Monte Akers

16-Year-Old Kid, Texas Panhandle

Monte Akers was a 16-year-old kid living in the Texas Panhandle at the time of the UT Tower shooting. Akers is currently a historian, author…

Linda Swan Adkins

Hogg Foundation Employee, Tower - 24th Floor

“I had just graduated from UT and was working for the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health on the 24th floor of the Tower the day…

Leland Ammons

Law Student, Jefferson Davis Statue

Leland Ammons was in his first year of Law School at UT in August of 1966. He was a graduate of the UT Business School.…

Michelle Bain

Student, South Campus

“I do have a thought or two about that dreadful day. My friend Claudia Rutt lost her life that afternoon while walking down the Drag…

Bill Barnett

Student, Defense Research Laboratory

“I was on campus on August 1, 1966. I was between my junior and senior undergraduate years and working full time at the Defense Research…

Carol Barwick

Student, Driving through campus

“I was a music major and destined to be walking right in the path of the shooter.  It was a beautiful day, and I had…

Margaret Berry

Associate Dean of Women, Business and Economics Building

Margaret Berry was UT-Austin’s Associate Dean of Women in August of 1966. Berry first came to Austin as a freshman in 1933. She left in…

John Boswell

Student, Near Jefferson Davis Statue

On the morning of the shooting John Boswell dropped off his girlfriend Ann in class at a building across from the Tower – the English…

Judy Winkel Brooks

Incoming UT Freshman, Home Economics Building

Judy Winkel Brooks was on campus on Aug. 1, 1966 for freshman orientation. She was planning to attend UT that fall. Winkel Brooks remembers freshman orientation was…

Thomas Brunet

Student, "The Drag"

“I was there that day and though things have grown a little fuzzy after 50 years some things I have certainly not forgotten. I had…

Jim Bryce

Student, Student Union

In the summer of 1966, Jim Bryce was a philosophy and mathematics student, taking summer course in algebra and computer programming. He was also working…

Ben Cervin

Graduate Student, Businesses and Economics Building

“I remember some aspects of the incident quite well, as I was in class at the business school completing one of the last courses required…

Doug Coburn

Student, Rome, Italy

“Gene Hall and I were on a three-month lowball senior trip to England and continental Europe. On August 1, 1966 we were in Rome, Italy.…

Nancy Jane Compere

Student, Home Economics Building

“My then-newlywed husband and I were attending our last semester of classes that summer of 1966 in August when Charles Whitman opened fire on the UT campus. We…

Exalton Delco

UT-Austin Alumnus, Yellowstone National Park

Exalton Delco graduated from UT-Austin in 1962 with a Doctorate in Zoology. He was Vice President for Academic Affairs at Huston-Tillotson University. His wife, Wilhelmina…

Wilhelmina Delco

Housewife, Yellowstone National Park

  Wilhelmina Ruth Fitzgerald Delco was a housewife during 1966. She ran for the Texas Legislature in 1974 and served in the Texas House of…

Cheryl Botts Dickerson

Campus Visitor, Tower

Cheryl Botts Dickerson was known as one-half of “the luckiest couple in Austin.” She and Don Walden left the observation deck and greeted Charles Whitman as they walked…

Dale Dorsey

Student, Scottish Rite Dormitory

“I was going to summer school in the business building and staying in the Scottish Rite Dormitory. I needed stamps and the post office was at…

Clif Drummond

Student, The Drag

Clif Drummond was the new student body President at UT-Austin on Aug. 1, 1966. Drummond was in the Co-op when the shooting began. He says…

Jim Duke

Graduate Student, Student Union

“Yes, I was on campus on August 1, 1966. My story may be of no interest to you but here goes. I do not remember…

Paul Eichelberger

Student, "The Drag"

“August 1, 1966: I woke up that morning thinking what the rest of the week held. I had a quiz coming up and needed a…

Ken Eickmann

Student, ROTC Summer Camp in Oklahoma

Ken Eickmann was a UT-Austin student in August of 1966. He was attending an ROTC Summer Camp in Oklahoma when news of the Tower shooting…

Richard Fairchild

Student, Scholz Beer Garten

“I was attending UT when the Chi Omega girls were killed. I was dating a Chi Omega at the time and my fraternity big brother…

Larry Faulkner

Graduate Student, Welch Hall

Larry Faulkner was a graduate student at UT-Austin between the summer of 1966 and the summer of 1969. He had only been at UT for…

