Charles Whitman (San Antonio, Austin, West: home, elementary school, university)

[gy2020]

Where were you on August 1, 1966?
I had a speech class in Hogg Bldg, next to the tower. Class was out at 11:50 am. I walked through the tower, used the mens room and walked over to the Commons for lunch. As I was eating, I saw a commotion by the window. I got up and stood watching the top of the tower like everyone else. I saw a puff of smoke, then someone about 200 feet away was yelling that he had been shot. In horror we backed away from the windows and found that the event was now on tv on the second floor of the Commons. We alternated watching tv and keeping people away from the windows. Later, some of us went to the library next door and watched from the top floor as they brought the bodies out of the tower.

Later that afternoon a friend of mine in San Antonio drove up and we spent the rest of the day talking about the event.

[gy2020]

My summer school class began at 11:00 am in the Hogg Bldg:

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At 11:50 am class was out and I went into the Tower and used the men's room:

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Charles Whitman used a door like this:

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He had earlier killed his wife and mother, dressed up like a maintenenceman, he pulled a locker through the door and used the elevator. After he reached the top of the elevator, he killed people as he walked the stairs to the observation deck. He also killed the lady who was working at the top. He then blocked the door and then set up weapons on all four sides.

Meanwhile, I had passed the library and went into the Commons. I ate lunch and then I saw people gathering at the windows on first level of Commons.

I looked to see what people were staring at and I saw a puff of smoke coming from the top of the Tower. That was when a person a few hundred feet away in the stairwell at Commons was shot in his arm.

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From that point on we kept people away from the windows and watched the terror take place on television. I remember that a young woman was caught outside in front of the Tower and had to take refuge behind the base of the flagpole throughout the ordeal.

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I actually think it was the other flagpole.

After it was all over, some of us went to the library next door and watched them bring bodies out of the building. We were on the top floor of the library looking down.

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What we saw were ambulances parked in between the library and the tower, next to these doors.

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In all Charles Whitman wounded 17 people and killed another 17, including a cousin of a classmate of mine. His rain of terror on a college campus was the first mass murder of this type in the US. In later years we would witness a shooting in a Mc Donalds in California, a shooting in a Luby's in Texas, a Columbine High School, Virginia Tech, the shooting of young girls in a small school and the recent shooting in Illinois. Of course it seems like you turn on television and all you see is a public school shooting.

If anyone else was on campus and like to tell his/her story feel free to use this thread

[S6Sputnik]

I was 30 days old! In Copenhagen Denmark!

One of many reasons why our TV is only used for DVD'd and Video's! Have not had our TV plugged in for 3 years..don't miss it one bit!

[car957]

I was six years old and was going to Matthews Elementary School. Schools were let out because of the event. My mom brought me home and didn't let me outside to play because of the concern over the possibility of being shot. I remember the teachers talked with the students in class next day.

It was a pretty sad

[jfre81]

That was 15 years before my time....awesome photos though.

[gy2020]

car957:
How close was Matthew Elem to the campus? If you were eye sight of the tower, there was concern. He was a good shot. He hit a young boy on a bicycle about 4 blocks away. He was sniping at airplanes and helicopters covering the story and people at the football stadium were also being shot at.

[car957]

I never measured it. Matthews is located at 9th/West Lynn, which is over 25 blocks from the Library building. Whitman may have been a good shot but as someone who has a decent understanding of physics, I'm pretty sure that a bullet would have never made it, especially given that that area is located on a bluff with heavy, old pecan trees.

[gy2020]

I think you were ok. But at first there was a lot of confusion. People played it safe.

[Mike78613]

I was not even born yet

[malarkey]

I was 9 yrs old, growing up on a farm in SW Kansas. I don't remember being aware of the event at that time.

He's got a Wikipedia entry: Charles Whitman

eta: man, that's one creepy story