A Sniper in the Tower: The Charles Whitman Murders

by Gary M. Lavergne

On August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman ascended the University of Texas Tower and committed what was then the largest simultaneous mass murder in American history. He gunned down forty-five people inside and around the Tower before he was killed by two Austin police officers. In addition to promoting the rise of S.W.A.T. teams to respond to future crises, the murders spawned debates over issues which still plague America today: domestic violence, child abuse, drug abuse, military indoctrination, the insanity defense, and the delicate balance between civil liberties and public safety.

Genres: True Crime, History, Nonfiction, Crime, Biography, Terrorism, Adult

324 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1997

Reviews

[Toni Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has taken me years to read this book. I've had it for at least 10 years, and it's only because my brother kept telling me how good it was that I finally managed to pick it up again and finish it.

My reluctance to read "A Sniper in the Tower" had nothing to do with author Gary Lavergne's writing -- which is good, if workmanlike -- or his research, which is exhaustive. It had everything to do with the subject.

I was born and reared in Austin, and remember the hot August day when this unimaginable thing happened. I was almost 14; my brother was 8; and our mother worked on The University of Texas campus, in a building not far from, and in sight of, the Tower. Charles Whitman was shooting from the Tower for 96 minutes, from 11:48 a.m. until 1:24 p.m.; live TV and radio coverage of the shooting began shortly after noon. My brother and I were at home; our house perched on the side of a hill facing Mount Bonnell, and we could see both the UT Tower and the State Capitol from our deck.

We either heard about the shooting from the radio or someone (our father?) called us. We turned on the TV and watched the coverage, every now and then running outside and peering at the Tower with binoculars. But we were too far away to really see anything.

We tried calling my mother at her office, but we couldn't get through; the phone circuits were jammed. I think my father finally reached her about the time Whitman was killed. She was fine, although a student was hit in the hall outside her office by a bullet Whitman had fired through a glass door. The bullet ricocheted off the wall and hit the young man, injuring him. A few minutes before, Mother had gone into the hall and told the group of people staring up at the tower through the plate glass windows and door that, if they could see the Tower, the shooter could see them. She was right.

These days, mass shootings are just one of many terrible tragedies. They no longer shock us. So it's hard to imagine how inconceivable the idea of someone shooting people from the Tower was in 1966. It was the first mass shooting to occur on a college campus. Whitman shot 45 people and killed 14 that day. It's also hard today to understand the impact it had. For people in Austin at that time, it was like the assassination of President Kennedy. Everyone wanted to know why Whitman had done this, and how it could have happened. The "how" was a lot easier to explain than the "why." Then, as now, we want to make sense out of events like this, but there is no sense to these events.

While I read much of the contemporary newspaper and magazine coverage about the shootings, it took me a long time to want to read this book. I lived through the shootings and their aftermath, and the repercussions were too close to home. But I'm glad that I finally read “A Sniper in the Tower.” It is a well-written portrait of Austin in the mid-1960s. I found the beginning a little slow, when Lavergne is detailing Whitman's troubled family life and the rage and violence exhibited by his father. However, I’ve never been sympathetic to Whitman, so that may be why I didn't care to read much about his background.

Lavergne does a good job of ratcheting up the suspense, especially in the days and hours before and during Whitman's reign of terror from the Tower. He also takes time to explain what happened afterward to some of the victims, to the campus, to Austin, to Whitman's remaining family members, and to the law enforcement officers involved in stopping him. Lavergne also attempts to explain the "why" behind Whitman's actions, though I didn’t find his reasons very compelling or satisfactory.

