Texas A and M University - Aggieland Yearbook (College Station, TX)

Page 33 text:

V TOP: Two junior corp students aim fire hoses at seniors as they walk around Duncan Dining Hall and towards the site of bonfire. LEFT: A proud senior displays his class status through elephant ears and a trunk before embark- ing on the elephant walk. ABOVE: Seniors end elephant walk by gathering around the site of bonfire and holding a yell practice. I

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OLD ELEPHANTS DIE AT A M Seniors wade through mud and water as they approach their final days of glory at top. Tuesday November y 26, 1985 at 12:30 in the afternoon. The atmosphere of a riot seemed to take hold of the A M campus as senior students filled the plaza area in front of the Academic Building. The leaders of the group wore red work¬ men. Three other leaders wore blue jean overalls and led the massive group of se¬ niors through various yells to pep them up for the march about to take place. Meanwhile, various groups of juniors had set up ambushes throughout campus. Their toy guns were loaded, in hand and ready to fire when the seniors marched by. A visitor of the campus would think this crowd was worse than the Kent State epi¬ sode several years ago. However, the Ag¬ gies knew it was just the annual tradition of Elephant Walk. The march, Tuesday before the A M vs. TU. football game, symbolized the seniors as dead elephants who would no longer be of use to the Twelfth man student body. Juniors ready to take over their new lead rolls on cam¬ pus, killed the dying elephants with water guns, water balloons and shaving cream. “It was fun to have the juniors you knew try to get you with their water guns and balloons,” said senior Susan Legg. The line of the arm-in-arm seniors marched through several sentimental spots on campus as juniors continued the assault. The seniors were led through the fish pond and through campus. Then blocking traffic on University Drive, they meandered by the Dixie Chicken and down bottle cap alley. After surviving several ambushes at the north campus dorms, the seniors caught a glimpse of a real elephant by the Albritton Bell Tower. The seniors marched into Kyle Field where a surprise steer was waiting for them with 37-10 (the score from last year’s A M vs. TU. game) branded on its side. After a short yell practice, the se¬ niors headed to the Quadrangle. “It looked like a bunch of mud wrestling tournaments were taking place,” com¬ mented senior Laura Goldwater in refer¬ ence to the activities in the Corps area. The mud-covered, dying elephants end¬ ed their trek at the site of Bonfire where a final yell practice was held with the yell leaders atop the stack. This muddy field and collection of wood was to become an¬ other annual Aggie bonfire to be held the next evening. By Lisa Kastensmidt

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THE AGGIE TRADITION CONTINUES. • • Wet wind and wood makes for a slow-burning stack. £ campus-wide effort, led by the red pots, began the first week of October with the cut¬ ting of the wood. The centerpole went up on Halloween day. Thus, the birth of the stack, soon to become the representation of the Aggies’ burning desire to beat t.u. — the Bonfire. The building of Bonfire is no simple task. But, “If it was easy, everyone would build one,” junior redpot Tim Truitt said. Bonfire was completed less than two months after the first cut of wood. Two months of cutting classes and loss, late nights or all-nighters, blistered hands and aching shoulders resulted in the massive structure. The Wednesday before the Thanksgiving game, students, alumni and visitors gathered to watch it burn and fire up the Aggies to beat the hell outta t. u. . Although the week-long drizzle had muddied the site, it didn’t dampen the Twelfth Man’s spirit. Blue-jeans, boots and tennis shoes quickly became caked as stu¬ dents sloshed around the mud to get a better view of the activities. “It was so muddy I couldn’t stand it,” said senior Sherry Meyer. Some students even wore rubber wad¬ ing boots to get to the inner circle of the crowd. “I figured as a senior I was smart enough to know how muddy it would be, and I wore my rubber boots,” said senior Drew DeHaes. Many students were disappointed at the Bonfire because wet wood and wind refuse d to allow the stack to light. Many students even jokingly called it “nonfire.” The fire did, however, burn for five hours and, in fact, burned passed midnight (until 2 a.m.), which is traditionally an omen of an Aggie victory the next day. By Lisa Kastensmidt 30 Life