[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2477]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2477]]
     REGARDING THE TRAGEDY AT THE TEXAS AGGIE BONFIRE OF TEXAS A&M 
                               UNIVERSITY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE BARTON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 1999

  Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I speak today with great sadness 
about a tragedy which happened early this morning at Texas A&M 
University. A great tradition that all Aggies hold very dear--Texas 
Aggie Bonfire--collapsed, killing at least six people and injuring as 
many as 25. My thoughts and prayers are with the parents who lost 
children, and the students who lost friends. Texas A&M is a family, and 
today the Aggie Family is in shock, grieving for our dead and injured 
students.
  For those of you who have not ever heard of Texas A&M Bonfire, it is 
one of the most cherished Aggie traditions. Traditions are very 
important at Texas A&M. The bonfire tradition revolves around building 
and burning the world's largest bonfire. In past years, it has soared 
over 100 feet high and burned all night. This year's bonfire was 
scheduled to be over 60 feet high and burn until after midnight.
  Aggie Bonfire has been a tradition at Texas A&M since 1909 when they 
used it to stay warm during the ``Yell Practice'' on the night before 
the annual A&M-Texas football game. The bonfire represents everything 
Aggies are about: hard work, unity, dedication, and loyalty. It also 
represents a burning desire for A&M to defeat the Longhorn football 
team.
  Several thousand members of the student body contribute in one way or 
another to building bonfire. When I was a freshman at Texas A&M, I 
participated in Bonfire by going out to ``cut''. The ``cut'' area is 
selected a few months before the football game against t.u. Areas are 
selected that need to be cleared for construction and then the work 
begins. The entire bonfire is built the ``Aggie'' way. Trees are cut 
down by hand, they are lifted and carried out of the woods on 
shoulders, they are loaded onto trucks by hand, unloaded by hand, 
stacked by hand and wired into stack by hand. In my sophomore year, I 
was ``promoted'' to the stack area and helped erect the actual bonfire.
  It is often said that if other schools had a tradition like this they 
would probably contract it out to the lowest bidder and then all show 
up just to watch it burn, but not the Aggies. Not only do we do it all 
ourselves but we do it the hard way. The building of bonfire builds 
character. The hard work and sacrifice of time teaches a good work 
ethic that is not soon forgotten.
  What does it mean to be a Texas Aggie? A&M is a special place. Values 
are taught both in the classroom and out of the classroom. Aggies lives 
our traditions and cherish them, and pass them onto their children. I 
have three children, two have graduated from A&M and my youngest 
daughter will enter A&M next Fall. In spite of the tragedy that has 
occurred, it is my hope that Bonfire continues in the great spirit in 
which it embodies, and that my daughter Kristin will help build it in 
years to come.

                          ____________________