One of Texas A&M University's most honored traditions is Silver Taps. Silver Taps is the Final Tribute paid to an Aggie, who at the time of their death, was enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate course at Texas A&M.

Andrea's Silver Taps was held on Tuesday, March 1, 2005. Several thousand people were in attendance, including Texas A&M University President Robert Gates and his wife, Andrea's family, and many of her friends.

The very first Silver Taps was held in 1898 and honored Lawrence Sullivan Ross, the former governor of Texas and first president of Texas A&M.

On the day of Silver Taps, a small card with Andrea's name, class, major, and date of birth was placed as a notice at the base of the academic flagpole, in addition to the memorial located behind the flagpole.

Around 10:15 that night, the lights were extinguished and hymns chimed solemnly from the Carillon in Albritton Tower while thousands of students, administrators and friends silently gathered in the Academic Plaza.

Andrea's family and close friends were escorted by members of the Tradition Council through a company-sized Honor Guard from the Corps of Cadets to a reserved position near the statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross.

At 10:30 pm, the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad marched in slow cadence and fired a twenty-one gun salute. Arlington National Cemetery uses a single rank of seven soldiers, each firing three times. Andrea's salute was fired by a full squad of twenty-one cadets, plus an officer. The Ross Volunteers were in full dress white uniforms dating from 1887.

Six Buglers from the Texas Aggie Band then played a special rendition of Silver Taps. This arrangement was developed in 1920 by Colonel Richard Dunn, and has been passed down from Bugler to Bugler over generations.

Taps played by multiple Buglers is very rare today. Arlington National Cemetery uses just a single bugler.

The music playing in the background of this page is Silver Taps.

Taps was played three times from the dome of the Academic Building: once to the north, south, and west. By tradition, it was not played to the east because the sun will never rise on Andrea again.

After the Buglers played, everyone returned silently to their homes.

A personalized lithograph of the painting above, by renowned artist Benjamin Knox, was presented to members of Andrea's family by the Traditions Council.

© 2005 David W. Gent.