50th Anniversary of the Tower Shooting. (Austin: how much, live, law)

[Trainwreck20]

An interesting recounting of the day from a former co-worker of mine.

Not sure if this will work, but I will try and see:
https://www.facebook.com/davidbcabe/...62160823824090

[pop251808]

Another case of domestic violence run amok. First victims were the women in his life, just like the kid killer from Newtown, Conn. It's scary how many of these mass shootings have to do with men who can't live with women.

[Texas Ag 93]

This narrative account of the tragedy appeared in Texas Monthly on the occasion of the 45th anniversary, and I found it a powerful read.

96 Minutes

[ScoPro]

RIP to all my fellow Longhorns. That was an ugly day, and the terrible memories are still fresh in my mind.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by pop251808

Another case of domestic violence run amok. First victims were the women in his life, just like the kid killer from Newtown, Conn. It's scary how many of these mass shootings have to do with men who can't live with women.

From what I read:

- It was the father of Whitman who beat his wife (the mother) & also beat young Whitman and his two brothers (& others) as kids.

- Whitman had actually rescued his mother from FL (from his father) & brought her to Austin a couple of months earlier before the shooting.

- Not sure if Whitman (the shooter) ever hit his wife (before the event). Maybe someone who's read one of the books can clarify.

- Whitman had more issues with being a failure & hating his dad (or maybe he was just a whack job) than issues with women (from what I've read).


I attended UT in the late 70s. Many students would glance up when crossing in front of the Tower while walking to class. (usually when walking by oneself). It was definitely on our mind 10-12 years after the event. I wonder if it still is for students? (glancing up even though the tower is closed....or looking around for a logical spot to run to, behind a statue or flagpole or hedge if a shot rang out?)

[pop251808]

Originally Posted by hound 109

From what I read:

- It was the father of Whitman who beat his wife (the mother) & also beat young Whitman and his two brothers (& others) as kids.

- Whitman had actually rescued his mother from FL (from his father) & brought her to Austin a couple of months earlier before the shooting.

- Not sure if Whitman (the shooter) ever hit his wife (before the event). Maybe someone who's read one of the books can clarify.

- Whitman had more issues with being a failure & hating his dad (or maybe he was just a whack job) than issues with women (from what I've read).


I attended UT in the late 70s. Many students would glance up when crossing in front of the Tower while walking to class. (usually when walking by oneself). It was definitely on our mind 10-12 years after the event. I wonder if it still is for students? (glancing up even though the tower is closed....or looking around for a logical spot to run to, behind a statue or flagpole or hedge if a shot rang out?)

He started his last day by murdering his wife and mother before he even went to the campus. That pretty much defines violence against the women in his life, right there. He might have learned his violent behavior toward them from his father; domestic violence is a learned trait.

When I was at UT in the mid-seventies, no one looked at the tower unless they weren't wearing a wristwatch.

[DashRiprock]

The Tower shooting was a bit before my time, but it's always interesting to me to read about the ordinary citizens who brought their rifles to campus and started shooting back. This forced Whitman to take cover and fire sporadically through the tower's rain spouts, almost certainly saving countless lives. Imagine if that happened today - those unsung heroes would be spending many years in jail for illegally discharging a firearm within the city limits.

The rifle fire also likely caused enough of a distraction to enable two officers and a civilian to get to the observation deck before Whitman realized what was happening. Imagine, an armed civilian spontaneously joined a group of law enforcement officers on what may well have been a suicide mission. And apparently nobody even thought twice about it at the time. Truly amazing how much things have changed.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by pop251808

He started his last day by murdering his wife and mother before he even went to the campus. That pretty much defines violence against the women in his life, right there. He might have learned his violent behavior toward them from his father; domestic violence is a learned trait.

Over-simplification. He appears to have had a psychotic break and killed the two people he lived with and who were also (at least in his mind) dependent on him. Sure, maybe he did have a history of domestic violence, but he could have also been the perfect son/husband up until that point. I don't know. There may be people out there that do know more, but I really haven't read that much non-newspaper discussion of the event.

Even in the 80s, I thought about the incident when I looked at the tower, even though I never recall every having any worries about the tower. I remember being bummed I couldn't go up in it.....

[pop251808]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Over-simplification. He appears to have had a psychotic break and killed the two people he lived with and who were also (at least in his mind) dependent on him. Sure, maybe he did have a history of domestic violence, but he could have also been the perfect son/husband up until that point. I don't know. There may be people out there that do know more, but I really haven't read that much non-newspaper discussion of the event.

Even in the 80s, I thought about the incident when I looked at the tower, even though I never recall every having any worries about the tower. I remember being bummed I couldn't go up in it.....

Some of us simplify, others ignore the elephant in the room.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by pop251808

Some of us simplify, others ignore the elephant in the room.

And some just hallucinate .