'Lighting an Era' Through the Eyes of a Student
December 1, 2010
The longest tradition at Texas Tech will be celebrated again on Dec. 3.
Written by Ioanna Makris
25,000 lights illuminate the Texas Tech campus every December. It is a tradition that has evolved over 52 years into an event that represents the holiday season.
The Carol of Lights began in 1959 with Gene Hemmle who caroled from dorm to dorm with some of his music students. The tradition quickly grew and now students and Lubbock residents line the science quad and Memorial Circle waiting for the lights to be switched on.
Annie Lin, a Texas Tech alumna, is one of the many students who has been attending the festivities since she was a freshman at Texas Tech. Her freshman year she was an observer of the festivities, but when her sophomore year came about she began partaking in the behind-the-scenes work of the Carol of Lights.
Lin joined the Woman's Service Organization and helped build the wreath for the Carol of Lights.
"It helped me see the Carol of Lights in a different way," Lin said.
She continued her involvement with the wreath until she graduated from Texas Tech and she has shared her memories with us.