Roger Friedman

High School Graduate, West of Austin

Roger Friedman grew up in Austin. During his youth he made friends with another young boy, Paul Sonntag. Friedman recounts that Sonntag was his “first…

Rosa Garcia

Transferring to UT as a Junior, Florida

Rosa Garcia was set to enter UT-Austin as a transferring junior in the fall of 1966 but had no place to live on campus. After the…

Aileen Short Gauntt

Student, Pharmacy Building

“I graduated with a BS in Pharmacy in August, 1966, and was on campus that day. My father was a professor of Mechanical Engineering, and we had…

Gary Gibbs

Student, East Campus

“I was going to summer school in August of 1966 at UT, and working part-time at Capital National Bank at night. I remember August 1 well. I…

Jim Giles

PhD Student, Academic Center

Jim Giles was a UT PhD during the shooting and was almost hit by a bullet. He was later on campus for the Northern Illinois…

Bill Giorda

Station Manager, KUT Studios

Bill Giorda was manager of KUT Radio in 1966. He was on campus at the station during the shooting. When he heard that the shooting…

Tom Graves

Student, 22nd & Guadalupe

Tom Graves was on and near campus the day of the UT Tower shooting and was a witness to some of the events. He was getting…

Marva Douglas Grovey

Student, Almetris Co-op

“I was on campus that memorable day. I was a resident at Almetris Co-op and was heading to a class. It was a bright sunny…

William “Tex” Gross

Graduate Student, Downtown Austin

William “Tex” Gross was 24 years old in August of 1966. He had graduated from UT-Austin in 1965 and was working toward a Master’s Degree…

Michael Hall

Assistant Professor, Garrison Hall

Michael Hall was an assistant professor at UT Austin in 1966. He was the person who made the first emergency call to Austin Police. While many…

Lash Hansborough

Navy ROTC Employee, Liberal Arts Building

Lash Hansborough was 23 years old in August of 1966. He had just graduated UT-Austin in June with a degree in mechanical engineering Hansborough was…

Maitland Huffman

Assistant Professor, Near Student Union

Maitland Huffman was an Assistant Professor in the Management Department at UT in the summer of 1966. At the time of the UT Tower shooting, he…

Kay Bailey Hutchison

Law Student, Law School

Kay Bailey Hutchison was a law student at UT-Austin in August of 1966. On the day of the UT Tower shooting she was on campus…

Jan Klinck

Student, Scholz’s Beer Garten

Jan Klinck was a 22-year-old student in the College of Pharmacy in August of 1966. He went to Scholz’s Beer Garten after his 8 am…

Sally Sue Davis Klinck

Student, McAllen, TX

Sally Sue Davis Klinck was a 21-year-old UT-Austin student in August of 1966. She was in McAllen, TX planning her wedding at the time of…

Nick Kralj

Recent Graduate, Galveston, TX

Nick Kralj started as a student at UT-Austin in 1961. He lived in Cactus Terrace Dormitory and started a poker circle until a dorm manager…

Jim Langdon

Student, Southeast of Austin

“Yes, I remember that day very well. Although, I am not sure that my recollections from that day are likely to be of much interest to…

Yolanda Laurel

Student, Blanton Dormitory

Yolanda Laurel moved from Laredo, TX to study pharmacy at UT-Austin in 1965. She lived in the dorms across from Pharmacy Building and was in…

Gary Lavergne

10-Year-Old Kid, Louisiana

Gary Lavergne was a 10-year-old kid in August of 1966. He saw the UT Tower shooting on TV from his home in Louisiana. Lavergne’s father…

Jeanette Brian Lawrence

Student, Blanton Dormitory

“My boyfriend Sid, who is now my husband of over 47 years, and I were students attending summer school that summer. I was studying in…

Sid Lawrence

Student, Batts Hall

“I was in a German class on the second floor of Batts Hall when we started hearing popping noises. One of the students in class…

Orazzio Loayza

Student, Jefferson Davis Statue

Orazzio Loayza was originally from Bolivia. He came to UT-Austin for college. He was 22 years old at the time of the UT Tower shooting…

Michael Lonsford

Student, Tower

“Yes, I was there at UT on Aug. 1, 1966 – in the Tower Building, in fact. Here are my recollections from that horrible day.…

