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Cadets, Log Travel From Oslo to College Station for 1968 Bonfire    

November 23, 2022

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Texas A&M Maritime Academy Cadets load the 42-foot fir log purchased in Oslo, Norway onto an Atlas Shipping truck bound for the 1968 Bonfire in College Station.
Texas A&M Maritime Academy Cadets load the 42-foot fir log purchased in Oslo, Norway onto an Atlas Shipping truck bound for the 1968 Bonfire in College Station.

By Taylor Bounds, Content Specialist

As our community honors the Aggies lost in the 1999 Bonfire collapse and the 12th Man prepares for the last football game of the season, we’re taking a look back at Galveston’s contributions to Bonfire over the last 60 years. 

In the summer of 1968, Texas A&M Maritime Academy cadets on summer cruise in Oslo, Norway purchased a fir log, destined for the annual bonfire in College Station. Each student on board carved their name into the log, which the cadets wagered would be the largest (measuring at 42 feet) and farthest hauled (traveling 8,000 miles) on the stack. 

With the help of a dockside crane in Oslo, they loaded it onto the Texas Clipper and began their voyage back to Galveston. 

Upon their arrival to the island without any way to deliver it to College Station, then-Superintendent Craik took to the public for help. As a true testament to the tree-mendous strength of the Aggie Network, an entire fleet of trucks answered the call. The log was loaded onto an Atlas semi tractor trailer on Friday, arrived at the College Station campus on Monday, and was burned at Bonfire on Tuesday. 

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Media contact:
Taylor Bounds
bounds@tamug.edu


More:
Read more about Maritime Transportation
Read more about Texas A&M Maritime Academy
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Texas A&M University at Galveston is the marine and maritime branch campus of Texas A&M University which educates nearly 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students in science, business, engineering, liberal arts and transportation. It is driving the development of the blue economy in the Gulf Coast Region and is a critical contributor to Texas A&M's rare land-, sea-, space-grant mission with nearly $10 million in research expenditures.

Texas A&M-Galveston is also home to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, one of six state maritime academies and the only one in the southern United States, which trains over 400 cadets annually for maritime service and employment around the world.

Texas A&M-Galveston is located in Galveston, Texas on the Gulf Coast where it is surrounded by industry, environment and programs essential to fulfilling its special-purpose mission. Aggies are known for their deep commitment to the success of each other and their strong desire to serve.