Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: Features

Media Credit: Jeremy Northum [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Courtesy Photo Miranda Adams, a sophomore biomedical science major from Santa Fe, Texas, was a Bonfire co-chairwoman for Mosher Hall. [Click to enlarge]

When Miranda Adams earned the pot that marked her as a co-chairwoman for Aggie Bonfire, the 19-year-old from Santa Fe, Texas, slept with the maroon hard hat.

"Her freshman year, I remember her calling and saying she wanted to be involved with Bonfire," said her mother, Carolyn Adams.

Miranda was the first to attend A&M from the Adams' immediate family, following a line of older Aggie relatives.

"She decided early on that's where she wanted to go," Carolyn said. "She wouldn't even apply anywhere else."

A computer-generated design of Bonfire by Miranda posted on a tribute Web site shows flashes of red, orange and yellow sparking from tiers of brown. Maroon text near the drawing reads, "Fightin' Texas Aggie Bonfire."

Early morning Nov. 18, 1999, the stack of thousands of logs collapsed, killing 12 students and injuring at least 27 others. Bonfire was canceled and has not burned on campus since that day.

"She was very excited about Bonfire," Carolyn said. "We went her freshman year. We didn't get to see her because she was so tied up at it, but she called and told us how she was just so excited to be a part of it."

In 1998, Miranda was named as one of the co-chairs from Mosher Hall for Bonfire, fulfilling a dream for the biomedical science major.

Later, Miranda was dubbed the "Queen of Bonfire." Carolyn said the sophomore worked tirelessly on her pot in preparation for Aggie Bonfire 1999.

However, excitement turned to fear at the sound of a snap. Three hours after the collapse, the Adams received a phone call at 5:20 a.m.

"The Bonfire collapsed," Carolyn's sister told her, asking the couple if they had heard from Miranda.

The Adams had not.

After making the 133-mile drive from Santa Fe, the couple checked in at the Memorial Student Center before heading out to the fallen Bonfire.

"They were removing one of the last living victims," said Miranda's father, Kenny. "There were several students around who told us they remembered seeing Miranda."

With little information, the Adams went to the College Station Medical Center and then checked in at the St. Joseph Health System in Bryan.

"Nobody knew anything," Carolyn said.

At 9 p.m. Nov. 19, 1999, the Adams were given information about their daughter.

"They took us out to the Stack, and we were told she was in the Stack, but that they couldn't get to her yet," Carolyn said. "It was very quiet. I remember commenting to Kenny how quiet it was. I said, 'It's as quiet as a tomb out here,' and Kenny said, 'Carolyn, it is. It is a tomb for some of the kids.' Never dreaming that Miranda was one of them."

Later that night, Miranda's body was retrieved from beneath the heavy logs. She was one of the last to be pulled from the stack.

"It was an extremely long day," Kenny said. "It was hard for not only the families, but for the people that were having to deal with it: the campus, the administration and how they were going to have to deal with all these deaths at one time. No one wanted to be the person to tell you that your child was no longer with you."

Media vans lined the streets, rocking the nation with news of the collapse. Miranda's older brother, Mark, now 32, who was in the Marine Corps, heard of the collapse while stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

"We were trying to get word to him, and he was just trying to call home to see if his little sister was OK or not," Carolyn said. "We had to tell him that Miranda was gone."

Snapshots of Miranda taken from a disposable camera found days later in her car show her beaming beneath her maroon pot, her short light brown hair curling at her shoulders.

"Miranda's smile was something they all remember," Carolyn said. "She was a happy person."

Emblazoned beneath her portrait at the Bonfire memorial is a quote from Miranda that was pulled from a scholarship application.

"Since the first day I set foot on the Texas A&M campus, I fell in love with it. The atmosphere is absolutely wonderful, and I couldn't imagine attending another school. I admit that the work is very hard, but it is all worth it to get the famous Aggie Senior Ring."

While Miranda never received the golden ring, her mother wore a Bonfire memorial charm in honor of her daughter.

In July 2006, former student and astronaut Mike Fossum took the charm with him on the space shuttle in memory of Miranda.

"The Aggie family has been very kind," Carolyn said. "We were overwhelmed by the love and support of the Aggie family that helped us during a very difficult time."

Since 2001, the Adams have had season football tickets. They also make several visits to the Bonfire memorial.

"We're still on a journey and coping with the loss of Miranda," Carolyn said. "God has been good to us, and so many people have prayed for us. We think about her every day and miss her terribly, but we also know she is in a place we can't even imagine."

Ten years later, Miranda's pot sits in a display case in their Santa Fe house. Ten years later, Miranda is remembered.

"The Aggie family told us they would never, ever forget our children and that has been true," Carolyn said. "We appreciate it and love the Aggie family dearly."

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