Thought I would put this on this page, I know it isn't soccer related, but you guys are as close to a family as I have here on TexAgs:
This is undoubtedly the most difficult post I have ever written, and will be my last post for quite some time, as Aggie sports, and all sports, just seem to have little real meaning to me now. Tuesday night Silver Taps will be held for my son, William Zachary ("Zach") Elder '20, who was a senior petroleum engineering major. Zach passed away in a car accident on Wellborn Road on September 13, 2019, driving home from the Rec Center after a workout.
My wife and I are both Aggies, so Zach was brought up attending Aggie Football games and loving all things maroon and white. As my family liked to joke, Zach was brainwashed early. He loved, loved Texas A&M and made it his goal from an early age to get into A&M. Zach was dyslexic, which just meant he had to work a little bit harder to make his dreams come true, so the day he was accepted to Texas A&M was extra special for him and for all of us.
While at A&M, Zach was a member of the Aggie Club of Engineers (ACE) and a participant in many intramural sports, while also being a part of the Petroleum Engineering Society, and participating in Songfest.
I had the joy and pleasure of coaching Zach when he was younger in baseball and soccer, and then got to watch him play high school soccer, baseball and football. He was at his happiest when he was part of a team and being a part of something bigger than just himself, and I think that is why being an Aggie appealed to him so much. Zach's other love was the outdoors and he enjoyed spending time up in the mountains hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding and fly fishing. We had family from Oregon and would spend time each summer in the mountains of Central Oregon, a place he thought of as heaven.
Since his untimely passing, his mother and I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from the Aggie Family. He was to pick up his ring last Friday, and the Association of Former Students was very gracious in assisting us through that process. The Student Life Office has been so friendly and helpful, they could not have been nicer or more accommodating. We have received a tremendous amount of love, support and prayers from Aggies all over, and for this we say thank you.
The Association of Former Students has asked if they could display Zach's ring permanently with their class rings, and we were honored to say yes.
I always loved Silver Taps when I was a student, but I never dreamed I would be attending for a child of my own. But it is an honor to answer Here for the most red-ass Aggie I knew, and the one I had the privilege of calling my son.
Here.
Scott Elder '94
Zach Elder Silver Taps Article The Battalion
Zach's Aggie Ring
This is undoubtedly the most difficult post I have ever written, and will be my last post for quite some time, as Aggie sports, and all sports, just seem to have little real meaning to me now. Tuesday night Silver Taps will be held for my son, William Zachary ("Zach") Elder '20, who was a senior petroleum engineering major. Zach passed away in a car accident on Wellborn Road on September 13, 2019, driving home from the Rec Center after a workout.
My wife and I are both Aggies, so Zach was brought up attending Aggie Football games and loving all things maroon and white. As my family liked to joke, Zach was brainwashed early. He loved, loved Texas A&M and made it his goal from an early age to get into A&M. Zach was dyslexic, which just meant he had to work a little bit harder to make his dreams come true, so the day he was accepted to Texas A&M was extra special for him and for all of us.
While at A&M, Zach was a member of the Aggie Club of Engineers (ACE) and a participant in many intramural sports, while also being a part of the Petroleum Engineering Society, and participating in Songfest.
I had the joy and pleasure of coaching Zach when he was younger in baseball and soccer, and then got to watch him play high school soccer, baseball and football. He was at his happiest when he was part of a team and being a part of something bigger than just himself, and I think that is why being an Aggie appealed to him so much. Zach's other love was the outdoors and he enjoyed spending time up in the mountains hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding and fly fishing. We had family from Oregon and would spend time each summer in the mountains of Central Oregon, a place he thought of as heaven.
Since his untimely passing, his mother and I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from the Aggie Family. He was to pick up his ring last Friday, and the Association of Former Students was very gracious in assisting us through that process. The Student Life Office has been so friendly and helpful, they could not have been nicer or more accommodating. We have received a tremendous amount of love, support and prayers from Aggies all over, and for this we say thank you.
The Association of Former Students has asked if they could display Zach's ring permanently with their class rings, and we were honored to say yes.
I always loved Silver Taps when I was a student, but I never dreamed I would be attending for a child of my own. But it is an honor to answer Here for the most red-ass Aggie I knew, and the one I had the privilege of calling my son.
Here.
Scott Elder '94
Zach Elder Silver Taps Article The Battalion
Zach's Aggie Ring