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Bonfire is emblematic of Texas A&M University in all its contradictions. It's a reminder of the military roots of the overwhelmingly civilian university, and a labor of brute force guided by tradition at a school renowned for its advanced engineering programs. On the morning of Nov. 18, 1999, the story was simpler, if sketchy. An enormous pile of logs had collapsed in the middle of the night on students who were hurrying to finish the work before its ceremonial lighting several days later. People had died. Initial reports put the number at four, with others still unaccounted for.
By the morning of Nov. 19, American-Statesman readers understood and could see the awful extent of the tragedy for Texas A&M and its students. They had a better understanding of students killed in the collapse. They also knew more about the construction of Bonfire and the singular culture in which it existed. More than 30 reporters, graphic artists, photographers and editors at the American-Statesman pieced together this breaking news story in a six-page report. The work focused squarely on the most important question: How could this have happened? It also took pains to tell the stories of people involved and their respect, bordering on reverence, for the institution. "We heard about what had happened around 6 in the morning," Fred Zipp, AME for state and local news, said. "By 8:30 we had people over there, the first wave. We had more a couple of hours later. "We are closer to A&M than Dallas is. We knew Dallas and Houston [newspapers] were going to respond in numbers. But we decided early on this was one we wanted to compete on." © Cox
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