A week-long remembrance of the Bonfire tragedy at Texas A&M University 10 years ago that claimed the lives of 12 Aggies, and in which 27 others were injured, will be observed on campus beginning Nov.13. It will include a formal remembrance program in Reed Arena Nov. 17 and a candlelight vigil at 2:42 a.m. on Nov. 18 - marking the 10th anniversary of the precise time that the stack fell.

Bonfire Remembrance Week is a student-led program that will begin with daily exhibits of photographs and memorabilia related to the 100-year history of what was the annual building and burning of the stacked logs prior to the
1999 accident. Up until that time, Bonfire burned every year except for 1963, when the partially completed stack was disassembled in the wake of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Bonfire has not been held on campus since the 1999 accident.

The photos and memorabilia will be displayed in Rudder Exhibit Hall on Nov.13-16 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. and in Sam Houston Sanders Corps Center on Nov. 18 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The remembrance program will be held at Reed Arena at 8 p.m. on Nov. 17. Organizers of the program say it will be similar to the university's traditional Muster, the annual April 21 remembrance of Aggies who have died during the past year. It also is expected to be reminiscent of the Reed Arena program conducted on the evening of the 1999 tragedy.

Speakers at the program will include Will Hurd of San Antonio, student body president in 1999; Kolin Loveless, the current student body president; and a family member of one of the Aggies who died when the 1999 stack collapsed. Jacob Robinson, Student Government Association vice president and chair of the Bonfire Remembrance Planning Committee, will serve as master of ceremonies, and Lt. Gen. Joe Weber, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), will deliver a formal welcome on behalf of the university.

The Reed Arena program will be facilitated by the Texas A&M Traditions Council, the Memorial Student Center (MSC) Hospitality Committee, the Corps of Cadets and the Residence Hall Association.

Many of the thousands of Aggies and others who attend the Reed Arena remembrance are expected to assemble later across campus at the Bonfire Memorial for a silent observance at 2:42 a.m.

The Bonfire Memorial was formally dedicated on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy. The circular memorial, built around the exact site of the 1999 Bonfire stack, includes large portals honoring each of the Aggies killed in the accident, with each portal positioned in the circular monument to point in the direction of the hometown of the deceased Aggie to which it is dedicated.

Traditions Council and MSC Hospitality Committee members have extended offers to speak to student organizations and conduct tours to the Bonfire Memorial.

"We Remember" commemorative Bonfire T-shirts will be on sale at the MSC Bookstore - now located in G. Rollie White Coliseum - through the holiday season. The T-shirts are priced at $10, with proceeds directed to the Bonfire Memorial Fund. The T-shirts are also available online via the MSC Bookstore Website at www.mscbookstore.com.

Additional information about Bonfire Remembrance Week is provided at bonfire.tamu.edu. Also, a special page will be featured on the Texas A&M University Facebook site, and the Traditions Council will post its Twitter updates with a "We Remember 11-18-1999" notation.