MONDAY
November 20, 2000
Volume 107 ~ Issue 62
8 pages
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. STUART VILLANUEVA/Thf. Battalion
Students shielded their flames from the wind and rain
at the Bonfire remembrance ceremony early Saturday.
STUART VILLANUEVA/The Battalion
An estimated 25,000 people attended the ceremony
to honor and remember the victims.
Aggies meet at Polo Fields to remember
■** %
gr * %
By Mariano Castillo
The Battalion
Light drizzle accompa
nied the tears of those wait
ing for the Bonfire Remem
brance Ceremony.
The 12 students who
died in the 1999 Aggie Bon
fire collapse were honored
by Aggies at the Polo Fields
early Saturday morning.
Some held each other,
some prayed and many just
stood in silence. As the cere
mony approached, the num
ber of people in attendance
swelled to about 25,000, as
the rain steadily fell.
At 2:42 a.m., the time of
the Bonfire collapse, the spot
lights surrounding the torch
were turned off and a memo
rial flame was lighted.
Twelve cannon volleys
echoed like thunder across
the Polo Fields before a voice
penetrated the Silence of the
night: “Standing here in the
cold and darkness at 2:42
[a.m. ] today may seem odd to
those who do not understand
the Aggie family or Aggie
spirit. But for those of us who
do, it makes perfect sense. It
is the right time and the right
place to do the right thing.”
A prayer was read in re
membrance, and a roll call
for the victims, similar to
Aggie Muster, was read.
As each name was
Forrest Lane said students
and friends would have
stood for the remembrance
ceremony regardless of the
weather.
“Unfortunately, the
weather made it difficult
tonight,” said Lane, a senior
’I thought it was a very
solemn event where students
could reflect on the past year
— not only Bonfire, but how
things have changed since
— Monica Duarte
Senior biomedical science major
called, the recipient of that
person’s Bonfire Memorial
Scholarship approached the
memorial flame and placed
a Bonfire pot on a table dec
orated with 12 candles. The
rain made it difficult to keep
the candles flighted but
showed the loyalty of Ag
gies who braved the weath
er for their fallen friends.
Student Body President
—
political science major. “But
people were here, and no
matter what we would have
planned, I think that ulti
mately, we all came together
like we would have anyway.”
With the roll call com
plete, the sound of bagpipes
playing “Amazing Grace”
filled the air, and the fami
lies spread the flame, which
quickly passed from candle
to candle.
Monica Duarte, a senior
biomedical science major,
said the remembrance cere
mony was a chance to look
back on the events of the last
12 months.
“I thought it was a very
solemn event where students
could reflect on the past year
— not only on Bonfire, but
on how things have changed
since,” she said.
The memorial flame re
mained lighted until 8 p.m.
Sunday, the time when Tim
Kerlee Jr. died, on Nov. 19,
1999, becoming the 12th and
final victim of the collapse.
A lone bugler marched
up to the memorial flame,
where all 12 candles were
lighted, and played “Taps.”
Two members of the Ross
Volunteers, who had stood
guard at the site when the
flame was lighted, then ap
proached the stage and blew
out the 12 candles.
The ceremony was simple
but powerful, moving many
people in the crowd to tears.
See Bonfire on Page 2.
^This event might help some
achieve closure, but it was im
portant for us to share in their
grief and let them know our
thoughts are with them”
Dr. Ray M. Bowen
Texas A&M University president
BERNARDO GARZA/The Battalion
A member of the Ross Volunteers stands at quiet attention at the end of the Bonfire Remembrance
ceremony held at the site of the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse. All 12 were honored at the service.
TAMUG cancels
beach memorial
Texas A&M University-Galveston
(TAMUG) canceled its Aggie Bonfire
memorial ceremony scheduled for 7 p.m.
Saturday due to severe storms in the area,
said Todd Sutherland, campus director of stu
dent activities at TAMUG.
The storms, which left the beach under 6
inches of water and left the area impassable
to traffic, continued through the weekend.
Twelve small flames were to be lighted
along the beach in Galveston for the
memorial service.
This year’s Galveston Bonfire commit
tee, like the main campus’ committee, was
assigned to plan the memorial service in
place of a Bonfire, Sutherland said.
