texas legend Col. Juan Seguin in the town that bears his last name is another of Chris- tianson's popular works. Seguin was a prominent leader in Texas' fight for independence from Mexico. The artist also has created sculp- tures memorializing high-ranking figures at military institutions and corporate officials at private compa- ~ ~ I" ~ P2 g .~ · t) , nCl 1lIi:1i " r! ~ -------- ~""!' w::.~ ~ IU IJ '~!i D , !} :~~ c 1:1 0 ." o \",.- ~ \~.r - \ l' , <'\'Z"~ ~ CI "I ,j ,. '50 I)%~ r;\(".. (. fJ .... L. ."Oi \. . , 11 r-'?) ~ .. Erik Christianson, who has been a pro- fessional sculptor and artist for 15 years, says he sat with the families of each of nies. Few people can afford to hire him for private sculptures, Chris- tianson said. For the Bonfire Memorial, Chris- tianson said he was paid $2,500 for each likeness - a total of $30,000. As difficult as the project was, Chris- tianson said it was fulfilling, and he hopes it helps further establish him Special to The Eagle the 12 Aggies killed in the Bonfire col- lapse to achieve the most realistic like- nesses for the memorial. as a professional sculptor. "I'm just really honored to have been a part of it," he said. "I'm always wanting my work to be the best it can be. This is one of the biggest tl1ings I've ever done." . Brett Nauman's e-mail address is bnauman@theeagle.com. / 1 ,..., I VOICES CAPTURED IN TIME ... Two women, Miranda Adams and Jamie Hand, were among the 12 Aggies killed in the collapse, and another six female students were injured. It was the 20th year that women had taken part in building Bonfire. "Womfn work just as hard as the men," said senior Stephanie Laufer, a fonner Bonfire co-chair for Mosher residence hall on cam/JUs. "H-e alwa)'S war/ted equalilJ' (at Bonfire] Sometimes you have to lake the consequences." . Most of the Aggie football players helped move huge logs away from the accident site as rescue workers searched for survivors. "The)' support us, wll)' not do it back? When it's fOllrth-and-l, the)"re rooting us on. Right now, we're rooting them on and doing whatever we can to help,"jllnior linebacker Jason Glenn said, Nov. 19~ 1999 Manv of A&M's 43,500 / students - joined by family members, friends and strangers in ongo~ng silent tributes at the site - fell back on their faith. Some knelt down in front of the police tape perimeter, where ~pontaneous shrines grew from flowers placed on the ground. Prayer cards were left, asking God. to watch over those who died. . Since the fall semester began, it seemed, the Aggies had been forced to move from one tragedy to the next. The semester death toll was at 18 late Nov. 19 - an average of one student killed every 4 1/2 days since Aug. 31. Two of five people killed in a September skydiving plane crash in Bryan were Aggies. In October, one A&M student was among six college students killed by a pickup when the driver fell asleep. Three others were killed in separate car accidents, while another killed himsel[ Eleven of the 12 killed in the collapse were students. (Continued, Next Page)