TWO A&M STUDENTS FROM CAPE REFLECT ON BONFIRE TRAGEDY

Cape Girardeau residents attending Texas A&M University said the Aggie spirit remains indomitable even in the wake of an accident that killed 11 students Thursday morning."I think that if anything can come out of how terrible this is, it's that the whole world will see exactly how strong the A&M family is," said Kyla Hill, a junior at the university. Hill and Lesley Goehring, both 1997 graduates of Central High School, said they were awakened early Thursday morning by friends calling to tell them the 40-foot pyramid of logs erected for Texas A&M's traditional football bonfire had collapsed. Neither had immediate friends killed or injured in the accident, which injured 28. However, Hill said she spent much of Thursday night helping a friend whose roommate was killed in the accident prepare for the arrival of their parents."I just kept looking at the dry erase board, and his name was on it with his messages from just a day ago," Hill said. "Little things like that were very upsetting."The bonfire, a 90-year tradition, is erected annually in the weeks preceding the university's football game against the University of Texas-Austin. The bonfire was canceled only once in its history: after President Kennedy's assassination. Students, engineers and adults work around the clock cutting the logs, building the piles and lashing the logs together with baling wire. Students begin attending training seminars and classes their freshman year in order to work on volunteer crews.

This was the first fatal collapse of the bonfire. It partially collapsed in 1996 but was rebuilt in time for the football game. "This has gone on forever, and it's very well constructed," said Lisa Hill, Kyla's mother. "Of course they're going to have all the histrionics come out now trying to make a story, but it's a very organized, very safe thing."Goehring, who transferred from Southeast Missouri State University to Texas A&M at College Station last year, said it was difficult to express the mood on campus Friday. Students were rallying together and trying to express their grief, but many also wanted to let the public know that the bonfire was a physical expression of what it means to be an Aggie."We often say from the outside looking in you can't understand it and from the inside looking out, you can't explain it," Goehring said. "Bonfire is filled with teamwork, motivation and spirit. This is one of our many traditions that has been going on for many, many years."Lesley's mother, Joan Goehring, said after hearing about the accident the only thing she wanted to do was give her daughter "a big hug." "It's hard when your child is 13 hours away, but it was obviously a relief to know she was OK," she said. "Right now and from the very beginning we felt that our hearts and our prayers go out to the parents of the students who lost their lives, and we'll continue to pray for the students that are in the hospital."The bonfire won't be held this year, but Lesley Goehring said alternate events including a candlelight ceremony and lighting of small, memorial bonfires have been suggested.

While she has never participated in building the bonfire, Goehring said it is an amazing event that likely will continue. "I really don't think the students who died in this tragedy would want us to stop doing this," she said.

Kyla Hill agreed. "I went out there many times and sat out and watched them make bonfire and marveled at it," she said. "It brings everybody together."Although they had planned to attend the football game next week, Lisa and Mark Hill offered to bring Kyla home for Thanksgiving instead. They weren't surprised by her refusal."She said she doesn't want to be away from her friends," Lisa Hill said. "It's been a tough week to be there. What a tough growing-up experience to have to go through."Lesley Goehring will spend the holiday with her aunt and uncle in Longview, Texas. Her parents had not planned to see her until Christmas break, but the accident has them reconsidering their plans."My husband is saying he wants to see Lesley," said Joan Goehring. "Just knowing that she's all right is a big relief."