Rumor has it the tower lights switch on and off at night, when the offices are closed and the tower is vacant, save for a lone security guard. In some instances, the lights switch on and off several times. On one occasion, an irritated guard reportedly yelled at Charlie to knock it off, and the lights switched off for good. In The Ghosts of Austin, author Fiona Broome claims witnesses spot Whitman’s ghost in “workman’s clothes and a fleeting, shadowy form.”

10/19/19 - Austin, TX - FOOTBALL NIGHT - What a game on a gorgeous Austin evening with Texas pulling out a 50 to 48 victory vs. Kansas. As is customary, when Texas wins, they light up the top of the University of Texas Tower in burnt orange. Looks pretty cool at night and takes the edge off the long walk back to our parking spot. Way to go Texas!

Tonight at our candlelight vigil celebrating the life of one of our peers, the wind kept blowing out our candles so we put up our horns instead. RIP Harrison Brown🤘❤️🙏

In what Claire sees as a grotesque insult, the law will go into effect on August 1, half a century to the day that Whitman walked onto the Tower’s observation deck and opened fire.

On August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman opened fire from the top of the University of Texas Tower, killing 14 people and wounding more than 30 others before police shot him dead. Now, some say, the “Texas Tower Sniper” still haunts the site of his killing spree. Rumor has it the tower lights switch on and off at night, when the offices are closed and the tower is vacant, save for a lone security guard. In some instances, the lights switch on and off several times. On one occasion, an irritated guard reportedly yelled at Charlie to knock it off, and the lights switched off for good. In The Ghosts of Austin, author Fiona Broome claims witnesses spot Whitman’s ghost in “workman’s clothes and a fleeting, shadowy form.”

Stedman Family Gardens at University Avenue. Always something new planted ever since it was built. Pictures from 11 Oct 2022 (top 3), 5 Dec 2022 (middle 3), 27 Feb 2023 (bottom).

UT West Mall, 2018-2023. In order from top: 01 Jan 2018, 30 Jul 2019, 20 Mar 2019 (2), 10 Mar 2019, 21 Mar 2019, 9 May 2019 (4), 11 May 2019 (2), 24 April 2018, 12 April 2023.