Texas A&M celebrates 125 years
Convocation, birthday bash commemorate anniversary
ted.
By Em\ly Hendsuckson
THE BATTALION
A&M College of Texas opened its
doors as fust pub Vie institution of
higher learning in the state of Texas 125
years ago, tomorrow. Events celebrating
[the anniversary are planned for the dura-
lion of the year and will begin Oct. 4 with
lacademic convocation.
day-Friday
!. Saturday
m 'jL
BHf) * '
:iAL!
■eive
14.75.
TtS
■ ✓31/01-
pricing
; lla Maria
22392
CHAD MALLAM • THE BATTALION
“This is an opportunity for students
and faculty to come together as a commu
nity to think about the past and future,”
said Janis Stout, dean of faculties and
associate provost.
Convocation will begin in Rudder
Auditorium at 2:30 p.m.
The featured speaker at the convocation
is Harold Shapiro, president of Princeton
University. A symbolic check will be pre
sented to President Dr. Ray M. Bowen from
the University Development Foundation as
a symbol of all the monies raised from the
past year. Stout said.
“It is a signature, formal occasion, and
students might find it interesting and we
encourage them to attend,” Stout said.
“Inviting representatives from other univer
sities to attend important occasions is a
practice that many universities follow.”
Invitations were sent to all four-year uni
versities in Texas, some two-year universi
ties that A&M has special relationships
with, the Big 12 universities and land grant
colleges. As a result, more than 160 repre
sentatives will be traveling to A&M from
across the nation, including representatives
from France, Switzerland, Costa Rica and
Mexico, said Nancy Sawtelle, director of
administrative services.
The convocation itself is a procession
from Cushing Library to Rudder Tower,
where faculty, staff and students will march
together. Faculty will be dressed in their
formal graduation regalia.
“It is a fun, festive occasion. More than
300 people will be in the procession,”
Stout said.
A 125th anniversary coffee is going to
be held the morning of Oct. 4 from 8 to
10 a.m. at the G. Rollie White Coliseum.
Students, faculty and staff are encouraged
to come, said Rose Sauser, with
University Relations. A new video of the
history of A&M will be shown. Also, a
new portrait of Sterling C. Evans will be
unveiled in the recognition suite in Evans
Library at 1 1 a.m.
On Oct. 3, a birthday bash will be held
to help students celebrate the University’s
anniversary. Events will start with a bar
becue picnic sponsored by Food Services
from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on O.R. Simpson
Drill Field. Aggie Bucks and meal plans
will be accepted. Beginning at 6 p.m.,
bands and student groups will perform
until 12 a.m., when an Old Army-style
Yell will be held on the steps of the
YMCA building, according to Veronica
Saenz, chairwoman of the 125th
Celebration Student Committee. At the
yell’s conclusion, the Brazos County
Aggie Mom’s Club will serve coffee and
donuts, Saenz said.
“This event is for any student who
wants to come and be a part of the 125th
celebration,” Saenz said.
A Black Tie 125th Anniversary
Celebration Gala will be held in Reed
Arena starting at 7 p.m. The Gala is by
invitation only.
Bonfire played major role in 90 of A&M s 125 years
By Rolando Garcia
THE BATTALION
When the first Aggie Bonfire
burned in 1909. it was a haphaz
ardly built pile of wood and
trash. Ninety years later, when
the stack collapsed, killing 1 1
students, one former student and
injuring 27, it had evolved into a
55-feet-high, layered structure
of cut logs requiring tens of
thousands of manhours to build.
Originally built off campus
after a victory over the
University of Texas (UT), the
event became a Thanksgiving
staple and came to symbolize
Aggies’ “burning desire” to
beat archrival UT. The event
moved to campus in the early
1920s, and the stacks grew
bigger and bigger. In 1946,
students began using a “center
pole” to build a taller stack.
The tallest Bonfire ever con
structed was in 1969, when it
stood 109-feet, 10-inches
high. Since 1970, Bonfire was
restricted to a height of 55 feet
and a width of 45 feet.
Bonfire moved from O. R.
Simpson Drill Field in 1955 to
the front of the Memorial
Student Center, where it
remained for 37 years. In 1992
it moved to its most recent loca
tion, at the intersection of
University Drive and Texas
Avenue on the polo fields.
The construction of Bonfire
required months of preparation
beginning with “cut,” when stu
dents would go to a forest site
designated to be cleared, and
they cut the wood using axes.
While some equipment and
cranes were used during “stack,”
most of the work was done with
manpower. Built like a layered
cake, each log was lifted with
pulleys and tied vertically in
place with wire. The event was
student led, with the design and
construction supervised by stu
dent leaders known as “red pots.”
The stack collapsed in 1994, but
no one was injured and Bonfire
was rebuilt within a week with
the help of former students and
burned on schedule.
But Bonfire, and Texas
A&M, would never be the same
after 2:42 a.m. Nov. 18, 1999,
when the stack collapsed. A
special commission, tasked
with investigating the cause of
the collapse, concluded that
structural design flaws were the
result of a “tunnel vision”
approach by the University that
See Bonfire on page 2.
Bowen reflects
on time at A&M
By Kevin Burns
THE BATTALION
BOWEN
Focusing on Texas A&M’s 125 years of tradi
tion-rich history. University President Dr. Ray M.
Bowen just wants to “stop [his] normal activities
and talk about issues which will affect [Texas
A&M] in the future.”
Yet it is Bowen’s experience as a former A&M
student that plays a heavy role in defining his
appreciation for the campus of today.
“A&M in those days was a very good, solid
kind of regional university,” Bowen said. “The
graduates in agriculture and the graduates in engineering were high
ly regarded within Texas. Nobody had any problems getting jobs.”
The Corps of Cadets, a symbol of A&M’s heritage, also played a
major role in defining Bowen’s strong ties to the campus.
“The Corps was a big deal, and a lot of the graduates were
spending some time in the (service],” he said. “The feeling of
threat was so significant people thought it was natural [to] spend
a little time in the military.” •
Beyond the armed services, Bowen said he is confident that he
and his fellow Aggies were well prepared for their careers.
“There is no doubt that 1 would be able to be successful in engi
neering practice,” Bowen said. “I went to Cal Tech from here [and]
didn’t doubt my ability to work at that level.”
Although Bowen regarded the
university highly at that time,
A&M has grown in prestige an
notoriety, he said.
“What you learned when you
got out of Texas was that most peo
ple didn’t know [A&M’s] academ
ic strength,” Bowen said. “That’s
what’s really changed in the last
many years.”
As the president of one of the
largest universities in the United
States, Bowen said, the success
leading into the monumental
125th year anniversary has
stemmed from the talents of those
who paved A&M’s history.
“When I came here, A&M was
on a strong pathway to having
even greater academic recognition
for the strength of all its pro
grams,” Bowen said. “I’ve done
little to change that, since I’ve
been blessed with the opportunity
to sustain the good work of peo
ple that came before me.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF YU¥. AGGIEl-AND
Ray M. Bowen was the deputy
Corps commander in 1958.
See Bowen on page 2.