10 years ago at 2:42 am Texas Aggie Bonfire fell. I was a sophomore.
It twisted in a nightmarish pile of logs that were tied together. The logs were on top of the students. Students were trapped in the logs. It was horrific and shocking. It took hours to rescue them. 12 students died.
This is Tim Kerlee. He directed workers to at least 5 other students before allowing them to help him. He did not survive and was, by all accounts, an amazing young man. Look carefully at his legs; they're not in a normal position.
It's a really painful picture for me to look at, even a decade later, and I'm only posting it to give you a grasp of the scale and reality of the scene.
It was horrible. The day was horrible and the weeks that followed were awful. We were a dazed student body.
***
When I was at school there were 2 types of students: those who were REALLY REALLY into Bonfire and those who planned to watch it burn. The REALLY REALLY group had t-shirts that said things like, "Up on Stack all night...test at 8 am."
That's what they actually did: they stayed up ALL NIGHT stacking logs on the Polo field and then went to class at 8 am in their dirty overalls and Carhartt jackets, reeking of cigarettes and Copenhagen, took the test and then went back out to stack. The Bonfire guys were an unofficial fraternity that had many layers of unique traditions. They formed friendships for a lifetime out there.
The other group loved Bonfire, but we preferred not to get our hands dirty. In any case, it's fair to say that there were only a small handful of hippie students who piteously worried about the poor trees and the rest of us loved the ever living hell out of Bonfire for a variety of reasons.
When Bonfire fell it was sort of this watershed moment for the University. We knew that the school would never be the same; there was a level of enthusiasm, spirit and camaraderie that Bonfire created for us, that nothing else could replace. We knew that after such an accident there was no way the University could allow the activity to continue on campus.
And so Bonfire just...ended. It was there and then it wasn't. It was strange. It was this fall ritual that a lot of activities and traditions were built on and then POOF. It simply vanished and we sort of didn't know what to do with ourselves to achieve that same level of excitement and activity.
People tried to continue. The traditions with odd names like Elephant Walk, Yellow Pot, Red Pot, Pass-Down, Crew Chief, Grode and Replant carried on. It was strange though because these traditions were predicated on Bonfire and without Bonfire it felt weird continuing to follow through the motions.
And so, as traditions are wont to do when their purpose becomes unclear to their new keepers, the old ways and rituals and purposes gradually faded. Some are gone. And some probably have a new stated purpose that has nothing to do with Bonfire.
Bonfire truly was an impressive event and it's tragic that the story ended this way. I only ever saw one burn - 1998. I so would have loved for it to be all stacked up this week, ready to burn next.
***
The Last Corps Trip
By P.H. DuVal Jr. '51
It was Judgment Day in Aggieland
And tenseness filled the air;All knew there was a trip at hand,
But not a soul knew where.
Assembled on the drill field
Was the world-renowned Twelfth Man,
The entire fighting Aggie team
And the famous Aggie Band.
And out in front with Royal Guard
The reviewing party stood;
St. Peter and his angel staff
Were choosing bad from good.
First he surveyed the Aggie team
And in terms of an angel swore,
“By Jove, I do believe I’ve seen
This gallant group before.
I’ve seen them play since way back when,
And they’ve always had the grit;
I’ve seen ‘em lose and I’ve seen ‘em win,
But I’ve never seen ‘em quit.
No need for us to tarry here
Deciding upon their fates;
Tis plain as the halo on my head
That they’ve opened Heaven’s gates.”
And when the Twelfth Man heard this,
They let out a mighty yell
That echoed clear to Heaven
and shook the gates of Hell.
“And what group is this upon the side,”
St. Peter asked his aide,
“That swelled as if to burst with pride
When we our judgment made?”
“Why, sir, that’s the Cadet Corps
That’s known both far and wide
For backing up their fighting team
Whether they won, lost or tied.”
“Well, then,” said St. Peter,
“It’s very plain to me
That within the realms of Heaven
They should spend eternity.
And have the Texas Aggie Band
At once commence to play
For their fates too we must decide
Upon this crucial day.”
And the drum major so hearing
Slowly raised his hand
And said, “Boys, let’s play The Spirit
For the last time in Aggieland.”
And the band poured forth the anthem
In notes both bright and clear
And ten thousand Aggie voices
Sang the song they hold so dear.
And when the band had finished,
St. Peter wiped his eyes
And said, “It’s not so hard to see
They’re meant for Paradise.”
And the colonel of the Cadet Corps said
As he stiffly took his stand,
“It’s just another Corps Trip, boys,
We’ll march in behind the band.”