Fireworks have long played a key role in Fourth of July celebrations, captivating audiences with scattered ‘ooh’s’ and ‘ahh’s’. Texas A&M University graduate Joe Cerney ’98 has ignited a new tradition around this holiday with his pyrotechnic skills, entertaining thousands by lighting up the sky above Aggieland every July Fourth.
A Passion for Pyrotechnics
Working in the technology field, Joe was always drawn to fireworks and their ability to draw an audience. Embracing every opportunity to participate in a launch, Joe thrives on the excitement of crafting each show. With the Aggie Core Values instilled in him, he routinely challenges himself to pursue excellence in his acts of selfless service, including each fireworks show.
Graduating from Texas A&M with a bachelor's in engineering technology and a diverse academic background, Joe proudly embraces the idea of being a lifelong learner and putting his knowledge to the test.
Creating shows for various events and holidays, Joe discovered his true love for working with pyrotechnics, witnessing the evolution of fireworks from manual firing processes to electronic-based firing. In 2020 — a time when fireworks shows and many gatherings were limited — Joe received a call asking him to bring his skills to the RELLIS campus for a Fourth of July drive-in show.
“We've got this crazy idea that we're going to have this big fireworks show and we are going to let everybody stay in their cars because it's the pandemic,” Joe recalled. “I enjoyed shooting fireworks, and now I got to shoot fireworks at Texas A&M, so it was a dream come true for me.”
Now, five years later, Joe looks back on how the show has tuned into an Aggieland tradition. Incorporating larger booms and using drones to create art in the night sky, Joe habitually sets the bar higher each year.
With a love for Aggieland and an appreciation for the work and education of the Electronic Systems Engineering Technology (ESET) Program, it was an easy decision for Joe to include students in the process. “I reached out to the department that I graduated from and said, ‘hey, is there any way I could get in touch with current students because I know their skill sets and their familiarity with all the things that we're doing?”
With student involvement, Joe knew the game had changed. “There were seven or eight current students out there, and it was an amazing success,” Joe recalled. “They were wonderful to work with, asking questions, and getting involved.”
Joe recognized the benefit of working with students from the same engineering department. “We are coming from similar mindsets, backgrounds, and educations,” Joe said. “Same professors still talking about the same things… It's just a generation removed, and it still felt like what it was back when I was there.”
Appreciative of Joe’s work, current students — and even graduates — routinely show up every year to help put on the show. Former ESET student Christian Hurst ’22 was eager to jump on the job. “I was contacted via the head of my engineering department. He forwarded his email looking for pyrotechnic helpers. I was a student at the time, so I reached out, and both my wife and I helped in the summer of 2022. Since then, we’ve both been back to help him every Fourth,” Christian said.
Given the chance to return, Christian and his wife championed learning the ins and outs of the show. “It’s more prep than just lighting a fuse,” Christian mentioned.
Not only did Joe help create a tradition for all Aggies to enjoy, but he also paved the path for current and former students to stay connected with their alma mater in a thrilling way. In his effort to improve the show year after year, Joe continues to take up the challenge to exceed the success of the previous year's show. “I would love to see it continue and continue to grow like it has,” Joe beamed.