ins
THE BATTALION
lirsday, August 4, 1966 College Station, Texas Page 7
retire |
ef of po.
of tll(
f or Tex.
Exten.
Silver Taps
36 year;
i n poliet
live in
h special
xas f 0t
^Editor’s note: Though tradi-
ns are discussed in another
ir fion, Silver Taps, the most
‘inal la« emn Q f a n a&M traditions,
s been reserved for this first
ion. The following article
Vorth ii ‘‘l® Personal reaction of
tive was
sponsor,
s taugli
ege Sta.
Spring,
nt Higl
‘s Ain.
ie Texas
erton ij
the FBI
5xas. H (
ilitual Chills
ormer Editor
n Louis, who was editor of The
ttalion during 1963-64.)
at city's
to 196J,
'oration I
lowertoj By ° AN LOUIS JR -
itrolmai f ow man y times have I gone
pugh this same experience? I
ly don’t remember. Back down
I line somewhere I lost count,
lelieve it might have been in
i spring of ’62 that I stopped
liting. That was a bad one,
it Aggie’s date also died in
it wreck.
ut unfortunately it’s time to
rve one of Texas A&M Uni-
Sity’s most beautiful traditions
lin. The one tradition that
a of tit sr y one wishes was never neces-
n Wash 7' l- t ’ s p.m. and time for
feie Silver Taps—this time for
I students, both victims of the
■rmobile.
I’d better double check and
Re sure that all the lights are
Kn the office. It’s really going
• | i be dark out there tonight, with
ithe lights turned off and no
~ In. Well the lights are off and
Ithe boys are out in the hall
[ting. At least I guess they
[ Funny how a bunch of news-
>er people who were chattering
I rushing to get a paper put
fether can suddenly become so
pin, so sober, so aware of the
j of a fellow Aggie at 10:20—
er Taps time. Of course three
those fellows had the job for
png with police, hospital of-
Lls, the victim’s friends and,
t unfortunately, his family
e they pulled the story to
iler about the accidents.
Ine can almost hear the cut-
| [ north wind whisper a warn-
to all Aggies that are about
&ke to the highways for the
istmas Holidays. There is a
;hly silence on the campus.
As never in the past, Aggies arf>
observing the tradition of not
speaking during Silver Taps or
while going to and coming from
the ceremony.
I can hear the scraping, click
ing sound of the taps on the boots
of the Ross Volunteer firing
squad members as they march
into position for their part in
the ceremony. Silence shouts once
again when the squad halts. Soft
inaudible commands are followed
by staccato striking of rifle butts
against concrete as the Aggies
position themselves and prepare
to point their rifles to the heavens
and fire.
I feel myself growing even
more rigid than I’ve been before
this moment. I know what to
expect. Then it comes—a row of
short, brilliant flames jump to
ward the heavens and then a
sharp crack of rifle fire pierces
my ears with such impact after
the prolonged silence that there
is a tingling throughout my entire
body. Immediately behind the
first, come two more loud cracks,
21 rifles have fired all totaled—
seven at a time.
The deadly silence drops on the
campus again. Then from on the
upper chambers of the gray-look-
ing Academic Building comes the
slow, mournful tone of taps—
Aggie Silver Taps. Three times
through.
I can’t help it, my mind begins
to shout over and over again,
Why? Why? Why? did these
Aggies have to die? Their lives
were ahead of them. There was
much they still had to accomplish.
Before I have time to find an
answer to the age old question,
I find myself clearing my throat
along with several thousand other
Aggies. I’m reluctant to turn
away. There must be an answer.
But, I know there isn’t, so I turn
slowly and begin to drift back to
the office. I wonder, does every
one else feel as I do at that
moment.
vn
k
nother Student
lews Ceremony
While Silver Taps is probably one of the best tradi-
ns at Aggieland, it is by far the least looked forward
When a Fig-htin’ Texas Aggies dies, the flag in front
the Academic Building is lowered to half staff. At
30 that night the tower at the Memorial Student Cen-
| wails in memory of the departmed Aggie. At this time
[students turn out their lights and silently walk to the
ig pole in front of the Academic Building. All lights on
tnpus are turned off and guards at all campus en-
[nces stop any cars attempting to enter. As the entire
[dent body thinks about and prays for this Aggie and
family the Ross Volunteers march into position. Their
les fire three time in a 21 gun salute. Taps is then
yed three times. After a silent moment all the stu
nts turn, still with sealed lips, and return to their
rms; very few turn on their lights. This is Silver Taps.
We are here again Oh Lord
As you called this Aggie
So the tower called to each one of us.
And we came
Because “We are the Aggies, the Aggies are we,
True to each other as Aggies can be.”
Though we do not know why he was taken from our
ranks
It is to you that we give thanks
For the safety and health of all these about,
And, Lord, please meet him at the gates — he’ll whip
out.
V
Lord please take special care of his mother too,
Who, while she should now be soundly sleeping,
Is lying on the sofa weeping.
Remember too his girl with her proud face beaming.
Comfort her and dry the tears that down her face
are streaming.
The guns have fired and taps are blown
And now we turn and go back home.
As we go to city, village, or farm,
Please oh please go with us and keep us safe from
harm
In work, in travel, and in play
And make the next Silver Taps ever so far away.
Mark Reger
erley To Represent A&M
t Regional Conference
Auston Kerley will represent
xas A&M at a regional confer-
:e on Counseling and Guidance
titutes in Dallas Wednesday,
lesigned to acquaint applicants
th procedures for securing the
)EA Institutes in 1967, the
inference will attract counseling
d guidance personnel from
uthwest U. S. universities and
leges.
ierley is director of the Coun-
ing and Testing Center at
iM and an associate professor
education. He and Dr. Charles
McCandless will utilize infor-
tion acquired to develop a
proposal for a six-week guidance
and counseling institute at A&M
next summer.
“Our methods and procedures
in two-day conferences for new
students will be applied,” Kerley
said. “Institute participants will
thus get all the ramifications of
counseling, have opportunity to
observe registrar, housing and
educational planning techniques.”
The regional conference will be
conducted by the Department of
Health, Education and Welfare
with Donald N. Bigelow acting
director of educational personnel
training.
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