On the night that the 1999 Aggie Bonfire would have burned, some 40,000 Aggies held a candlelight vigil at the Bonfire site on Texas A&M's polo field. Afterward, the yell practice that would have been held at Bonfire was conducted in Kyle Field; Aggies spontaneously carried their candles into the stands.

One Aggie who attended was Robert "Red" Gibbens '86, who passed away earlier this year. His wife, Shelley, sent the 1999 journal entry below to The Association of Former Students, saying, "In going through some of his things since his passing in April 2024 after a very hard fight with cancer, I came across this journal entry.

"As the 25th anniversary of that tragedy is upon us, I found his words might be of some comfort," she said.

"Robert LOVED being an Aggie! (And over our 35 years together, he managed to get some of that Aggie Spirit to rub off on this Red Raider!)"

She sent the entry with a title of "Aggie Spirit from Rob."

Aggie Spirit

11/25/1999

Tonight I went to the candlelight vigil for the fallen Aggies of Bonfire ’99 and then on to yell practice.

I saw two notes in particular that stuck with me and I thought about a lot on the 3 hour trip home.  One was written anonymously on a 12th Man towel — it read, “Even though Bonfire '99 was never lit, it will burn in our hearts forever.”  The other was written on a College Station Fire Department T-shirt — it read, “Although I never met you, I feel I’ve known you my whole life. As we pulled your lifeless bodies to freedom from underneath the logs, God pulled your souls to heaven for everlasting freedom.” It was initialed by a College Station firefighter. I do not remember the initials. I wish I would have invited my family to come along. It will be a Thanksgiving I will never forget!

When I got to College Station, I went to the bookstore for a few minutes to pick up a couple of things, then I stopped at Jack in the Box to get a hamburger. I went to the polo field to eat. At the polo field, I sat down to eat after I had walked around the field and stopped at the cross to say a prayer.   An older gentlemen walked up, stuck his hand out and said, “Class of ’50.” I shook hands and said, “Class of ’86.”

He asked, “Is that your Thanksgiving dinner?” I said, “Yes, sir. Have you had yours yet?” “No”, he said. “I am going to meet my family in about 30 minutes. Why don’t you come have lunch with us?” I said, “I appreciate the invitation, but I want to spend some time here.”  “Yeah, I know,” he said. I said, “Why don’t you eat with me; I’d be glad to share.” So I cut my Sourdough Jack in half, gave him some French fries and part of my Coke in a coffee cup he had, and we sat there and had a short visit while we ate.

He looked at his watch and said, “Well, I guess I better go meet my family for lunch. It won’t be as good as that burger, though. I think this is the best Thanksgiving meal I’ve ever had. Thank you!”

I said, “You’re welcome.” I started to shake his hand; he pulled me over and hugged me, then he walked away. He never told me his name; I never told him mine. We were just Aggies … Class of ’50 and Class of ’86. I think it was one of the most memorable Thanksgivings I’ve ever had. That’s what Aggie Spirit is all about. I am so proud and happy to be an Aggie!

11/26/1999

What a game! The Aggies won 20-16.  We needed that!

The 12 Aggies lost and the 27 injured in the Nov. 18, 1999, Bonfire collapse are honored at the permanent Bonfire Memorial, dedicated in 2004. Each year, Aggies gather at 2:42 a.m. on Nov. 18 at the memorial for the Bonfire Remembrance ceremony, organized by Traditions Council students.