UT Engineers today are extremely lucky to be part of a School that has such rich traditions. Many of these traditions developed by early Longhorn Engineers have become some of the best-known on campus. These traditions have evolved from stories like mischievous boys trying to force a school holiday, to the venerable "Old Man" seeking to mold young minds.
The Cockrell School of Engineering takes great pride in those early engineers whose dreams and stories continue to shape us and affect us today. Their examples continue to demonstrate how dreams are realized: commit to quality, exercise creativity, band together, contribute to a great cause and return a good deed. Please read on and discover the traditions that have helped form UT Cockrell School of Engineering into one of the most well-respected colleges in the nation.
The Ramshorn
Before the tower commanded the campus landscape, before Bevo presided over UT sports, and before the Hook'em Horns sign provided Longhorn fans a friendly hand gesture, the Ramshorn defined excellence for eager-to-be engineers. It is the country's oldest quality symbol. >>
Alexander Frederick Claire
Alec is one of the most publicized and well-known traditions known to the Cockrell School of Engineering and The University of Texas. Over nearly 100 years, Alec has had his share of adventures; he's suffered kidnappings, amputations, even an arrest, followed by a pardon from Texas Governor James Ferguson. He's been repaired, de-commissioned, revived, replicated. And he has endured. Read on to find out the full history of Alec, the Engineering Patron Saint... >>
Lighting the Tower
Carl J. Eckhardt Jr. never won a Nobel Prize for his work with light, but he started some great UT traditions. Eckhardt used light as he would use wood and metal: to celebrate the Longhorn spirit. When he implemented the orange lighting of the UT tower, he demonstrated one of the engineer's chief contributions to society-applying technology for human purposes. >>
Friends of Alec
No one expected Alec to have many friends. A quiet, unassuming guy in an obscure corner of a local watering hole, Alec seemed destined to view life with arm raised to another's good cheer. But three young engineering college students befriended the lone figure one evening, and changed his destiny, as well as their own. >>
Alec Building Contest
In order to celebrate the tradition and creativity of Alec throughout the engineering community and to increase awareness about Alec and the Friends of Alec program, the annual Alec Building Contest was created in 2002. >>
Chronology
A record of the milestone events in the history of the School from 1882 to today. >>