The Student Senate has adopted the same
Bonfire resolutions as the College Station
Senate, and TAMUG will honor A&M Pres
ident Dr. Ray M. Bowen’s two-year Bonfire
hiatus.
Plaques under 12 street lamps in Prison Park
dedicated, memorial plaque on display in MSC
Bonfire djfUap?
: M.
tbooks as if they had re-
' said Marc Eckhart,
A&M Bookstore.
aborated with J. Malon Southerland, vice
udent affairs, and Richard Floyd, associ-
sident for finance and control.
The bookstore offered this option to the 27 students
for the Fall 2000 semester and agreed to continue the of
fer until the students graduate.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Eckhart said. “It’s a great
service to provide for the University’s community.”
Students will have to present picture identification to
bookstore employees to receive their textbooks.
By Courtney Stelzel _
The Battalion
Nothing can take away the memo
ry of lost loved ones, but lasting re
minders can help keep their spirit
alive. In remembrance of the 12 Ag
gies who lost their lives in the 1999
Aggie Bonfire collapse, the city of
College Station and the Memorial
Student Center (MSC) unveiled
plaques at a ceremony in Rudder The
ater Saturday afternoon.
, A plaque with a maroon and white
ribbon bearing the names of the 12 vic
tims was unveiled.
“This plaque is a sign of remem
brance for those lost and for each oth
er, so that we may never, ever forget,”
said Forrest Lane, student body presi
dent and a senior political science ma
jor, on behalf of the MSC as the Bon
fire Memorial plaque.
A committee of eight representa
tives from the Traditions Council,
the Residence Hall Association
(RHA), the Corps of Cadets and the
Memorial Student Center (MSC) be
gan designing the memorial in June,
said Rusty Thompson, assistant di
rector of the MSC.
The Flagroom will host the Bonfire
Memorial plaque until a more perma
nent location is chosen.
“We wanted it dedicated and
housed in the MSC because that is the
student center and a high-traffic
area,” said Josh Kaylor, president of
RHA and a junior agricultural devel
opment major.
College Station officials presented
12 plaques to be placed at the base of
12 antique street lamps in Brison Park.
Although the plaques are not yet fin
ished, temporary replicas will stand in
their place until they are completed.
The plaques feature a small picture
of Bonfire and the victim’s name, class
and hometown. The plaques were
funded by the city of College Station
and organized by the College Station
Historic Preservation Committee.
^On behalf of the
angels, we thank
you for such a tru
ly special place to
come to both the
school and city”
— Timothy Kerlee Sr.
Father of Bonfire victim
Timothy Kerlee Jr.
College Station City Council mem
bers, Texas A&M administrators and
family and friends of the Bonfire vic
tims attended the ceremony.
Royce Hickman, Chamber of Com
merce president and CEO for the city
of College Station, spoke of last year’s
tragedy and the impact it had on Ag
gies everywhere.
“The world was able to see A&M at
its very best when the tragedy oc
curred; the Aggie family represented
our strong school spirit and dedication
to one another,” Hickman said.
The 12 plaques were presented by
Dennis Maloney, a College Station
councilman and a College Station His
toric Preservation committee member.
“Brison Park was chosen because
there are no playgrounds there, just
tranquility and love in the park; we
felt this was most appropriate,” Mal
oney said.
Timothy Kerlee Sr., whose son
Timothy Kerlee Jr. was killed in the
collapse, spoke on behalf of the parents
and family members of the 12 victims.
“On behalf of the angels, we thank
you for such a truly special place to
come to both the school and city,” he
said.
Last November, the College Station
Historic Preservation Committee or
dered antique street lights to be put in
Brison Park, the oldest park in the Col
lege Station park system, located in the
oldest section of the city.
“It just so happened that we ordered
12 poles,” said David Gerling, Parks
and Recreation superintendent and li
aison for the city of College Station to
the Historic Preservation Committee.
About a week after the order was
placed for the light poles. Bonfire col
lapsed, killing 12 Aggies and injuring
27 others.
“We were in a committee meeting
and somebody said ‘Why don’t we
dedicate those lights to the Bonfire
victims?’ ” Gerling said. “We felt that
the light posts fit nicely to memorial
ize the Bonfire victims. It is just a co
incidence that the number we had or
dered was the same as the number of
victims who died.”