Aggie Class of 1969 dedicates Spirit Plaza and Charges Class of 2019 to 50 Year Commitment
Article and photos By Lizzie West
If you have lived in the Brazos Valley for any significant length of time or have spoken to an Aggie about their time as a student, they’ll likely say something along the lines of “from the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. And from the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.” However, I’m going to try accomplishing exactly that in my moving experience of the dedication of Spirit Plaza – the culmination of many years of hard work and commitment from generations of Aggies coming together to preserve highly revered traditions here in Aggieland.
The History driving the creation of Spirit Plaza
Two of many beloved traditions within the Aggie Family are Silver Taps and Muster. In some ways, these two traditions are connected, and in others they must stand alone and each be given the respect due to them. I like to think the monthly Silver Taps ceremonies are necessary to help prepare us for the annual Muster ceremony each April. Each ceremony’s purpose is the remembrance of those Aggies we have lost.
Silver Taps is scheduled for each first Tuesday of the month following a student’s passing, in front of the Academic building on the Texas A&M Campus. This solemn time is devoted to remember and respect the lives of current Aggies lost the previous month. This monthly duty garners much respect and attendance from the student body.
Annually, Aggies and their families come from far and wide to participate in the Muster ceremony on Campus. This is the largest of the many ceremonies held by Aggies worldwide. In this ceremony, all members, past and present, of the Aggie family who have died in the past year are remembered. A representative is chosen for each individual and that representative holds a candle which is lit in remembrance of their lost friend or family member. Each name is called individually and those present at the ceremony who knew them, call out “Here” to memorialize them.
How Spirit Plaza came to be
Surprisingly, many people have never heard of either of these sacred and cherished traditions. The Class of 1969 has worked tirelessly for many years, along with the support of several other classes and generations of Aggies, to keep the tradition alive and well. According to class agent, former Yell Leader, and local lawyer, Bill Younkin ’69, this class, with the assistance of several other classes, have raised well over their initial goal of $690,000 to help our beloved institution keep these and other traditions going. They helped create Spirit Plaza, an offshoot of Military Walk extending southwest from its seal to Houston Street, with a line of dark bricks pointing toward Albritton Bell Tower. According to Mr. Youngkin, the location was pivotal to the purpose of Spirit Plaza. It is consistent with a central location that could be included in tours, as well as being easy for people to stumble upon and learn more about one of our most important traditions. It is also nestled directly in front of the Academic Plaza, where Silver Taps is held each month. He reiterates that their hope is to educate strangers, students, parents, and faculty alike about Silver Taps and Muster, as well as their significance to this institution. Prior to this dedication, the funds raised were also used to memorialize the 11 lost in Vietnam, and the Bugle Stand on the quad. Another important undertaking they financially supported was permanently endowing the cost of having the Donald Coward letter read to every Fish Camp. All this was done in culmination to ultimately unveil Spirit Plaza.
The Design and Features of Spirit Plaza
One of the main features of the Plaza is the Donald Coward ’72 letter. The letter Mr. Coward, a freshmen in the corps, wrote to his parents just three weeks prior to his death speaks volumes to the importance of Silver Taps. He details, in the bronzed pages of the monument, his first experience participating in the monthly Silver Taps ceremony with tears streaming down his face. The experience was so powerful, he felt it must be shared with everyone important to him. Since the year 2000, this letter has been read to every Fish Camp in order to help carry on the significance of this tradition for the Aggie Family.
Another beautiful feature was designed by four former students: Kourtney Gonzalez ’17, Francisca Yañez ’18, Jianzheng Dennis Zhu ’17 (not pictured), and Claire Britton ’17. These students designed the compass located centrally in the ground of Spirit Plaza. Note the compass highlights all direction (north, west, south) except east. Mr. Youngkin explained this symbolizes that the sun will never rise again for the Aggies remembered in these ceremonies.
There are also monuments placed in the plaza dedicated to explaining Aggie Muster, as well as the Spirit Plaza monument that explores where and how it was born, the Aggie Code of Honor, and our Core Values. Another pivotal piece is the Aggie Muster bronze statue of two hands lighting candles, which immortalizes the components of Aggie Muster, donated by the Class of 1995.
Charging the Class of 2019
At the end of the day, it took many moving parts and several classes committed to its completion to see Spirit Plaza to its unveiling and dedication. And now, the Class of 1969 has charged the Class of 2019 with the care of this plaza for the next 50 years, when they will pass the baton (or the muster candle in this case) to the class of 2069. As Bill Youngkin said in his speech, “The first thing an Aggie says is ‘Howdy’, and the last thing they say is ‘Here’.”