Brief

For over 90 years, the annual Bonfire at Texas A&M embodied many layers of meaning centric to the Aggie Spirit – teamwork, leadership, and an enduring sense of tradition. It was passionately observed, and one of the most storied traditions of any college campus in the United States. Tragically, on November 18, 1999, exactly one week before it would be ignited, the Bonfire collapsed killing twelve Aggies and injuring many more.

Ten years later the tragedy was memorialized with the construction of the Bonfire Memorial. The memorial unites all Aggies, past, present, and future by recalling the tradition, history, and spirit of Texas A&M – especially dedication of those involved in the tragic collapse.

Erik Christianson was honored to be selected as the sculptor for each of the 12-foot high bronze inlays which represent the injured and fallen students. For more information about the Bonfire Memorial please visit the Texas A&M website devoted to the memorial, and for the complete story about the tragedy we suggest reading Texas Monthly’s article. To read a very moving account about the design and construction of the memorial we suggest this article in Texas Monthly.