College Station, Texas

Brooke qualified for the NCAA Western Regional Track Meet in College Station, Texas, so naturally Jim and I jumped at the chance to attend the meet and then tack on a few days of sightseeing in southeast Texas. On the day of Brooke's event, we had some free time in the morning so we drove around the Texas A&M campus, stopping at the Bonfire Memorial. We learned that a bonfire was built every year starting in 1907 as a way to promote school spirit prior for the annual rivalry football game versus University of Texas. Apparently, attendance at the yearly bonfire burning ranged from 30,000-70,000 students and community members. Sadly, on November 18, 1999, the bonfire collapsed during construction - killing 12 students and injuring 27 others. The Bonfire Memorial sits on the site of the collapsed bonfire structure and contains 12 sixteen foot tall portals each dedicated to one of the students who died. The portals are positioned to face in the direction of the student's hometown and have a bronze plaque engraved with the student's portrait, their signature, and remembrances of the deceased written by family and friends. This memorial is a beautiful, yet somber place on the Texas A&M campus.

The Bonfire Memorial

The portals representing each of the students who died in the collapse

The inside wall of the portals contain bronze plaques

The bronze inscription memorializing one of the Aggies who died

While at the campus we would have liked to visit the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library, but it was closed due to Covid-19. We'll just have to come back another time.