By Paige Brazil
Photos by Dion McInnis
Twelve lives are lost, the campus community is in mourning, and people are questioning what caused the accident.
At 2:42am on the morning of Nov. 18, 1999, the bottom stack of the Texas A&M University bonfire started to crack like loose wooden floorboards in an old home. The entire stack was made out of 18-foot logs that were wired together so they stood perpendicular to the ground around a center-pole base. The logs began to lean southeast. Each layer of logs rested on the one below it, so when the bottom layer began to shift, the entire stack of logs began to fall.
The collapse of Bonfire in 1999 left the Texas A&M community shattered and the emotional turmoil of the accident was felt by people everywhere. A long-standing tradition at Texas A&M would be forever changed after that moment.
On Nov. 18, 1907, a group of Texas Aggies created the first bonfire out of scraps and debris, following a football win against the Tulane Green Wave. That night, a timeless tradition took root and became a staple for generations of future Aggies. Bonfire officially moved to campus in 1909, but it was not until 1919 when the burning of Bonfire symbolized the upcoming football game between Texas A&M and their rival, The University of Texas, or “t.u.”
“The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Bonfire has symbolized every Aggie’s ‘burning desire’ to beat the University of Texas in football,” according to the Bonfire Memorial website. Attracting thousands of people each year to watch it burn, Bonfire has become a symbol of the spirit and camaraderie of Aggieland.
In 1935, the university made Bonfire
a school-sanctioned event and the university began providing tools, materials, and land resources for Bonfire. “Bonfire burned each year through 1998, with the exception of 1963,” according to the Bonfire Memorial website. “That year Bonfire was built but torn down in a tribute to President John F. Kennedy who was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963. The second time in [Texas] A&M’s history that Bonfire did not burn was almost exactly 92 years after the first Bonfire due to its collapse on Nov. 18, 1999, at 2:42 a.m. The collapse claimed the lives of 12 Aggies and injured 27 others.”
Five years after the collapse in 1999, the Bonfire Memorial was dedicated in the exact location of the fall and commemorates the Aggies who lost their lives that night. “The Bonfire Memorial embodies many layers of meaning associated with the Aggie Spirit — a deep sense of belonging, a strong spirit of teamwork and leadership, and an enduring sense of tradition that unites thousands,” according to the Bonfire Memorial website. “The Bonfire Memorial celebrates the tradition, history, and spirit of Texas A&M and the dedication of those involved in the tragic collapse of the 1999 Bonfire.”
The Bonfire Memorial is comprised of three design elements to unite past, present, and future Aggies. The first element is the Tradition Plaza, which marks the entrance to the memorial. There are two walls within Tradition Plaza, the Spirit Wall, and the Last Corps Trip Wall. The Spirit Wall separates the memorial from the outside world, creating a more intimate experience inside the memorial. The Last Corps Trip Wall depicts the poem that is traditionally read before each Bonfire burn.
The next design element is the History Walk. The History Walk details the history of Bonfire, 90 years prior to the collapse in 1999. The timeline is made of granite and has 89 stones that are arranged in a line. The first stone begins with 1909 and symbolizes the first year that Bonfire was burned on campus. There is a notch in each stone that holds an amber light to remember the glow of Bonfire each November. There is a break in the timeline in 1963 to commemorate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which was the only year, aside from the collapse in 1999, that Bonfire did not burn. Three prior Bonfire-related deaths are also marked on the timeline in the years in which they occurred.
The third and final design element is the Spirit Ring. The Spirit Ring surrounds the area of the 1999 Bonfire. There are 12 portals dedicated to each victim of the collapse and the portals face the hometown of the victim it is commemorating. There is a space within each portal designed to be stepped into in order to signify filling the void left behind by one of the 12 Aggies lost, thus symbolically embodying the 12th Man. There are 27 bronze stones that represent the injured persons. These stones are placed in between the 12 portals to connect them and complete the circle.
“For Aggies who participated in Bonfire, the meaning and power of the Aggie Spirit is understood. The Bonfire Memorial seeks to share that understanding with respect, remembrance, and spirit,” according to the website.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Bonfire collapse and a monumental period of Aggie history. Bonfire still burns to this day through the dedication and spirit of Student Bonfire and is held off-campus, as Bonfire is no longer a university-sanctioned event.
There are many levels of leadership ranks within Student Bonfire. A Redpot was historically the top rank in Bonfire, and the same legacy of the Redpots continues with Student Bonfire.
“Student Bonfire is the physical manifestation of the love and burning passion we have for one another and for our university,” former Redpot Brian Okosun says. “Student Bonfire, to me, is the truest form of Aggie spirit and there’s no other tradition like it. I will help to make sure this tradition lives on for the memory of the 12. It means much more than I can ever explain.”
As the 20th anniversary of Bonfire collapse approaches, former student and Bonfire member Dion McInnis remembers the emotional turmoil that affected the Texas A&M community following the collapse of Bonfire.
“I was born and raised in Texas, but I moved to New Mexico my junior year of high school,” says McInnis. “Still, though, I already knew I was going to A&M and that I wanted to be a part of Bonfire.”
McInnis was accepted to Texas A&M for the fall 1999 semester but was unable to attend right away due to out-of-state tuition costs. “I decided I would work, save some money, and take classes at a smaller school in New Mexico in the hope of receiving a scholarship,” says McInnis. “I would take a little time and apply again when I was ready.”
McInnis did not attend Texas A&M in the fall of 1999 and that has been a decision that has followed him since.
“I’m going to wrestle with this forever,” says McInnis. “My mother woke me up on the morning of the 18th and told me to try and get ahold of my buddies because something had happened. I spent that whole day trying to get ahold of them. I was finally able to reach one of their parents and found out that my buddies were alright. That’s when it hit me.” From that moment on, McInnis began to not take anything for granted. McInnis attended Texas A&M in the spring of 2000 and was part of building the first Bonfire stacks off-campus. McInnis also helped paved the road for Student Bonfire that many Texas A&M students walk now.
Today, McInnis serves on the Board of Directors for Bonfire, advising students on leadership, strategy, operations, etc. Through this position, he hopes to keep the legacy of Bonfire strong by never forgetting the impact of the tradition on him and aspiring to make a difference for future generations of Aggies.
“I’m always going to feel like I’m not allowed to feel anything because I wasn’t there,” says McInnis. “I think for me I am mostly proud of the students, at what the students have done. You come to A&M for the experience, to get an education outside the classroom. There is no better place to get that than at Bonfire.”
Both the Bonfire Memorial and off-campus bonfire reflect the foundation and the passion that comes from being a part of the Texas A&M family.
“Texas A&M is built on pride, fortitude, integrity, and resilience,” says McInnis. “Every former student loves and cherishes the traditions still being kept alive. All of these things that are still held dear, that people still protect with a fiery passion, that fire is coming from somewhere, and that fire is bonfire.”
13th Man: A Bonfire Documentary The collapse of Bonfire affected people outside of the Texas A&M community as well and has served as a source of inspiration to keep the spirit alive. The Bonfire Memorial inspired Charlie Minn, a film director and producer, to create a documentary about the collapse.
"I was a guest speaker at A&M back in 2011 and students were encouraging me to make the documentary back then. Some of them even escorted me to the memorial so I could take it all in," says Minn. "Since this tradition hasn't been on campus for 20 years now, things tend to fade over time. A film like this will inform, educate, and remind people of all the fallen Aggies whose voices should never be forgotten."
For more information regarding the film, including showtimes and locations, visit www.13thmanfilm.com.
