Tower Garden Rededication Ceremony Commemorates 50th Anniversary of Aug. 1, 1966, Tragedy

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 unveil a new memorial to the victims and those who suffered from the tragedy. The event will take place on Monday, Aug. 1, 11:48 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. at the Main Mall (11:48 a.m.-noon) and Tower Garden (noon-12:40 p.m.).
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.
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, 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