Prudence Mahafie Mackintosh

Recent Graduate, Paris, France

Prudence Mahafie Mackintosh had just graduated from UT Austin in May of 1966. She was on her honeymoon in Paris on the day of the…

Ray Martinez

Austin Police Officer, Tower

Ramiro “Ray” Martinez started with the Austin Police Department in 1960. He was watching the noon news when he found out about the UT tower shooting. He called…

Bob Matjeka

Student, 21st Street

“I was there when the shooting started. I watched the events unfold on 21st Street, a block west of the Business Administration building (now McCombs).…

Alfred McAlister

Student, Student Union

Alfred McAlister was a student at UT-Austin in the summer of 1966. On the day of the shooting, he had talked with Claire Wilson James…

Stan McCormick

Student, Garrison Hall

Stan McCormick was in class in Garrison Hall when the UT Tower shooting began. “A ‘John Wayne’ guy came in with an elephant gun and broke…

Harold McFarlane

Student, Physics Building

“Like everyone else who was there that day, I have memories of the events that took place. It was between my junior and senior years…

Mary Ellen Newberry McFarlane

Student, Gonzales, TX

Mary Ellen McFarlane was a student at UT during the mid 1960s but she was at home in Gonzales, Texas on Aug. 1, 1966. McFarlane’s…

Ann McKinney

Student, South Austin

Ann McKinney and her then-husband Don were friends with Charles Whitman and Whitman’s wife Kathy. McKinney and Don were pictured on the roll of film Whitman…

Grover McMains

Ambulance Driver, Streets Near Campus

“The summer of the Charles Whitman shooting, I was working for Hyltin-Manor Funeral Home. At that time the ambulance service throughout Austin was handled by…

Michael Merriwether

Recent Graduate, Balcones Research Center

“I graduated in June 1966, with a BA in mathematics. I had worked part-time as a computer programmer/technical writer for the Balcones Research Center (now…

Neal Newberry

Incoming Freshman, West of Campus

Neal Newberry was 18 years old at the time of the UT Tower shooting. He had just graduated from Austin High School. Newberry was scheduled…

Charles Nixon

Student, Goldsmith Hall

“I was a fifth-year architectural student on campus on August 1, 1966, taking summer courses and working at the University Co-op in the camera department.…

Dave Oliphant

Recent Graduate, Chile

“I was teaching in Chile in August 1966, after having gone there with the student exchange program the summer before. The son of Dr. Frederick…

Dr. Robert Pape

Head of ER, Brackenridge Hospital

Dr. Robert Pape was head of the Brackenridge Hospital’s emergency room in August 1966. On the day of the shooting, he was at work. Pape says…

Ron Oliveira

10-Year-Old Kid, Brownsville, TX

Ron Oliveira was 10 years old at the time of the UT Tower shooting. He was vacationing at his uncle’s home in Brownsville on August…

Jess Preciphs

Incoming Freshman, University Co-Op

Jess Preciphs was 18 years old during the UT Tower shooting. He had just graduated from Austin High School and started college courses that summer…

Forrest Preece

Student, Drug Store on "The Drag"

Forrest Preece was a student at UT-Austin in the summer of 1966. On August 1 of that year, he remembers being at a drug store…

Terrell Reagan

Recent Graduate, Philippines

“I am a 1966 Architectural Engineering graduate of the UT engineering school. We were the smallest of all of the engineering departments – probably only…

Alice Goodwin Reinarz

Student, Biology Building

Alice Goodwin Reinarz was a junior at UT-Austin in the summer of 1966. She was working towards a degree in microbiology. Reinarz was in the biology…

Carole Riggs

Graduate Student, Tower

“I was indeed there in the Tower on that awful day. I was a graduate student working in the Dean of Admissions Office, which was…

Brenda Brooks Rogers

Law Library Employee, Law Library

Brenda Brooks Rogers graduated from Austin High School in 1966. At the time of the shooting, she was working at the UT-Austin Law Library before…

Ricardo Romo

Student, Santa Monica, CA

Ricardo Romo was not in Austin in the summer of 1966. A record-holding runner, Romo spent the summer training on the beaches of Southern California.…

Ken Rigsbee

Student, Bartlesville, OK

“While I was not on campus during the shooting, I was a student teacher/grader in an architectural engineering design class the semester before, and Charles…

