Silver Taps Will Honor Six Deceased Students

The first Silver Taps ceremony for the new school year at Texas A&M University will be held Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 10:30 p.m. in the plaza area in front of the Academic Building.

Free parking in the University Center Garage will be available between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. For more information, go http://transport.tamu.edu/Parking/events/annual.aspx. In the case of severe weather, Silver Taps will be held in an alternate location.      

Silver Taps will be held in memory of six Texas A&M students who have died since late spring, when the last such observance was held. Silver Taps ceremonies are not conducted during the summer when most Aggies are away from campus.

The ceremony, one of the university’s most solemn traditions, will honor the memories of:

• Theresa Christine “Christy” Crow '17, a sophomore interdisciplinary studies major from Friendswood, who died April 16.
• Ashley Nicole Stevenson '16, a junior sociology major from Wolfforth, who died May 27.
• Connor Flynn McCasland '15, a senior agriculture major from Palmdale, Calif., who died June 11.
• Thomas Holland Bratcher IV '17, a freshman general studies major from Spring, who died July 3.
• Ashley Elizabeth Peterson '13, a graduate student in biomedical sciences from Potomac, Md.,who died July 14.
• Keith Benton Arnold III '17, a sophomore general studies major from Austin, who died Aug. 19.

Silver Taps is a tribute paid to an Aggie who, at the time of their death, was enrolled in graduate or undergraduate courses at Texas A&M. The first Silver Taps was held in 1898 upon the death of the university’s president, Lawrence Sullivan Ross, and has changed little from that time. 

The ceremony begins on the day of Silver Taps when the flag in front of the Academic Building is placed at half-staff. Notices are posted at the Memorial Student Center, Evans Library, and at the base of the flagpole in front of the Academic Building. Individuals are encouraged to write a short letter or note to the families of those being honored and place the notes in boxes located at the Academic Plaza, West Campus Library, as well as at the tables on the Quad and in front of Koldus.

At 10:15 p.m., chimes from the Albritton Bell Tower begin to play. The campus is darkened at 10:20 p.m., and in the darkness, students, family and friends silently gather in the plaza in front of the Academic Building. The ceremony begins at 10:30 as an honor guard from the Ross Volunteer Company marches across campus from the Corps of Cadets area to the plaza, where its members fire three rifle volleys – once each to the north, west, and south – to honor the memory of these students. 

Six buglers from the Aggie Band, unseen in the darkness, then play a special arrangement of “Taps” three times. The tolling of the Albritton Tower bells signals end of the ceremony.

The ceremony of Silver Taps is dedicated to the deceased Aggie and is a solemn and serious event. Some important observances must be remembered: 

• The area between the Sul Ross statue and the Academic Building is reserved for the friends and family of the deceased.
• Do not stand or sit on the benches lining the walkway between the flagpole and the Sul Ross statue.
• The darkness and quiet, which cover the campus, emphasize the mood for Silver Taps. Aggies help to retain this tranquility by covering windows, keeping noise to a minimum, and walking to and from the ceremony without talking.

Formerly, Silver Taps was observed as soon as possible after the death of an Aggie. Today it is held on the first Tuesday of each month from September to April, if necessary. If the first Tuesday in September falls during the first week of the fall semester, that ceremony is held on the second Tuesday of September.

For more information, go to http://studentaffairs.tamu.edu/sas/silvertaps or contact Student Assistance Services at (979) 845-3113.