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Nostalgic bonfire with great memories for area Aggies
  
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By GLORIA WALKER SMITH
No matter what the circumstances when Aggies get together, they have a GOOD time, full of their own unique kind of fellowship. Such was the case on Friday, Nov. 21, at Baywood Country Club, when Bay Area A&M Club gathered for the annual commemorative bonfire.
The underlying purpose for chapter bonfires is to raise funds for scholarships at their beloved Texas A&M. Through ticket sales and silent and live auctions, Aggies pitch in for future students. In the past, the local club has aimed for four scholarships at $500 each. President Art Oswald announced that the decision has now been made to fund three $1,000 scholarships for the coming year. Recipients are announced at the Aggie Muster ceremony on San Jacinto Day, April 21. Oswald reminded the group to be diligent in paying their annual dues, so the club does not have to use any of the scholarship money for operating expenses.
In other business, he announced the Dec. 11 meeting would be a joint function with Pasadena Bar Association. There will be an outstanding musical program presented at that time.
This will be the last club meeting at Baywood, since the country club is closing on Jan. 1.
This is the tinge of nostalgia – Bay Area A&M Club was organized in 1999 and began meeting for their regular monthly luncheons and special ceremonies at Baywood Country Club. Mike and Joanne Cade have been superb hosts for every event. The location will now be used for a state-of-the-art apartment complex. A search is now underway for a suitable venue for the club’s functions.
On Dec. 19, a last “blow-out golf tournament” and dinner will be held at Baywood.
One of the things that will be missed most about Baywood is their delicious fajita meal, with sopapillas and honey. All restaurants serve fajitas, but none compare with those offered at Baywood. Chicken and beef fajitas was the fare at the Bonfire meeting on Friday.
Before going through the buffet line for dinner, the crowd perused the tables of silent auction items that ranged from bath sets to emergency safety kits to outdoor lights, an extensive array of books and an attaché case. On a separate display was a variety of items specifically for children. The Joe Camarata family attends en masse and the children have a lot of fun bidding against each other for numerous items. Dad Joe is a generous bidder on live auction items and made a special donation to the scholarship fund.
The live auction duties were handled by Bill Welch, assisted by Mike Cade and Art Oswald. Good natured kidding and bidding accompanied the presentation of top flight items. Always popular are the Aggie baskets, filled with imaginative A&M-related items and memorabilia. In addition to a package of six or eight A&M items in maroon and white –including golf shirts, towels, club covers, etc., along with rounds of golf for four at South Shore, there was a comparable stack of golf items in orange and white, all with UT markings. The donor, Art Oswald apparently was “tricked” into purchasing both sets at another auction. He announced that if the Texas University items did not sell, they would be burned on the small outhouse, which always sits atop the bonfire! There was mixed reaction to that! In the end, a magnanimous soul bid $150 on the package to stop the waste. Of course, there was no problem in getting a good price at $225 for the A&M package!
A variety of other A&M items kept the interest high, such as classic books, a cutlery set, two always-popular A&M gnomes, a limited edition R.C. Slocum poster, framed photo of the new First Lady of Aggieland, Reveille, and other choices.
Highlight of each Bonfire auction is the decorated Christmas tree, made and donated by the Aggie Moms Club. Every branch is covered with miniature A&M keepsakes, so newcomer Rhonda Tausend became the owner for $175.
The club is now well on its way to having those three scholarships funded.
Adjourning to the open field next to the clubhouse, the crowd anxiously awaited the lighting of the tall stack of wood. Mike Cade explained the branches were “donated” by Hurricane Ike. Even though Ike was not a nice guy, the wood ignited quickly and burned beautifully, sending cascades of sparks up into the cold, dark (but dry) night sky. As a special gift to the group, this bonfire seemed to be more impressive than its predecessors – it stood taller and longer and the traditional “outhouse” on top fell at exactly the right time.
If you need more information about this group of local Aggies, call Mike Cade at 281-487-0093.
The underlying purpose for chapter bonfires is to raise funds for scholarships at their beloved Texas A&M. Through ticket sales and silent and live auctions, Aggies pitch in for future students. In the past, the local club has aimed for four scholarships at $500 each. President Art Oswald announced that the decision has now been made to fund three $1,000 scholarships for the coming year. Recipients are announced at the Aggie Muster ceremony on San Jacinto Day, April 21. Oswald reminded the group to be diligent in paying their annual dues, so the club does not have to use any of the scholarship money for operating expenses.
In other business, he announced the Dec. 11 meeting would be a joint function with Pasadena Bar Association. There will be an outstanding musical program presented at that time.
This will be the last club meeting at Baywood, since the country club is closing on Jan. 1.
This is the tinge of nostalgia – Bay Area A&M Club was organized in 1999 and began meeting for their regular monthly luncheons and special ceremonies at Baywood Country Club. Mike and Joanne Cade have been superb hosts for every event. The location will now be used for a state-of-the-art apartment complex. A search is now underway for a suitable venue for the club’s functions.
On Dec. 19, a last “blow-out golf tournament” and dinner will be held at Baywood.
One of the things that will be missed most about Baywood is their delicious fajita meal, with sopapillas and honey. All restaurants serve fajitas, but none compare with those offered at Baywood. Chicken and beef fajitas was the fare at the Bonfire meeting on Friday.
Before going through the buffet line for dinner, the crowd perused the tables of silent auction items that ranged from bath sets to emergency safety kits to outdoor lights, an extensive array of books and an attaché case. On a separate display was a variety of items specifically for children. The Joe Camarata family attends en masse and the children have a lot of fun bidding against each other for numerous items. Dad Joe is a generous bidder on live auction items and made a special donation to the scholarship fund.
The live auction duties were handled by Bill Welch, assisted by Mike Cade and Art Oswald. Good natured kidding and bidding accompanied the presentation of top flight items. Always popular are the Aggie baskets, filled with imaginative A&M-related items and memorabilia. In addition to a package of six or eight A&M items in maroon and white –including golf shirts, towels, club covers, etc., along with rounds of golf for four at South Shore, there was a comparable stack of golf items in orange and white, all with UT markings. The donor, Art Oswald apparently was “tricked” into purchasing both sets at another auction. He announced that if the Texas University items did not sell, they would be burned on the small outhouse, which always sits atop the bonfire! There was mixed reaction to that! In the end, a magnanimous soul bid $150 on the package to stop the waste. Of course, there was no problem in getting a good price at $225 for the A&M package!
A variety of other A&M items kept the interest high, such as classic books, a cutlery set, two always-popular A&M gnomes, a limited edition R.C. Slocum poster, framed photo of the new First Lady of Aggieland, Reveille, and other choices.
Highlight of each Bonfire auction is the decorated Christmas tree, made and donated by the Aggie Moms Club. Every branch is covered with miniature A&M keepsakes, so newcomer Rhonda Tausend became the owner for $175.
The club is now well on its way to having those three scholarships funded.
Adjourning to the open field next to the clubhouse, the crowd anxiously awaited the lighting of the tall stack of wood. Mike Cade explained the branches were “donated” by Hurricane Ike. Even though Ike was not a nice guy, the wood ignited quickly and burned beautifully, sending cascades of sparks up into the cold, dark (but dry) night sky. As a special gift to the group, this bonfire seemed to be more impressive than its predecessors – it stood taller and longer and the traditional “outhouse” on top fell at exactly the right time.
If you need more information about this group of local Aggies, call Mike Cade at 281-487-0093.
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