HomeMy WebLinkAboutCampus_Bonfireevery Aggie's "burning desire" to beat the University of Texas in
watch it burn, Bonfire became a symbol of the deep and unique
camaraderie that is the Aggie Spirit.
against "t.u.," as Aggies refer to their rival, the student-built Texas
Trip" poem. An outhouse, known as the "t.u. tea room" or "t.u. frat
house" was built by sophomores in the Aggie band and sat atop the
from the Yell Leaders to "Red Pots," students specifically chosen to
plan and construct the stack. The safety helmets or "pots" worn by
In 1955, Bonfire was moved from the Main Drill Field in front of
the Memorial Student Center to Duncan Field, behind Duncan
Dining Hall, where it stayed for 37 years. In 1992 the Bonfire was
relocated to the Polo Fields at the front of the campus.
together each year to build what became the largest bonfire in
the world. In 1969, the stack of logs set a world record at 109
feet, 10 inches. Bonfire burned each year through 1998, with the
tribute to President John F. Kennedy who was assassinated on
Nov. 22, 1963.
In its 91st year the Bonfire collapsed on Nov. 18, 1999, at 2:42
a.m. killing 12 Aggies and injuring 27 others. Bonfire hasn’t been
built on campus since that day. Five years later, the Bonfire
installed Bonfire Memorial Lights with a special plaque and
individual markers for the Aggies who died in the tragedy.
TEXAS AGGIE BONFIRE
The Bonfire Memorial, located on the A&M campus at the site of the collapse, photographed on September 17,
2009.
PHOTOGRAPH BY RANDAL FORD
“The bonfire symbolizes two things,” reads the 1947 Texas A&M freshman handbook. “A burning
desire to beat the team from the University of Texas, and the undying flame of love that every loyal
Aggie carries in his heart for the school.”
The tradition began as a wood-and-trash pile in 1909, when A&M was still an all-male military
college. Over time it grew in scale and ambition, eventually setting a world record in 1969, when it
reached 109 feet. In keeping with A&M’s belief that Aggies should learn as much outside the
classroom as they do in it, the arduous task of constructing Bonfire was left entirely to students. Until
1999, it burned every year except for 1963, when it was torn down after the assassination of President
Kennedy. Head yell leader Mike Marlowe explained, “It is the most we have and the least we can
give.”
And then, in the early-morning hours of November 18, 1999, the million-pound structure—which
took almost two months, five thousand logs, and 125,000 man-hours to build—col
of seconds. Nearly sixty Aggies were working on Bonfire when it fell; twelve were killed.
Though the tradition had always held great meaning for A&M, it was not without controversy.
Earlier warnings that its design was flawed had gone unheeded. Critics pointed to the marginalized
role played by female students (for most of the seventies they were excluded from working on the
project), as well as its demanding construction schedule, which caused some students’ academic
Ring of Fire | Texas Monthly
http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/ring-fire?fullpage=1
The Bonfire Memorial, located on Texas A&M campus at the site of the
collapse, photographed on Sept. 17, 2009. Photograph by Randal Ford.