The Best Texas Photos of 2011

By Rose Cahalan in Features, Special on December 22, 2011 at 10:42 am | No Comments

With 50,000 students, 8,000 faculty and staff, and 96,000 alumni, The University of Texas at Austin follows the rule that everything is bigger in Texas. But as these photos illustrate, the UT community could hardly be closer-knit.

Thanks to the Daily Texan, UT Athletics, and The Alcalde‘s trusty freelancers for sharing some of the year’s best Texas photos with us. It’s impossible to look at these gorgeous shots without marveling at UT’s diversity. At the same time, we think the moments— joyful and solemn, quotidian and exceptional—captured here show how all Longhorns are united by a big dose of Texas pride.

A tilt-shift version of the 2011 Explore UT Class Photo. (Marsha Miller)

Business senior Gurjit Singh wraps a turban on business honors freshman Shaan Patel’s head on the West Mall. The “Tie a Turban” event raised money and awareness for the Sikh Students’ Association. (Amanda Martin/Daily Texan)

Texas Wranglers* at the Torchlight Parade before the OU game. (Patrick Meredith/UT Athletics)

An original dress from the 1939 film Gone With the Wind undergoes conservation at the Ransom Center. (Kae Wang/The Alcalde)

A traditional Mexican dance ensemble performs at the Gregory Gym Plaza for Dia de los Muertos. (Tamir Kalifa/Daily Texan)

Head football coach Mack Brown lights his candle at the annual Hex Rally before the Texas-Texas A&M game. (Matt Hempel/UT Athletics)

A student uses the trendy new app Word Lens to scan and translate text. (Jeff Heimsath/The Alcalde)

Ezra Masch sings in the Visual Arts Center as part of the “Music of the Spheres” exhibition. (Amanda Martin/Daily Texan)

Student body President Natalie Butler speaks at Gone to Texas. (Thomas Allison/Daily Texan)

Alumnus Billy Rodriguez, who started a scholarship for his 50th birthday, blows out his candles. (Sara Lim/The Alcalde)

A student runs on the track at Gregory Gym. (Jorge Corona/Daily Texan)

James Spence (left) and Miguel Ortiz hug during a memorial ceremony for 22-year-old Adam Conrad Grote, their close friend and classmate who was killed in a hit-and-run. (Tamir Kalifa/Daily Texan)

Tata, Jonathan, and Doswon live not far from UT in East Austin. This image first appeared in “East Side Pride,” a photo essay on UT’s relationship with East Austin. (John Langmore/The Alcalde)

Professor of architecture Lawrence Speck speaks at the Battle Hall Centennial at Jessen Auditorium. (Zachary Strain/Daily Texan)

Psychology professor Germine Awad displays a necklace spelling her name in Egyptian hieroglyphs. (Kae Wang/The Alcalde)

Researchers and Guatemalans mingle at Casa Herrera, UT’s new research center in Antigua. (Courtesy the Mesoamerican Center)

Students light candles at the 26th annual Hex Rally against A&M. (Matt Hempel/The Alcalde)

Servicemen and women stand in line formation during a Veterans’ Day memorial service. (Batli Joselevitz/Daily Texan)

Journalist Leonard Pitts before his lecture on race in America at the Texas Union. (Jeff Heimsath/The Alcalde)

Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity members, several dressed as Teletubbies, sell baked treats in Jester West. (Thomas Allison/Daily Texan)

The Tower at sunset. (Jim Sigmon/UT Athletics)

*An earlier version of this article misidentified the Texas Wranglers as the Iron Spikes. Kudos to reader Natalie Butler for spotting it.

Tags: best UT photos, mack brown, multicultural UT, Natalie Butler, UT diversity, UT photos of the year