Some of us old geezers can remember August 1966 when a sniper picked off 16 people on the UT campus from atop a clock tower or some such vantage point. Scared the heck out of people all over.
Today, the policeman who took out the sniper died at age 72. Houston McCoy was that brave man's name.
I vaguely remember when it happened. I was only 6. Several years later they had made-for-TV movie about it which I do remember.
If I recall he [the shooter] had a bad childhood and some sort of brain cancer or tumor.
Yep, I was only 6 also, but I do remember it happening. Interestingly, they actually tried to shoot him from an airplane prior to storming the tower. Another note, he didn't have an assault rifle, he did have an M1 carbine in .30 cal, but it isn't thought that he used it. He did have a high powered rifle with a scope, another unscoped rifle, a sawed off shotgun and a couple of pistols. He did have a brain tumor, which the coroner said would have killed him by the end of that year (1966)
-JD-
Not to diminish the seriousness of the post, but it's really unnecessary to discuss how old you were when it happened, or whether or not you were wearing diapers.
Some of us were older then; we're dang sure older than that now.
Sorry for the high jack. Just grumpy and old.
Not really.
Just old.
Don
Yeah, there were bullet scars in various buildings on campus near the tower afterwards. We were on the road that day, so we missed the excitement, but the older brother of one of my friends didn't. He was shot as he was walking along Guadalupe Street, the main drag West of the Tower.
The observation deck remained open for years afterwards until finally after one too many jumpers it was restricted.
About thirty years after Charlie Whitman's spree, I had to go up to the observation deck to get a tie to a horizontal control point that was there. That turned out to be possible by paying the UT Police to station an officer up there to make sure that my assistant who was tending the prism and target while I occupied some stations on the ground half a mile away didn't jump out of boredom.
The cop knew all the Whitman lore and gave my assistant the full story while they were waiting for me.
"... to make sure that my assistant who was tending the prism and target while I occupied some stations on the ground half a mile away didn't jump out of boredom."
Or sheer frustration. You didn't happen, by any chance, to be discussing the artistry of North Arrows that day, did you?
Don
Don ?
I interpret the mention of the poster's age is to give one a sense of their original recall. They are not claiming to be experts.
One could take it from the manner of your comments that you are still wearing diapers. That would hence make you an expert regarding diapers.
Paul in PA
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> "... to make sure that my assistant who was tending the prism and target while I occupied some stations on the ground half a mile away didn't jump out of boredom."
>
> Or sheer frustration.
Actually, it was much cooler and breezier up on the tower than it was at street level. All my assistant had to do was just (a) make sure that the prism and target didn't blow over and (b) rotate it toward me as needed. The cop who was paid out of my $75 per hour access fee apparently told some great Whitman and jumper stories.
Don ?
Apparently, it is very important to include smiley faces when communicating with an audience than may include civil engineers.
🙂 = joke
I'm sorry that I neglected the obvious clue.
Don
I knew someone who was doing their freshman orientation on that day on campus. It reallyhad an efffect on her for life.
She later graduated with a degree in fine arts at the U of T., moved to New Orleans and becanme a bartender, successful radio DJ and artist and eventually a recording artist in Brazil.
For the movie, they used the tower at LSU campus for filming the scene.
"I Will Be" (Sniper Song) by Harry Chapin
The madman "inspired" Chapin to pen his song:
It is an early Monday morning.
The sun is becoming bright on the land.
No one is watching as he comes a-walking.
Two bulky suitcases hang from his hands.
He heads towards the tower that stands in the campus.
He goes through the door, he starts up the stairs.
The sound of his footsteps, the sound of his breathing,
The sound of the silence when no one was there......
I remember listening to the news in disbelief. Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then.
sorry Don
> Not to diminish the seriousness of the post, but it's really unnecessary to discuss how old you were when it happened, or whether or not you were wearing diapers.
> Some of us were older then; we're dang sure older than that now.
> Sorry for the high jack. Just grumpy and old.
> Not really.
> Just old.
>
> Don
I was also 6 years old in 1966. I was not wearing diapers.
