I can't begin to imagine what that was like for the people who actually experienced that. I'll bet they still have nightmares, some of them, the ones who are still alive, anyway. That's not something that Austinites & UT alums celebrate, of course, but it will always be a part of the history of the city of Austin & the University of Texas. There's no history of something until it happens. The people who lived to tell about it were just trying to live their lives , get an education, etc. Interesting that that tragedy occured on a Monday, and the 50th anniversary was on a Monday. I've always been fascinated w/this tragedy, wondering what was going through Whitman's mind. Who knows? He met his wife & mother on the other side within about 24 hrs after he took their lives. He knew his time was almost up. He never intended to come back down, alive. If not for the brave actions of those 2 men, who knows how much more damage he would have done? Something else I find amazing& even appalling was that he went to several psychiatrists there on campus & told them what he was planning to do. Obviously, they never took him seriously. Of course, I feel really bad for his wife & mother, as well as the other victims & their families. I'm sure his mother did the best she could in raising him. His father, I don't know. I've read that he was a very controlling man. What would you do, walking across a university campus & you hear shots start ringing out? Adrenaline kicks in. You don't have time to think. You act on instinct. You find out what you're made of in situations like that.
I can't begin to imagine what that was like for the people who actually experienced that. I'll bet they still have nightmares, some of them, the ones who are still alive, anyway. That's not something that Austinites & UT alums celebrate, of course, but it will always be a part of the history of the city of Austin & the University of Texas. There's no history of something until it happens. The people who lived to tell about it were just trying to live their lives , get an education, etc. Interesting that that tragedy occured on a Monday, and the 50th anniversary was on a Monday. I've always been fascinated w/this tragedy, wondering what was going through Whitman's mind. Who knows? He met his wife & mother on the other side within about 24 hrs after he took their lives. He knew his time was almost up. He never intended to come back down, alive. If not for the brave actions of those 2 men, who knows how much more damage he would have done? Something else I find amazing& even appalling was that he went to several psychiatrists there on campus & told them what he was planning to do. Obviously, they never took him seriously. Of course, I feel really bad for his wife & mother, as well as the other victims & their families. I'm sure his mother did the best she could in raising him. His father, I don't know. I've read that he was a very controlling man. What would you do, walking across a university campus & you hear shots start ringing out? Adrenaline kicks in. You don't have time to think. You act on instinct. You find out what you're made of in situations like that.