Next year, on Aug. 1, 2016, it will have been 50 years since Whitman took aim with his 6mm Remington Rifle with a four-power scope and started killing people. If you want a detailed and accurate account of this event, this is the book to read.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched Keith Maitland’s excellent documentary Tower a few months ago, the subject of which is the horrific shootings that occurred on August 1, 1966, where 14 people were killed and at least 31 injured by a lone gunman firing a high-powered rifle from the observation deck of the University of Texas Tower in Austin. Maitland’s film is focused on the stories of the witnesses, heroes, and survivors, and to the best of my recollection there was little if anything at all on the killer (Charles Whitman, an engineering student at UT and former marine) or what caused this seemingly “all American boy” and former eagle scout to murder his wife and mother and then commit America’s first mass school shooting (but tragically far from our last). Lavergne's book does a masterful and meticulous job of examining Whitman’s background as well as describing in chilling detail what unfolded that day. Although on a couple of occasions Lavergne’s prose gets a little carried away for my taste, for the most part his book is a tempered, thorough review the events and evidence, accompanied by a fair and reasonable analysis of what could and could not have been done to prevent this tragedy or could have done to in order to bring it to an end more quickly. For example, Lavergne offers a well-supported defense of the UT psychiatrist that Whitman visited (four months before the shooting), who was excoriated by much of the media when it came to light that Whitman had told the doctor that he was ‘thinking about going up on the tower with a deer rifle and start shooting people'. A very good, gripping (albeit somewhat dispiriting) read.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in Austin this weekend and one of the places we visited was the University of Texas. In particular, I wanted to see the famous tower where Charles Whitman, a 25 year old student, shot and killed or wounded scores of people on August 1, 1966. I remember the event as if it were yesterday, despite there not being 24/7 news back then. This was a big deal, and the newspapers were full of details of the shooter and the shot and the police who cornered and killed Whitman. We walked around the tower and to me it seemed impossible that one man, even with a scoped rifle, could shoot that many people,as well as murdered his wife and mother before his shooting spree. I decided to download a book to read about it - my memory becoming hazy in old age.

Author Gary Lavergne's "A Sniper in the Tower: The Charles Whitman Murders" is a well-written, fairly non-sensational book concentrating on both the personalities and the events of the day. Lavergne examines the life of Charles Whitman and his family, which was, as we say, dysfunctional. But millions of people come from dysfunctional families and they're not up in a tower, "hunting" people below with scoped guns. What caused Whiman to...snap? I'm not sure we'll ever know - the autopsy showed a small brain tumor - and Lavergne tries to answer the questions, but seems as baffled as the rest us would be. He also writes briefly about the victims and a fair amount about the Austin Police response that day. No one was prepared for August 1st in Austin; these shootings have sadly and tragically been upped in number so that today, police and medical units have become pretty good at disaster response. What was inconceivable then has becom common-place today.

Gary Laverne's book has photos in the Kindle version as well as a couple of maps of the area around the Tower. But it's still difficult to picture what truly went on that horrific day in August, 1966.

[Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exhaustive study not only of the murders, but also of the personalities involved and how they were affected by theses tragic events. Lavergne's book accurately depicts the times and the setting, from small towns in Florida and Texas where Whitman and his family were from, to Austin of the 1960's and beyond. Lavergne seems to struggle some, as most do, with what made Whitman act. Was he a sociopath suffering from major depression but saw treatment as a sign of weakness? Was he the victim of abuse and emotional neglect as a youth? Was he affected by the brain tumor discovered during his autopsy? Did he just want to do it? As with most incidents of this nature, the signs were there, but they weren't fully appreciated until after the fact. Whitman knew he had psychological problems but couldn't bring himself to receive treatment; his one visit to the UT medical center foretold of his hostility and of the massacre.

Meanwhile, so many innocent victims, including the police officers who brought an end to the tragedy, were forever impacted. Ramiro Martinez and Houston McCoy bravely went to the tower and fired the shots that killed Whitman, only to endure a lifetime of controversy. Young couples were killed before their lives really began; several braved the shots to assist the wounded. Others were wounded or hid and survived in the searing heat of the Austin summer by remaining still until the events ended. The Austin Police Department learned of the need to prepare for a new threat and SWAT teams were begun nationwide as a result.

Truly a great read on so many fronts and highly recommended for anyone interested in American history, Texas history, true crime or the growth and development of law enforcement.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this incident from when I was a kid, but I was too young and too remote from Austin to really know anything about it. Yet, it is one of those events that became famous for me to the point of cliche - like "going postal". So, to finally read about it in detail (in well-written, well-researched very-readable detail) was very interesting, almost a "wow" moment. I'm really glad I read it.

