Silver Taps

Last night was one of those special times when I truly feel proud to be an Aggie. My roommate, Heather, and I attended (both of us for the first time) one Texas A&M's most solemn and honored traditions, Silver Taps.

Silver Taps was first held in 1898 for former Texas Governor and Texas A&M President, Lawrence Sullivan Ross. Since then it has been held for any A&M student who passes away while enrolled. It is always on the first Tuesday of the month when someone has passed away the month before (fortunately not every month).

Around 10:15 pm all lights on campus are extinguished. As hymns ring out from the bell tower, hundreds of students silently gather in Academic Plaza - an outdoor quad-like area in the center of campus, in front of the Academic Building. The Academic Building is built on the site of the A&M's oldest building that burned down in the 1920's and houses the Department of Performance Studies (and consequently all of my classes). Members of the A&M Corp of Cadets arrive with the rest of the students dressed in their formal uniforms and stand at attention throughout the ceremony.


Around 10:30 a faint sound begins to gradually emerge from the silence - the sound of cleats on concrete. It is the firing squadron slowly making their way towards the plaza in formation. After what seems like ten minutes, they finally arrive in the plaza and perform a 21-gun salute. After the shots fire, the sweet melody of Silver Taps is heard from the dome of the Academic Building. It is played three times, facing north, west, and south. It does not play to the east because the sun will never rise on that Aggie again. After the third Silver Taps is finished everyone silently leaves the plaza and returns to their homes to the even chimes of the bell tower.

There is an oft-repeated saying about Texas A&M: "From the outside looking in you can't understand it; From the inside looking out you can't explain it." Perhaps its true. I'm proud to be an Aggie.