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----- Original Message -----  
From: Jack Rains  
To: jmrtexas@swbell.net 
Sent: Tuesday, November 21, 2000 2:20 PM
Subject: FW: Aggie Gram

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Jack Rains

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-----Original  Message-----
From: Jack Rains  [mailto:jmrtexas@swbell.net]
Sent: Tuesday, November 21, 2000 2:17  PM
Subject: FW: Aggie  Gram

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IN  LOVING MEMORY -- &WE WILL REMEMBER THEM8

MIRANDA  D. ADAMS ??? ??? CHRISTOPHER D. BREEN  ??? ??? MICHAEL S.  EBANKS

JEREMY  R. FRAMPTON ??? JAMIE L. HAND ???  ??? ??? ??? ???  ??? CHRISTOPHER 
L. HEARD

TIMOTHY  D. KERLEE, Jr.????LUCAL J.  KIMMEL???????????????????BRYAN  A. 
McCLAIN

CHAD  A. POWELL ??? ??? ??? JERRY D. SELF  ??? ??? ??? ???  ??? ??? NATHAN S. 
WEST

An estimated 25,000  people stood in a driving rainstorm in temperatures of 
35 degrees at 2:42 a.m.  on Nov. 18, 2000. They represented Aggies everywhere 
in remembering the 12  Aggies who died and the 27 who were injured during the 
40 minute candlelight  memorial ceremony that marked the first anniversary of 
last year,s tragic  Bonfire collapse. 

In the center of the  Polo Field stood a two-tiered white platform surrounded 
by rows of maroon  chairs. The first level was lined with "pots," the 
hardhats used by Aggies while  working on the Bonfire stack. The second level 
consisted of 12 maroon and white  candles surrounding a black pipe in the 
center that when lighted produced the  memorial flame. Seated around the 
platform, in 12 separate groups, were the  families of the 12 Aggies who 
died. Behind each set of seats stood a 5- to  6-foot wood pillar listing each 
victim's name and their graduation year.  

As the ceremony  commenced at exactly 2:42 a.m., lights on the polo fields 
were turned off and  the memorial flame was lighted. As the roll call was 
read over loud speakers for  each deceased Aggie, a single cannon salute 
roared into the night. Due to the  heavy rains the candles were not lighted. 
After bagpipes played &Amazing Grace,"  the ceremony ended as these words 
sounded over the loudspeakers: "We will  remember them." 

Of special note, as  the crowd began to disperse, a band of determined Aggies 
climbed the platform  and, in the slackening rain, lighted and then relighted 
the maroon and white  candles until suddenly for a small moment in time all 
12 burned brightly before  the rains extinguished them.

In Austin, the  University of Texas at Austin Tower was darkened in respect 
to the bonfire  victims on Friday night and remained so until Saturday 
morning. The memorial  flame was extinguished at 8 p.m. Nov 19, the time, Tim 
Kerlee Jr., the last  victim died. Then a Corps of Cadets bugler sounded 
Taps. 

Carolyn Adams, the  mother of Miranda D. Adams simply said, &I don,t know of 
any other place where  you can go out at 2:42 in the morning and see others 
in the rain paying tribute  to people they didn,t know, just because they,re 
a part of the Aggie  family.8

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