[C.Ro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a thoughtful, well researched account of the background leading up to the sniper shootings, as well as the actual day of the murders. The timeline was interesting to me and must have taken many bits and pieces to weave together. I, too was there that day, an 18 year old incoming freshman on campus for orientation. One of the policemen he mentions said he was in the doorway of Batts auditorium and 2 bullets narrowly missed him. I had been about to leave the west facing door of Batts Hall when a man in a dark blue uniform (a policeman?) pushed me back with the very large rifle he held across his chest and warned everyone around not to leave the building and to stay away from the windows. It was a horrific and confusing time for everyone associated with the University and indeed the people of Texas. It had not been so very long since President Kennedy and Governor Connolly had been shot in Dallas and many of the state's citizens were ashamed that these events had happened in Texas. Also, I believe the University felt it was helpful to just get on with normal activity and not dwell on the terrible wounds that had been inflicted.
I have recently read "Monday, Monday" by Elizabeth Crook, which is a fictionalized account involving the shootings. At the end of this very good book, she cites Gary Lavergne's historical account as a source for her book. She also used the Texas Monthly 2006 publication on the 40th anniversary of the shootings. All three of these publications are well worth reading if you have an interest in the events of that day.
Mr. Lavergne's book touched me deeply and I believe it enabled me to have a bit of closure that I had been missing. I appreciate his efforts to get to the "facts" and acknowledge interviews and oral accounts when he used them. He presents an honest and unbiased overview without emotion. Many of the things he details were unknown to me (or forgotten). We just couldn't dwell on this obscene chapter in our state and University's history.

[Bill reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles Whitman started out life the son of a prosperous father and devout mother who glowed with pride when Charlie won a $5 prize as the best student in his Latin class. The altar boy and Boy Scout leader joined the Marines at eighteen to escape his domineering father, who frequently beat his three sons and wife. He earned an early discharge from the corps after gambling arrests and married ast twenty-one to the nineteen year-old Kathy Leisner, a fine Methodist young lady. She became a beloved school teacher and Charley drifted from job to job and attended the University of Texas in Austin. His mother finally left his father after years of physical and verbal abuse from her husband. It would prove to be a fatal decision. After midnight on August 1, 1966 her darling young son strangled mom with a rubber hose at her apartment. He left a note saying that now her suffering was over. His wife Kathy would be next. Charley headed home and stabbed his wife through the heart, killing her instantly. The troubled young man then headed for the tower at the U. of Texas with an arsenal of rifles, shotguns and pistols. At 11:48 the Marine sharpshooter mowed down eleven and wounded at least thirty-one others in less than an hour. During the shooting spree, the well armed citizenry of Austin responded with gunfire from the ground. Two police officers who made it to the tower were almost killed by the shots fired from the ground. At 1:24 PM, the lunatic would be put out of his misery by the two cops with a thirty-eight pistol and 12 guage shotgun. An autopsy revealed a brain tumor which has been a cause of controversy for years. Charlie was buried next to his mother in a Catholic cemetery. Photographs in the book show his plaque with St. Joseph and Rosary beads and his mother's with the Virgin Mary and Rosary beads. One of the officers who shot him, Ramiro Martinez said an Act of Contrition as he headed to the top of the buiding in an elevator. Interviewd thirty years later, Martinez had become Texas Ranger. Sniper in the Tower is a well researched book and an excellent read.

[Mary Havens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to walk across campus at UT, in front of the tower, and think how good my day was (even if I was having a hard day) because I was not getting shot at from the tower.
I came to UT in 1998, 32 years after the shootings, with only a pop culture idea of what actually happened. I've never been able to shake that macabre feeling. So it seemed fitting that I should read this book on the 50th anniversary of these terrible events.
Lavergne does an excellent job of researching and giving emotion to all the events, people, everything that happened on that terrible day. I think he gave every person he could find their just due, victims or not. (wasn't everyone a victim?) He presents all angles and I'm grateful he did.
I saw some reviews that said this account was too detailed but, if you were like me, constantly using the Tower shooting as a frame of reference, it filled in all the details. And I'm thankful for that.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, SO interesting. A fascinating read about a very troubled man. Great detail and wonderful coverage of the heroes and the victims. The writing is detailed, covering Whitman's background in just enough detail.

[Lenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

An all American boy, newly married to a decidedly beautiful, intelligent woman decides to kill his mother and wife and as many others as possible.

[Bill FromPA · Rating 4 out of 5]

The early part of the book, telling of Whitman's life prior to his rampage is fairly pedestrian true crime writing - annoyingly avoiding a clear chronological account to recount in close proximity incidents months or years apart. However, once he comes to Whitman's 2 day killing spree, about a third into the book, the account is absolutely riveting - masterly recounting the events of a chaotic hour and a half in a fine balance between clarity and confusion, reflecting both hindsight and the experience of the participants. The post-mortem on Whitman and his attackers covers the three decades between the killings and the writing of the book, but gives little information on the lives of the survivors and bereaved families; Lavergne evidently did not trace most of these victims.

Though the Kennedy assassination is mentioned at several points later in the book, Lavergne never draws an explicit parallel between these two Texas sniper incidents, less than 3 years apart. Whitman is specifically located in a Marine brig in Fort Lejeune at the time of the Kennedy killing, but no account is given of his or his family's reactions. His family was Catholic and his wife a native Texan, so had reason to feel particularly affected by the incident.

An interesting sidelight is a detailed fictional foreshadowing of the Whitman killings in a novel by Ford Clark, Open Square, "published in the early 1960s". Lavergne and investigators at the time could find no evidence that Whitman had read or was even aware of the relatively obscure novel. Lavergne also notes that Whitman and his wife went to a movie the day before the massacre, within 12 hours of his murdering her, but makes no conjecture as to what movie they might have seen or even lists the possible titles, which must have been fairly limited and easily determined given his research into newspaper archives from the time.

It was interesting to pick this up after reading Flannery O'Connor's remarks on writing as a Catholic novelist. While Lavergne goes through a number of factors that were thought to have led to Whitman's actions - a brain tumor, childhood abuse, a feeling of permanent inadequacy - he is forced to conclude that, in the end, Whitman chose evil of his own free will, very similar to the way O'Connor accounts for the violent actions of some of her characters. The book does a good enough job of presenting Whitman's mind to the reader, however, to leave it questionable as to whether this was Whitman's own view. He seems to have actually thought that, in killing his mother and wife he was sparing them a fate literally worse than death, and it seems very possible, as viewed by one of his professors who was particularly close to him, that he intended the evil of his mass shooting to be somehow credited to his father's moral account; Whitman's final letter to his father, intended for posthumous delivery, has never been made public according to the author.

Perhaps irrelevantly (though I'm not certain), the author's emphasis on the 100+ degree heat on the day of the murder and those leading up to it made me think of Alfred Bester's story "Fondly Fahrenheit".

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the summer of 1966, Charles Whitman started a trend that has become all too familiar in American society. From the observation deck of the tower on the University of Texas campus in Austin, he opened fire on random strangers. It was not the first mass shooting in history but it was the first notorious one for Americans, a country that had had relatively low crime rates since the end of the Civil War at that time. Gary M. Lavergne details the whole incident in A Sniper In the Tower: The Charles Whitman Murders. It is a precise and conventional book that contains no surprises.

Lavergne’s account follows the predictable scheme that anyone would expect. It begins with a quick biography of the killer. Whitman’s father was a strict disciplinarian who beat his wife and children. Young Charles learned to shoot guns at an early age and became an expert sharpshooter in the military. He was married, a bit of a bully, and a smart student event though he got mediocre grades in college. When his parents got divorced, something snapped in Charles Whitman, then he went on his killing spree. The second section of the book details the mass shooting and the reaction of those in the immediate area. Reading this section takes longer than the actual event which lasted less than two hours. The final third of the book explains what did and didn’t cause Charles Whitman to commit mass murder. It also ties up some loose ends in the story.

