In 1885, two UT students wanted to show their school spirit by wearing colored ribbons at an away baseball game. Unfortunately, the ribbon store only had white and orange ribbon, which is why those colors represent the University today.
For 19 years, University enthusiasts have listened to these types anecdotes of UT history told by alumnus Jim Nicar. Nicar started leading Moonlight Prowls around campus when he was a senior astronomy student.
There are three versions of Nicar's tour that include stories ranging from integration at UT to panty raids at then-named Kirby Hall Dormitory.
"When it works, the prowl is a little bit like sitting around a campfire and telling stories," Nicar said.
Much of his research comes from University archives located in the Center for American History in Sid Richardson Hall.
Nicar found that inside the cornerstone of Old Main is a lead box that contains a street car token, a photo of Queen Victoria submitted by a man in jail and part of a cigar.
Using the "Official Prowl Flashlight," Nicar pointed out the 32 Texas cattle brands around the top of Garrison Hall and the window in the Gebauer Building window that engineering majors threw a straw dummy out of as a prank on Law School Dean Judge Townes in 1910.
Nicar said that although Prowl groups can top at 100, the average is 50 to 60.
English senior Elizabeth Brogan knew that time was running out for her to catch the prowl.
"In four years I had never been. I decided it was time to go," she said.
2004 alumnus Joe Schlaudraff's love of history brought him back to campus for the tour. He appreciated the props, such as old yearbooks or university photos that Nicar used to tell stories.
As part of the wayfinding committee responsible for the campus' signage, Nicar is waiting for approval on the creation of storytelling signs to be placed at historical sites around campus. The first will be a plaque dedicated to UT's first mascot, "Pig."
Pig Bellmont was the dog of the first athletic director, Theo Bellmont. He was named by university students after football player Gus "Pig" Dittmar because both were bowlegged, Nicar said. When Pig was hit by a Model-T Ford in 1923, UT held a funeral procession complete with pallbearers, a 20-minute eulogy by Dean of Engineering Thomas Taylor and a playing of Taps.
Attendees looking for ghost stories are out of luck. Nicar said that he relays verified information only.
"Sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction," he said.
He also dispelled a few myths. A prison architect did not design Jester Dormitory and the Tower was not designed to look like an owl by a Rice University graduate. However, many math and science students are taking a class over a nuclear fusion laboratory housed in the basement of Robert Lee Moore Hall.
Nicar receives no funding from the University. In 2000, the University allowed him to create a Web site on their server. Nicar leads the free tours for fun and describes it as "a hobby that's out of control." He said he hopes that students will leave the tour with a greater connection to the university.
"If you hear a little bit about what has happened here before, you might gain a greater appreciation for the idea that you're a part of something bigger than yourself," he said.
Tours begin at 8 p.m., just after the last tower chimes of the day, and last around two hours. Nicar holds them year-round. More information about the tours can be found on the Web site http://www.utexas.edu/tours/prowl/.
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