of Texas. It seemed like everyone went and did yells. what are yall's thoughts or observations on it now ? i guess its a totally different world bc of iphones but student life is still similar in alot of ways

Howdy, I remember in (I think it was) the 80's when it was broadcast live!

VatoLocoAggie said:

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Some of my greatest memories was being Center Pole and running and yelling it til rope ran out. If you know you know. New Army will never know.

Good Bull

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Pisshead wrap. Snuff up and run!

And the ags before you would say the same thing about admitting women and making the corps optional as you say about bonfire. Every generation loves to criticize the next in favor of the good old days.

I agree with you. Bonfire being eliminated as an on- campus activity destroyed dorm continuity and pride. Hearing stories of every freshman in the dorms going to first cut, and most continuing, is something so foreign. It created appreciation for A&M. Now 90% of your red-ass ags are probably 2nd generation or further.
I just don't love the fact that many old ags think there aren't a good portion of us who still love the university and carry on as much of the traditions as we know.

hillcountryag86 said:

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The end of campus bonfire caused the most profound change in traditions and culture. Moreso, I'd argue, than admitting women and making the Corps optional.

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You just reminded me of the middle 90s . The A&M is a cult allegations were stronger back then
Pre Internet (like pre Texags) to outsiders the identity of A&M had a mistyque of tradition , bonfire ?? sounded cultish

up to 70,000 ppl gathering around a fire doing yells . it was something to talk about
edit: i was reading on youtube ppl were booking hotels to attend

aggieland28 said:

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I agree with you. Bonfire being eliminated as an on- campus activity destroyed dorm continuity and pride. Hearing stories of every freshman in the dorms going to first cut, and most continuing, is something so foreign. It created appreciation for A&M. Now 90% of your red-ass ags are probably 2nd generation or further.
I just don't love the fact that many old ags think there aren't a good portion of us who still love the university and carry on as much of the traditions as we know.

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an analogy is like commuting to school vs living on or near campus. doing in class or online courses . on campus intergrates the building and construction into being in school everyone experiences the building phase indirectly. the burn is the show but the build is the thing the project of the student body on campus

Current Bonfire member here, it is very sad about how much the tradition and culture has changed around the school. Hearing old bonfire stories from others and my really old dead's/olds makes me wish that I was born earlier so I could experience the prime Bonfire culture. That being said, I am still thankful that there are redass people to build the bonfire with, and that my crew has been able to maintain our culture for the future fish classes

petebaker said:

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hillcountryag86 said:

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The end of campus bonfire caused the most profound change in traditions and culture. Moreso, I'd argue, than admitting women and making the Corps optional.

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up to 70,000 ppl gathering around a fire doing yells . it was something to talk about
edit: i was reading on youtube ppl were booking hotels to attend

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Burn was great, but anticlimactic IMO. For some of us it was just a way to clear the polo field to get ready to build stack again in the Fall.

Relatively few students worked on Bonfire from start to finish. Thousands showed up for first cut (especially fish). For many, that was the only day they ever put out. Numbers dwindled as the weeks went on. By the time we got to stack it was really a small percentage of those who were there at the beginning.

Certain groups (frats) never swung an axe or worked on stack. That's ok, we built it for them anyway.

Looking back with some maturity and wisdom there were some aspects of "Bonfire culture" I don't miss and wish hadn't been a part of it. But overall, the hard work, camaraderie, friends, and being part of an overall awesome accomplishment I will always remember fondly.

To NoahAg's point, I probably half-a**ed it when it came to cut and never really did build...

However, I have a larger circle of friends because I had a good friend who was a red pot in Dunn, and he introduced me to all his bonfire pots in the late 90's / early 2000's (they were all classes of
'92-'95).

And that alone is why I'm forever grateful for Bonfire!

My wife and I got married on the day of bonfire in 1988.

Anyone else go to bonfire on their honeymoon?

(Centerpole joke here)

12 Aggies died.

I wish the design, manuals and process for building it had been kept under tighter controls and reviewed for safety in a way to prevent a catastrophe. Instead, CTs were allowed to do the same thing year after year with minimal professional standards. Sad.

It was broadcast live in '98. Mom taped it, i was in the broadcast.

Ill ALWAYS cherish the time and hard labor I put in at Father/Son cut !

I was at Texas A&M from 2013-2017, and I noticed how numoerus things have changed since I graduated.

Dad-O-Lot said:

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My wife and I got married on the day of bonfire in 1988.

Anyone else go to bonfire on their honeymoon?

(Centerpole joke here)

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We went to Bonfire, watched it fall then I took the girlfriend the long way to the parking lot…….walked her over to the Century Tree and proposed. Surprisingly she said yes LOL

1986 Bonfire:

Cajun Ag 86 said:

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I wish the design, manuals and process for building it had been kept under tighter controls and reviewed for safety in a way to prevent a catastrophe. Instead, CTs were allowed to do the same thing year after year with minimal professional standards. Sad.

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Ah. It was the CT's fault. Cool. I'm sure all the red ass non regs that used to brag so much about how they built Bonfire were all up to OSHA standards every night out at stack.
You know, we built the damn thing for 90 years without incident. Sometimes freak accidents happen.

This is a false narrative. DM me if you care to know the truth.

Bonfire is still badass, alot of students have a much more profound respect for it and its history after the stack fell. I support it being off campus. some of the Old Ags may not understand, but in modern times, it's normally much better that the university not to be involved directly with tradition.