Silver Taps
SILVER TAPS

Silver Taps is a serious and solemn event, and a final tribute to any student that has passed away. The ceremony is held on the first Tuesday of the month if a current student of the university has passed away during the previous month. The first Silver Taps was held in 1898 in honor of Lawrence Sullivan Ross, President of the A&M College of Texas. He was honored, as all are today, with three rifle volleys of seven shots from the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad, followd by buglers playing Silver Taps three times from the dome of the Academic Building.

If Silver Taps is to be held, the flags all over campus are flown at half-mast throughout the day, and a notice of who is being remembered is posted at the base of the flagpole in front of the Academic Building. All the lights on campus are extinguished that night, and students gather without a word in front of the Academic Building for the ceremony at 10:30 p.m. All silently depart at the close of the ceremony, the feelings of respect, honor, and loss still lingering in their hearts.

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Note: This page is from the Texas A&M University New Student Handbook 1995-1996