The Way Back: Snow Go

By Ben Wright in Jan | Feb 2019, The Way Back on January 4, 2019 at 4:21 pm | No Comments

Any snowfall in Austin is bound to incite a mass frenzy at first flake. And indeed, many a pathetic snowman has been hatched from the occasional crust of powder that graces the streets and branches of campus every other couple of years or so. But once in a blue moon, Austin gets a white Christmas—or at least a white President’s Day. Heavier snow years include 1899, 1918, 1924, 1944, 1966, and 1975. There hasn’t been another one a while.

Of those aforementioned snow-blanketed winters, 1966 stands out. It was a particularly deep dusting that led to quite a ruckus on campus. Several skirmishes broke out, and a snowman was rolled that would make any Minnesotan proud. The young lady above gives a steely stare, ready to unload her clump of condensation on an unwitting adversary. Judging from the other photographs in the series—several of which ran in the Cactus—one suspects she was swiftly socked herself as repayment.