While the first two thirds of the narrative are a straight telling of the steps from birth to crime to death in Charles Whitman’s life, the final third is the part that deserves the most criticism. The post-mortem analysis is detailed, objective, and balanced but some other parts of it read like filler more than anything. This is particularly true of the media-manufactured controversy over which police officer killed Whitman. While this controversy does deserve some mention as part of the story, Lavergne drags it on for far too long to the point where he makes it look even more trivial than it really is. Another annoyance is the cliched statement about how strong and courageous the people of Austin were in this time of trouble. Of course they were, but after reading two or three true crime books this is just what you would expect to hear anyway. It is as if the author has to include that unoriginal statement out of fear that he would be accused of being morbid and sadistic if he didn’t exaggerate his high moral tone. Let’s be honest, though; the true crime audience isn’t interested in the courage of the community because if they were they would be reading books that has that as its central theme. There is no moral high ground here. The theme of this book is a mass shooting and that is what the audience wants to read about. There is no need to pretend otherwise.

Overall, A Sniper In the Tower is standard true crime fare. The author accomplishes what he sets out to do and that is all there is to it. Granted, it is a true crime novel so the literary bar is set pretty low. You wouldn’t read this expecting War and Peace. Lavergne, in his plain and simple journalistic style lays out all the pieces and says precisely what needs to be said. You can draw your own conclusions about what this mass shooting means for yourself and society at large which, in our current time, is doing a terrible job of containing gun violence. You could even say the weekly occurrence of mass shootings in America is a sign that our country has failed. Too many Americans are afraid to look at this issue realistically so the situation will only continue to get worse.

[Tejasian · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 August 1966

It was a very, very hot day that day, yet my step-father and I were working in that heat, somewhere in the vicinity of the old Austin High School building. But then it seemed ever summer in Austin, Texas was blistering.

Much and more, has changed in Texas of my memories. Like it was yesterday, the author takes me back to that terrible day in the history of Austin, Texas.

I recall the Hernandez family, their family owned and operated a shoe repair shop on South 1st. Street. I recall when they brought Alex out during a football pep rally at Wm. B. Travis High School. We lived on W. Milton, a street that dead ended at Bouldin Creek. All the kids in neighborhood spent summers swimming at Gillis Park, near the corner of South 1st and Oltorf. The cool waters of Barton Springs was not a place were blacks could swim.

Austin was a city of definition, even being the most liberal city in Texas. A tiny number blacks lived west of now IH35 and a few south of the river in Bubbaland.

The majority of black folk lived on the East Side (East of present day IH35). I recall only two black policemen working for APD back then. East of IH35 was strictly their jurisdiction! Officer Warren Jones was the black APD officer most feared. He had to be he got very little assistance from the other side of Austin.

We were a small black community in South Austin, clustered between Congress Ave and South 1st. (now called SoCo) Deeper in S. Austin, there was also a freedman’s colony of Kinchonville, on what is now Brodie Lane.

In the past 70 years much has changed in Austin, Texas. Nothing will ever change that will make me forget that day and the day of November 22, 1963. Those days changed Texas, not for the better though.

Great book, great read. I have lived in interesting times.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book interesting for a couple of reasons. First it happened when I was 17 years old so I remember the coverage of it. Of course there wasn't 24 hour news coverage in those days but it was a big event, a mass murder of random strangers. Some of the reasons it frightened people were the randomness of it, the large number of victims and the fact that Charles Whitman appeared to most acquaintances to be an all-American clean cut kid. He had been an Eagle and an honorably discharged Marine, but obviously he carried a dark background along with him. The author does a great job of presenting a balanced approach the character of Whitman and provides background information to the various people involved in the story. One of the things that would never happen today was the police encouraging civilians to get their rifles and assist the police in trying to kill Whitman. Policing was very different in 1966. There was an incredible lack of radios / walkie-talkies which would have allowed the police to coordinate their efforts. Also the police were nowhere near as well armed as they are today. This incident was one of the things that contributed to changing those deficiencies.

[Abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

POPSUGAR 2025: A book mentioned in another book
Read Harder 2025: Read a book based solely on its setting.

I had to take an acting class for my Costume Design degree, and in that class, we turned a Texas Monthly article about the 30th anniversary of the Tower shooting into a performance piece. I played Claire, the woman who was shot through her belly while she was 8 moths pregnant. That was in 2006, and even then, I only had a vague idea about Charles Whitman and the shooting on that hot day in 1966. I had lived in Austin for 4 years, but I've always been from Texas, and still didn't know much about this, the first mass murder at an educational establishment in modern times.

