Silver Taps is the final tribute paid to an Aggie who is enrolled as a graduate or undergraduate student at Texas A&M University at the time of his/her death. In 1898 the first Silver Taps was held for Lawrence Sullivan Ross, the former Governor of Texas and President of A&M College. The ceremony was held in front of Old Main until it burned in 1912, at which time it proceeded to Goodwin hall for a few years before it moved to the present location in Academic Plaza. In 1918, flags began to fly at half-mast in honor of the student.
Today, Silver Taps is held on the first Tuesday of the month when a student has passed away the previous month. On the day of Silver Taps a small card with the deceased students' name, class, major and date of birth is placed as a notice on the base of the Academic flagpole, in addition to the memorial located just behind the flagpole. Around 10:15 on that night, all the lights around campus, especially the Academic Plaza, are extinguished and hymns are played from Albritton Tower. Students silently gather around the statue of Sul Ross. At 10:30, the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad march into the Plaza at slow cadence and fire a twenty-one gun salute in front of Sully. Buglers then play a slow rendition of Silver Taps arranged by Col. Richard Dunn. Taps is played three times from the dome of the Academic Building, once to the North, South and West. It is said that it is not played to the East because the sun will never rise on that Aggie again. After the buglers play, the students silently return to their respective places.