Do they still do the Texas A&M bonfire?
Amid the emotional and litigious wreckage of 1999, A&M's administrators canceled Bonfire. But they ended up merely banishing it. Every year for more than a decade now, Aggies students have been building and setting ablaze an off-campus stack of timber.
How many people died at Texas A&M bonfire?
12 peopleAt approximately 2:42 a.m. on November 18, 1999, the annual Aggie Bonfire at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, United States, collapsed during its construction, killing 12 people and injuring 27.
What caused the Texas A&M bonfire collapse?
There were reportedly dozens of students on the structure when it fell. A Texas A&M commission after the tragedy reportedly found that the 59-foot bonfire collapsed because of poor construction and design practices made possible by a chronic lack of supervision from the university.
How big was the A&M bonfire?
In the following years the structure became more elaborate, and in 1967 the flames could be seen 25 miles (40 km) away. In 1969, the stack of logs set the world record for the height of a bonfire at 109 ft 10 in (33 m) tall.
How many kids died in the A&M bonfire?
21 years later, pain of Aggie Bonfire collapse remains The tradition of Aggie Bonfire burned for more than 90 years, but that all changed on Nov. 18, 1999, when the bonfire structure collapsed, killing 11 students, one former student, and injuring 27 others. It happened in the middle of the night, at 2:42 a.m.
What time did Bonfire collapse?
2:42 a.m.But at 2:42 a.m., Nov. 18, 1999, just over a week away from the match and partway through construction, the nearly 60-foot-tall, wooden log bonfire structure collapsed, bringing down dozens of students who were working on the stack.
When did Aggie Bonfire start?
From its inception as a scrap heap in 1907 to the more familiar and stack of vertical logs, the Fightin' Texas Aggie Bonfire symbolized every Aggie's "burning desire" to beat the University of Texas in football.
What is the story of the 12th man?
The tradition of the Twelfth Man was born on the second of January 1922, when an underdog Aggie team was playing Centre College, then the nation's top ranked team. As the hard fought game wore on, and the Aggies dug deeply into their limited reserves, Coach Dana X. Bible remembered a squad man who was not in uniform.
Who died in the Aggie Bonfire collapse?
18, 1999: Bonfire collapsed at 2:42 a.m., killing 12 Aggies: Christopher David Breen of Austin; Christopher Lee Heard of Houston; Miranda Denise Adams of Santa Fe, Texas; Jerry Don Self of Arlington; Michael Stephen Ebanks of Carrollton; Bryan Allan McClain of San Antonio; Jamie Lynn Hand of Henderson; Lucas John ...
When did Aggie Bonfire start?
From its inception as a scrap heap in 1907 to the more familiar and stack of vertical logs, the Fightin' Texas Aggie Bonfire symbolized every Aggie's "burning desire" to beat the University of Texas in football.
What is an Aggie ring dunk?
“For ring dunk, we would descend on The Chicken for our pitcher of beer. Girls would go with light beer, many men with Lone Star.” Instead of drinking the pitcher in as few seconds as possible, Hayward said Aggies would attempt to down the liquid in a number of seconds around or equal to their class year.
How much did Scott Macon pay for the fire?
The settlement amount is being kept confidential at the request of Zachry Construction, but Scott-Macon agreed to pay $171,147, Keith said. The two companies provided cranes and crane operators for the construction of the bonfire.
How many students died in the Texas A&M fire?
Nearly 15 years after the deadly bonfire collapse at Texas A&M University, litigation surrounding the accident that killed 12 students and injured several others has come to an end.
When was the Texas A&M bonfire?
Bonfire, Keith said, was among the most-revered traditions at Texas A&M, starting in 1909 and held the night before the football game against the school’s archrival, the University of Texas. If the fire was still burning at midnight, the Aggies would win the game, according to school lore.
Where was the first Texas A&M lawsuit filed?
Keith filed the first lawsuit in Tarrant County in March 2001, but it and two others were consolidated and transferred to Brazos County, where Texas A&M is located. The suits named about 65 defendants, many of whom were student leaders called “red pots,” as well as the university and A&M officials and the construction companies.
When did the Texas A&M case end?
Other victims were attached to a federal case that ended in 2007 when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to reconsider a lower-court ruling that Texas A&M officials could not be held responsible for the deaths and injuries. Dominic Braus, one of the injured, said the final settlements bring a sense of closure.
Who was the judge in the Aggie case?
The state case never went to trial but was mediated by former Texas Supreme Court Justice Deborah Hankinson in Dallas. In 2008, a dozen Aggie administrators agreed to pay $2.1 million to the families of the four students killed and three others injured.
Who is Dominic Braus?
Dominic Braus, one of the injured, said the final settlements bring a sense of closure. Braus, now a lawyer in Waco, was a freshman who fell from the top of the third stack of logs, nearly losing his right arm when it was partly severed near the shoulder. Doctors were able to reattach the arm, except for the biceps muscles, he said.
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What is the backbone of the bonfire stack?
7 of 93 The center pole, the backbone of the multi-tiered bonfire stack, is seen broken in this view of the recovery effort at the site of the collapsed symbol of Aggie spirit on the Texas A&M campus. Steve Ueckert/Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less
How many people attended the Texas A&M candlelight vigil?
37 of 93 Thousands gather on the Texas A&M campus for a candlelight vigil one week following the collapse of the bonfire. SMILEY N. POOL/Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less
What is the mascot of Texas A&M?
32 of 93 Reveille IV, the Texas A&M mascot, stands with members of the Texas A&M Corp of Cadets following funeral services for Bryan McClain at the Alamo Heights United Methodist Church in San Antonio on Nov. 22, 1999. McClain died as a result of the collapse of the school's bonfire while under construction. ROBERT MCLEROY/AP Show More Show Less
How many students died in the Texas A&M bonfire?
22 of 93 Texas A&M students move logs that were extracted from the bonfire stack in College Station. At least nine students were killed and more than 25 injured when the 40-foot structure collapsed in the early morning hours. PAT SULLIVAN/AP Show More Show Less
How many fire trucks were there at Texas A&M?
16 of 93 Fire trucks, cranes and other heavy equipment involved in search and rescue surround and probe the pile of logs that was being constructed for Texas A&M's traditional football bonfire at Texas A&M University. DOUG SEHRES/AP Show More Show Less
What year did Ross Volunteers fire off the third round of a 21 gun salute?
7, 1999. The volunteers and students gathered at the plaza to honor the students who were killed in the Nov. 18 bonfire collapse. JP BEATO/AP Show More Show Less
What do emergency personnel use to loosen logs?
14 of 93 Emergency personnel use wire cutters to loosen logs tied to the collapsed stack of the A&M Bonfire. Students and rescue workers remove the logs to help in the search for victims. Steve Ueckert/Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less
Families partially settle Bonfire suitStudent leaders were accused of negligence during construction
HOUSTON - Families of seven students killed or injured during the deadly Texas A&M Bonfire collapse have reached a $4.25 million partial settlement of a state lawsuit alleging negligence, an attorney for four of the families said Friday.
Bringing Bonfire back
The 90-year bonfire tradition has been on hold since the deadly collapse. Texas A&M President Robert Gates