During World War I, the still-young Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas jumped into the war effort, sending approximately 2,000 students and 49% of its former students to the conflict, the most of any university in the nation. Seventy Aggies never returned home.

To honor 52 of these Aggies—the number known at the time—the university unveiled a 9-foot-tall, 9-ton monument on April 21, 1924. Funded by the classes of 1923, 1924, 1925 and 1926, the granite memorial was dedicated by Texas Gov. Pat Neff. “The world will never be able to pay the debt of gratitude it owes to the college men for their great contribution to the success of the World War,” Neff said at the ceremony. “Let us hope that this monument erected by the students of this college on ‘fame’s eternal camping ground’ will stand here until the last recorded syllable of time.”

As one of the oldest sculptures on campus, the monument is living up to Neff’s wish. Though it has moved spots several times through the years to make way for new buildings before finding its current home on the Corps Plaza, it continues to uphold its duty of honoring the WWI Aggies who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

In life, he was a famous World War II hero and the university president credited with transforming Texas A&M into the world-renowned institution it is today. Now, the bronze likeness of the late Gen. James Earl Rudder ’32 continues to keep watch over his beloved university as he gazes proudly and serenely over Military Walk. 

Though the statue’s Houston-based artist, the late Lawrence Ludtke ’51, never met Rudder, he was no stranger to sculpting Aggies, having previously created the man in the ARCH 406 sculpture of a student and his dog outside the Langford Building and later sculpting the statue of Lt. Gen. James Hollingsworth ’40 that stands on the Quad. Throughout the process, he met with Rudder’s wife, Margaret, and family friends to capture the Aggie’s essence, and Margaret provided feedback to ensure her husband’s likeness was just right. 

Ludtke first sculpted the statue out of clay—the same clay his predecessor Pompeo Coppini used to model the Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue—before producing the final, larger-than-life bronze version that now stands outside the Rudder Complex. “This is where he wanted to be,” Margaret said of her husband’s passion for Texas A&M in a 1994 Battalion article. “He loved it here.”

Since the early 1900s, Silver Taps has shown respect for current students who have lost their lives. In 1993, the Class of 1991 gave a new sculpture to honor this solemn tradition. “We felt a statue would be an important reminder year-round that Aggies honor those who have passed before us,” said Heather Park Wartenburg ’91, a member of the Class Gift Committee.

When selecting an artist, the university turned to the resident expert of visually commemorating Aggieland’s traditions: Dr. Rodney Hill. The beloved architecture professor had already spent years hand-carving six wooden panels depicting Texas A&M’s history and traditions for the university’s centennial, as well as the ceremonial mace carried at commencement. This work marked his first bronze creation, which was later followed by the Muster statue in 2000.

As with his other projects, Hill put his attention to detail and carving skills to work, obtaining a real trumpet to base the design on and hand-sculpting the original model in plaster. “I wanted to keep the work as honorable as possible,” Hill said, “and I was delighted they asked me to participate.”

“When you look at the statue, you can hear the trumpets sound,” Wartenburg added. “It’s a daily reminder that those who have passed are not forgotten.”

Exactly five years after the Nov. 18, 1999, Bonfire collapse, the site of the tragedy became a deeper place of reverence for the 12 fallen Aggies when 50,000 people gathered to dedicate a new Bonfire Memorial.

The creation was the result of nearly four years of work that began with an international call for concepts. Among the 200 entries, one from San Antonio-based architecture firm Overland Partners stood out. From the faces and memories of each victim etched in portals facing their hometowns to the ring of granite with a diameter equal to the Bonfire perimeter fence, every element of the design had meaning behind it.

During construction, the Overland team, led by Bob Shemwell ’82, worked with experts and craftsmen across Texas A&M and around the world and met extensively with the bereaved families in producing the likenesses of their loved ones. “We wanted the families to control the content and let them know their voices mattered,” Shemwell explained.

After its unveiling, architectural historian Judith Dupré named the memorial one of the nation’s most profound monuments. But for Shemwell, the truly profound thing is the Aggie Spirit. “I’m always moved when I see photos of people gathered at the memorial on the anniversary,” he said. “I hope, in some small way, the memorial helps Aggies understand they’re part of something remarkable here.”