U. Texas + Texas A&M T-shirt
Title
U. Texas + Texas A&M T-shirt
Description
A gift from the University of Texas Austin and Texas A&M University.
Back of t-shirt with the words:
"The eyes of Texas are upon you...
For your spirit can ne'er be told
In time of greatest tragedy
You have a hand to hold."
Susan Hill sent the following email explaining the signifigance of this T-shirt:
"Dear Fellow Hokies,
First, let me say how much you are all still in our thoughts and prayers.God bless you all! May the healing continue for all of you personally, and for Tech and Blacksburg as a community. And thank you very much for the work you are doing!
I think I may have more information for you (if you are interested) for item 2065 (a T-shirt). This T-shirt was actually a joint project of both the University of Texas and Texas A&M University. Referring to the words on the
front of the shirt, the first "orange" is the burnt orange of the University of Texas (Longhorns) and the first "maroon" is the maroon of Texas A&M (Aggies). The second "orange" and the second "maroon" are the colors for
Virginia Tech. The first line on the back of the shirt in burnt orange is from the University of Texas school song. The second line on the back of the shirt in maroon is from the Texas A&M school song. The words in black are
the message of support the students of both schools wanted to convey to the Virginia Tech community. Unless you are a Longhorn or an Aggie, you would not realize what a big deal this is.
Shortly after the shootings last April, the University of Texas at Austin held a vigil for Virginia Tech. They sold these T-shirts to raise money to donate to Tech. I spoke to the student body president at the vigil. I was so surprised to see the T-shirts. She said this was the first time, to her knowledge, that the Univeristy of Texas and Texas A&M student governments had worked together on a project. I bought 4 shirts that night before they ran out. Two of the shirts I gave away to fellow Hokies at the vigil. The third
shirt I mailed to the Winistorfer family in Blacksburg. (Paul is head of the department of Wood Science, and he and his wife Jeanette have two young sons.) I had never met them, but they had so kindly invited my niece to spend Easter with them just before the tragedy (my niece had recently lost her mother). And I felt moved to reach out to them. I sent them the third T-shirt with an orange and maroon ribbon from the vigil pinned on it and a letter describing the vigil at the University of Texas and how it had brought people together. I wore the 4th T-shirt the next day, but it didn't feel like it was meant for me. So I put it away...until this past Wed.
John Woods, a graduate student at the University of Texas in Austin, recently sent an email to our Tech alumni chapter here in Austin explaning that he was helping to organize a memorial this past Wed. for the Tech students who died. He said that he was a senior at Tech when the shootings
happened, and that one of the Tech students who had been killed was his girlfriend. It was then that I knew the 4th shirt was meant for him. I went to the memorial service and gave him the shirt. John gave a talk that embodied a year's worth of profound grief and deep thought. Perhaps it may
be worth collecting some of that type of reflection and wisdom?...or perhaps you all are already swamped with material. I spoke to the current University
of Texas student body president at the memorial on Wed. He saw the shirt I had brought for John, and he said he was one of the students that had organized the shirt effort with Texas A&M. He said he wears his shirt all the time. It
obviously still had a lot of meaning for him. When I got home from the memorial service Wed., there was a small package in the mail from the Winistorfers. I had never heard from them (I had not expected to). Both Paul and Jeanette described what the past year had been like for them. Oh my! The courage and strength of your community is deeply moving! The Winistorfers told me that they had added the shirt I sent to the momentoes left in the 2 enormous white tents set up on the drill field last year. I think that is how item 2065 got to you.
So please understand that item 2065 is from BOTH the University of Texas AND Texas A&M. They came together to support Virginia Tech. And for those two schools, that is an historic event.
God bless you all!!
Susan Hill '82"
Back of t-shirt with the words:
"The eyes of Texas are upon you...
For your spirit can ne'er be told
In time of greatest tragedy
You have a hand to hold."
Susan Hill sent the following email explaining the signifigance of this T-shirt:
"Dear Fellow Hokies,
First, let me say how much you are all still in our thoughts and prayers.God bless you all! May the healing continue for all of you personally, and for Tech and Blacksburg as a community. And thank you very much for the work you are doing!
I think I may have more information for you (if you are interested) for item 2065 (a T-shirt). This T-shirt was actually a joint project of both the University of Texas and Texas A&M University. Referring to the words on the
front of the shirt, the first "orange" is the burnt orange of the University of Texas (Longhorns) and the first "maroon" is the maroon of Texas A&M (Aggies). The second "orange" and the second "maroon" are the colors for
Virginia Tech. The first line on the back of the shirt in burnt orange is from the University of Texas school song. The second line on the back of the shirt in maroon is from the Texas A&M school song. The words in black are
the message of support the students of both schools wanted to convey to the Virginia Tech community. Unless you are a Longhorn or an Aggie, you would not realize what a big deal this is.
Shortly after the shootings last April, the University of Texas at Austin held a vigil for Virginia Tech. They sold these T-shirts to raise money to donate to Tech. I spoke to the student body president at the vigil. I was so surprised to see the T-shirts. She said this was the first time, to her knowledge, that the Univeristy of Texas and Texas A&M student governments had worked together on a project. I bought 4 shirts that night before they ran out. Two of the shirts I gave away to fellow Hokies at the vigil. The third
shirt I mailed to the Winistorfer family in Blacksburg. (Paul is head of the department of Wood Science, and he and his wife Jeanette have two young sons.) I had never met them, but they had so kindly invited my niece to spend Easter with them just before the tragedy (my niece had recently lost her mother). And I felt moved to reach out to them. I sent them the third T-shirt with an orange and maroon ribbon from the vigil pinned on it and a letter describing the vigil at the University of Texas and how it had brought people together. I wore the 4th T-shirt the next day, but it didn't feel like it was meant for me. So I put it away...until this past Wed.
John Woods, a graduate student at the University of Texas in Austin, recently sent an email to our Tech alumni chapter here in Austin explaning that he was helping to organize a memorial this past Wed. for the Tech students who died. He said that he was a senior at Tech when the shootings
happened, and that one of the Tech students who had been killed was his girlfriend. It was then that I knew the 4th shirt was meant for him. I went to the memorial service and gave him the shirt. John gave a talk that embodied a year's worth of profound grief and deep thought. Perhaps it may
be worth collecting some of that type of reflection and wisdom?...or perhaps you all are already swamped with material. I spoke to the current University
of Texas student body president at the memorial on Wed. He saw the shirt I had brought for John, and he said he was one of the students that had organized the shirt effort with Texas A&M. He said he wears his shirt all the time. It
obviously still had a lot of meaning for him. When I got home from the memorial service Wed., there was a small package in the mail from the Winistorfers. I had never heard from them (I had not expected to). Both Paul and Jeanette described what the past year had been like for them. Oh my! The courage and strength of your community is deeply moving! The Winistorfers told me that they had added the shirt I sent to the momentoes left in the 2 enormous white tents set up on the drill field last year. I think that is how item 2065 got to you.
So please understand that item 2065 is from BOTH the University of Texas AND Texas A&M. They came together to support Virginia Tech. And for those two schools, that is an historic event.
God bless you all!!
Susan Hill '82"
Creator
Kacey Beddoes
Date
2008-04-09
Contributor
Kacey Beddoes
Rights
Kacey Beddoes (kbeddoes@vt.edu)
Susan Hill (hlldan@sbcglobal.net)
Susan Hill (hlldan@sbcglobal.net)
Language
eng
Files
Citation
Kacey Beddoes, “U. Texas + Texas A&M T-shirt,” The April 16 Archive, accessed November 23, 2024, https://april16archive.org/index.php/items/show/2065.