Eighteen years after I took that acting class, I received this book for Christmas. As someone who reads a lot of true crime, this book completed my Austin True Crime Trifecta (Midnight Assassin, Tower Shooting, Yogurt Shop). This book is exactly the kind of true crime book that I like: it was well-researched and cited, but gave every person in the realm of this story a personality and a story and a reason to be in the story. Lavergne does lead the reader to draw a few conclusions, but those conclusions are reasonable and the evidence is well-cited.

This was an excellent read, not what I would call enjoyable, but a telling of an important event in the city that I have called home for over 20 years.

[Daniel Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laverne’s research on Whitman and the events surrounding him is impeccable, as is his prose, together making this a quality read—an especially relevant point considering the acute morosity of the subject matter. Still, I’ll credit an author who is heavy on primary source material any day of the week, and this book has no shortage of that.

The work moves from the realm of first-rate research to the realm of captivatingly descriptive as he recounts several of the multifaceted perspectives that existed during the crux of the story. Lavergne presents each of these vivid accounts in respective sequence, somehow managing to maintain integrity to the timeline of the events that transpired on that ‘hottest day of 1966’ in Houston, Texas.

[Neil Hynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

*WARNING: spoiler in the review. I found the story of the shooting and the shooter quite frightening when I first heard about it. I always asked myself who was this young Charles Whitman. Gary M. Lavergne clears a lot of this up for me. His book is so beautifully written with a clear sense of thought and insight into what was another time that contained a complex character and indeed family. *I wish he had paid Charles Snr for the interview though. I highly recommend anyone looking for a good read to purchase this thoughtful and well researched document of a notorious, culture changing incident in the U.S of A.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been curious about this incident for a while, but arguably there's not really enough information about this 96-minute shooting to fill this over-400 page book.
The shooters motivation remains something of a mystery. The book conveys a young guy in his early 20s having some emotional issues but that you wouldn't expect to drive a person around the bend into mass murder.
There's maybe an interesting parallel with the 2017 Vegas shooting, for which we have not yet discovered any motive.

[Kevin LaBrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look and a snapshot of American history. The author takes the time to stop and introduce you to every single one of this monsters victims which is rare and I found refreshing. I knocked a star off for the authors take on why Whitman did what he did. I wont tell you here, Ill let you be the judge.

[Monjen · Rating 5 out of 5]

True story. Describes how a person changes day by day to a killer mindset. Makes to see to how scary a person can get. I prefer reading this real story book to other fictions, if you think like me go for it.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this book, but apparently I have read something completely different from everyone else. My copy was full of typos and missing punctuation. There was constant repetition, and putting the footnotes at the end of each chapter was totally ridiculous. Full review to come.

[Barbara Maxwell-Dubrinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is wonderful account of the Whitman shootings. Gary Lavergne does a fabulous job of recounting the events of Aug 1, 1966 without prejudice or enhancement. He does extensive research and conducts personal interviews to create an exciting work that you will want to read a second time.

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very straightforward. This book does an excellent job of being interesting w/o being over dramatized.

[Kyle Fortenberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read!

[Steve Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent blow-by-blow account of not only the crime and aftermath, but Whitman's life leading up to it. Lavergne's work here is as good a true crime account as I've read.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an exhaustively researched look at the Whitman murders which occurred on UT campus in the 60s. I’d read a little bit about them. It’s horrifically sad.

[Mary A. Miner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard reality to hear about

Having graduated from ut and walked across the mall looking at the tower my first day there I thought about this event. I didn't know half of what I know now. A sad but informative book

[Michael Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The important theme in this story is the father and son relationship. If you don't believe me it's a fact that Whitman was motivated to do the horrible things he did in part because he hated his father. Now are there any clues to this hatred? Can we find in this author's narrative support for the claim that Whitman, far from being driven to kill because of some brain tumor yet to be diagnosed, knew full well why he was lashing out at the world? The answers are yes and yes.

