Dear Aggieland: A Letter from the Red Pots

A note from Lia, who produced this piece:

It’s been 20 years since the collapse of Aggie Bonfire on November 18th, 1999 at 2:42 a.m. When I think of my friends who lost their son on that dreadful night, I think about the ways those 12 fallen Aggies are remembered to this very day. One of those ways is through the ongoing light that shines when Aggie Bonfire is burned each year. 

Aggie Bonfire is one of Texas A&M’s most bold and sacred traditions and has represented the spirit of Aggieland for over a century. Each year, A&M students work tirelessly for months in order to keep this tradition alive, and the easy road is never an option. Every tree is cut down by hand, loaded manually, and stacked and secured using nothing but physical labor. Since the collapse of Bonfire 20 years ago, many things about this tradition have changed, but one thing has remained the same: the level of dedication these Aggies have to each other and to their community.

I sought to find out why. 

Why do these Aggies identify with this so much? What inspires them to spend hundreds of hours doing manual labor? What do they gain from this experience and what makes them push their limits every year? To find my answer, I asked the four senior Red Pots of Aggie Bonfire to craft a letter to Aggieland, explaining why they choose the hard things, why it's important to remember the past and why they are so passionate about serving the future.

This is their message to Aggieland.

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