EVENT: On the 50th anniversary of the mass shooting that took place Aug. 1, 1966, The University of Texas at Austin will rededicate the Tower Garden and dedicate a new memorial to the victims and those who suffered from the tragedy.
WHEN: 11:48 a.m.-12:40 p.m., Monday, Aug. 1.
WHERE: Main Mall (11:48 a.m.-noon) and Tower Garden (noon-12:40 p.m.), Main Building, UT Austin.
WHO MAY ATTEND: The event — planned for the campus community, victims and survivors of the tragedy — is open to the public. Limited seating is reserved for invited guests.
Members of the media are asked to RSVP to University Communications (512-471-3151, utmedia@utexas.edu) to aid in planning.
BACKGROUND: The Tower Garden, located just north of the Main Building (the UT Tower), was dedicated in 1999 in memory of “all the people who suffered as a result of the tragedy on August 1, 1966.” A plaque in the garden commemorates the dedication. At the rededication ceremony, the university will unveil a new memorial to the victims and survivors of the tragedy. A committee of survivors and university staffers planned the memorial and ceremony.
Before the ceremony, the clock in the Main Building will stop at 11:48 a.m., the time when the shooting began 50 years ago. The clock will remain stopped for 24 hours. At dusk on Aug. 1, the university will darken the Tower.
SCHEDULE:
- 11:40-11:48: Tolling of the Bells: Tower Carillon
- 11:48 a.m.: Tower Clock stops for 24 hours. Flags lowered on the Main Mall.
- Noon: Bagpiper leads procession from Main Mall to the Tower Garden.
- 12:10-12:40 p.m.: Rededication Ceremony at the Tower Garden. Speakers:
- Gregory L. Fenves, president, UT Austin
- Claire Wilson James, shooting survivor, co-chair, Texas Tower Memorial Committee
- James Bryce, UT student witness, co-chair, Texas Tower Memorial Committee
- U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, elected president of UT Austin student body in 1967
UPDATED: You can view a filmed recording of the ceremony here.