The Father: "C.A." Whitman, Charles' father, was a successful plumbing contractor and an successful businessman. C.A. grew up an orphan in Savannah, Georgia. He lacked a formal education. He is one of those who "paid their dues" in life, acquiring a Ph.D. in the school hard knocks. Some thought he was an outrageous maniac, with an ego the size of Texas itself. Yet he was a provider. And provide he did, on both counts, discipline and affluence. One amazing confession our author records for us, reads like something from ancient Babylon: "I did on many occasions beat my wife, but I loved her...I do have an awful temper, but my wife was stubborn and we had many clashes over the course of thirty years. I needed to knock her around because she had lip, a big mouth, and it warn't very pretty either." (page 3)

The Son: Charles Whitman did well in high school and married his high school sweetheart. However, once at U. of T. his grades were less than good and he struggled. He was having adjustment issues. So, in order to correct those problems he murdered his wife, his mother, and fourteen strangers who were on the campus during a summer afternoon in 1966.

Those are the lessons. Also watch the excellent film "Tower."

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

...while I was reading this book on the UT Tower shootings in August 1st, 1966, I found myself thinking back on Sandy Hook. There are a few similarities. Both Charles Whitman and Adam Lanza killed their family members before embarking on their massacres. Adam Lanza killed his mother; Charles Whitman killed his wife and mother before holing up in the Tower. After the Tower shootings, and also Sandy Hook, both raised concerns regarding mental health, and firearms.

For myself, looking back at the UT Tower massacre provides some clues and understanding to Sandy Hook. “A Sniper in the Tower” starts with some background on Charles Whitman, his childhood and military service, and the marriage to his wife Kathy Leissner. The bulk of the book, however, deals with the events on August 1st, 1966, when Charles Whitman went up in the Tower, killed 17 and wounded many more.

Fact-based, “A Sniper in the Tower” is meticulously researched. Each chapter contains a number of footnotes, and an index is included in the back. Where the book falls short, however, is some of the speculation on Charles Whitman himself. On page 69, for instance, there is no real way of knowing if accepting money from his father actually tormented him or if it caused uncertainty about himself. Other than that, however, the book contains excellent descriptions of the day of the shootings, the Austin Police Department response, and the aftermath .

Lastly, there is a passage in the prologue that I think is worth repeating, on why it is important not to forget the horrors of that day.

In 1991, twenty-five years after the Charles Whitman murders, Catherine H. Cantieri summed up the danger of trivializing and forgetting the details of such a tragic story:

After twenty-five years and the attendant anniversary requiems, the story looses something. The edges blur, the facts loose meaning, the horror evaporates as it becomes just another media circus brought to you at six and ten by concerned-looking anchors. The salient points, the mean of the story, are tossed aside, although they are the stuff that will make you loose sleep.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard of this tragic event that happened in 1966, but I didn't know much about it. Just that a man had shot a lot of people from the tower on the campus of the University of Texas. Recently I was privaleged to make the aquantance of Claire Wilson James; Charles Whitman's first victim when he began firing from the observation deck. Claire was not the first person Whitman shot that morning, but she was the first after he was in position on the observation deck.

Whitman was an X Marine and an Eagle Scout. He was also an engineering student at the university, and his wife was a high school teacher. Friends and aquaintances all agreed that Charles Whitman was a nice guy; an all American boy.

That fateful day, Aug. 1, 1966, Whitman first killed his mother in her appartmant, and then stabbed his wife to death in their bed. He then packed a footlocker with weapons, amunition and other supplies, and then purchased more amunition at a hardware store before making his way to the Universtiy Tower dressed in blue coveralls, which let him pose as a maintainance man. No one challenged him as he made his way up the tower pushing a handtruck with his footlocker packed with guns and amunition.

On that hot August day, Claire Wilson was 8 months pregnant. Charles Whitman aimed at her stomach and pulled the trigger. Almost immediately Whitman also shot and killed Clair's boyfriend. Claire lay on the sidewalk in the sun for 90 minutes before being rescued. Her baby died and she underwent many painful months of recovery.

The book details Whitman's childhood and family life. The book also tells the heroic story of the police officers and civilians who risked their own lives to rescue those who were injured and also attempted to gain access to the tower to stop Whitman from firing.

I highly recommend this book. I have to say it is somewhat of an weird sensation to be reading this book knowing one of the victims of this tragedy.