Scholarship honors Texas A&M and Texas unity after 1999 bonfire tragedy
AUSTIN, Texas - The rivalry between the University of Texas and Texas A&M has been going on for over a century.
"I remember when I was a student that was earlier in the 90s, we had replaced all the battalion that's their student newspaper with daily Texans, which is the UT student newspaper in the news stands on the campus one night. And so, you know, they will do things like that," Eric Opiela, who was then UT student government vice president in 99.
On November 18th, 1999, the Texas A&M bonfire stack collapsed, killing 12 students, and injuring 27 others.
The 12 who were killed included five freshmen, four sophomores, a junior, a senior and a recent graduate.
Several were members of the corps of cadets, Texas A&M’s student-led, military-style organization that played a large role in its construction.
After hearing the news, UT students went to college station to show their support to their fellow Aggies,
"A delegation from the University of Texas, myself included. Traveled to A&M, and they had a memorial service in Reed arena," says Opiela.
"There were about 20,000 students at that memorial service. And. It went like any other memorial service until there was silence at the end and spontaneously the entire room began to sing Amazing Grace. Not it wasn't part of the program. Right? It was. It was," Opiela says.
"Here were I mean; can you imagine about 20,000 people all putting their arms around each other and forming a circle in the arena and. And then spontaneously. They quietly began to sing Amazing Grace," says Opiela.
While the football rivalry between UT and A&M returns after 13 years , the Bonfire Unity Endowed Presidential Scholarship has been going strong since 2000.
The university hands out this scholarship to two UT students who make a positive impact as a Longhorn.
"One, thing that always keeps us in common is that we're all college students in Texas. And I think that's such an important thing to remember, because all college students in Texas are looking forward to making a change, helping others, making a difference. And I think that's the one thing that really brings us together," says Zeeyad Anwar, Bonfire Unity Endowed Presidential Scholarship recipient.