Hector Ruiz

Student, Engineering Science Building

Hector Ruiz was originally from Mexico. He moved to Texas as a freshman in 1964. The shooting happened between his sophomore and junior years while…

John Ryder

Student, Waggener Hall

“On August 1, 1966 I had been studying in the Academic Center (AC) until shortly before noon. I walked over to the English Building to…

Leonard Schwartz

Law Student, Near Tower

At the time of shooting Leonard Schwartz was 22, a law school student. He was married. His wife was a UT student as well. Schwartz was…

Milton Shoquist

Austin Police Officer, Tower

Milton Shoquist was a brand-new officer on the Austin Police force. He was 21 years old on August 1, 1966 and had just graduated the…

Ed Small

Student, "The Drag"

Ed Small wasn’t taking classes on the day of the shooting, but working at a farm east of Georgetown. He decided to head to UT…

Robert Smalley

Recent Graduate, Dallas, TX

Robert Smalley was a Texas Ex living in Dallas in the summer of 1966. He had graduated from UT in 1962 and was pursuing a…

John Fox (Artly Snuff)

Incoming Freshman, South Mall

John Fox (aka Artly Snuff) was a recent Austin High School graduate taking summer classes at UT-Austin. He was visiting a friend near campus when…

Neal Spelce

KTBC News Director, Near tower

Neal Spelce heard the report of a shooting on the UT-Austin campus from the KTBC newsroom. He headed over to campus in his “Red Rover”…

Jay Stanley

Student, Business and Economics Building

“I am a Class of 1968 graduate of the Business School, member of Delta Tau Delta and President of Silver Spurs (Spring, 1968). When the…

Byrd Teague

Recent Graduate, Rome, Italy

“I was actually in Rome at the time of the shooting.  My mother took me on a blitz trip of Europe that summer and it…

Marye Tharp

Student, Mayfair House Dorm

“I was eating lunch at the Mayfair House (a women’s dorm) at 2000 Pearl Street. Someone came in and said, ‘There’s someone shooting at people…

Phyllis Waddle

Recent High School Graduate, Downtown Austin

Phyllis Francis Waddle was working for her father in his dental office the summer of 1966. On August 1 of that year she remembers hearing…

Don Walden

Student, Tower

Don Walden was a 22-year-old UT-Austin student in August of 1966. He graduated the following May with an English degree. Walden is known as one-half…

Shelton Williams

Recent graduate, 24th and Guadalupe

His senior year, Shelton Williams shared a political history course with Charles Whitman. Williams nicknamed him “Charlie Fingernails,” because he says Whitman was a compulsive fingernail…

Claire Wilson James

Student, South Mall

Claire Wilson James was a student at UT-Austin in the summer of 1966. She was eight months pregnant and very much in love with her…

Jim Wilson

Student, Near Tower

Jim Wilson was a student on campus on August 1, 1966. He was walking near the Tower when the shooting began but had no realization…

Sue McCann Wiseman

Student, Old Library Building

Sue McCann Wiseman remembers Aug. 1 as a typical mid-summer day in Austin: hot and humid. She’d grown up in the Texas capital city, and…

Vern Wuensche

Student, Business and Economics Building

Vern Wuensche grew up in McDade, 35 miles outside Austin. He was a business student at the University of Texas at the time of the…

Dave Parsons

Student, Scholz's Beer Garten

“It seemed like any predictable 1st of August in Austin, Texas: sunny and hot. I left my summer class in European History in the Business…

Paula Miller

Incoming Freshman, Newman Hall

“A few weeks after high school graduation, I moved from home in West Austin to Newman Hall, a Catholic dorm, at the corner of 21st and…

Paul Lester

Law School Student, Near Gregory Gym

“Even today, when I’m on the UT campus, if I turn from behind a building onto the open mall, I feel my shoulders tense involuntarily.…

Rosemary Redmond

Student, Near Gov. James Hogg Statue

“I was walking to class across the mall and heard what sounded like boards cracking and being nailed at a near-by construction site. When I…

Jim Sansom

Texas Water Development Board Geologist, Downtown Austin

“In 1966 I worked for the Texas Water Development Board as a geologist. At the time of the Whitman shooting our offices were in the…

Carol Ginn

Student, Off Campus

“I graduated from Austin High School in 1964.  My younger brother was in the same class as Paul Bolton Sonntag and Claudia Rutt, who were…