Earl Swingle, a 1931 alumnus, saw the first All Sing and participated in the first Carnicus. His class was the first to sing the “Alma Mater.” He was present for the first Battle for the Beer Keg with Kentucky, unpacked the model that became the Volunteer Statue, and was a student when the torch first became a symbol at UT. He lived on campus in the YMCA Building, where Vic Davis, secretary of the Alumni Association, had his office. Davis was an integral part of formation of traditions at UT, and Swingle, who himself became a UT tradition, was instrumental in establishing the Vic Davis Torchbearer Fund, a scholarship fund. In 1978 Swingle, an employee of Continental Millinery Company in San Francisco, created a UT tie, featuring small torches on a field of navy blue as part of his fund-raising efforts for the Vic Davis/Earl Swingle scholarship for UT seniors who have excelled in the area of campus leadership. The tie was based on a design then used by the Century Club. Swingle sold the ties by mail for a minimum scholarship contribution of $6.50 and $6 to cover cost, and they were sold on campus by the VolShop. He also developed a removable crest, the sales of which increased the fund.
In 1995 Swingle sent President Ronald Reagan one of the ties and suggested he wear it during the rededication of the Statue of Liberty, and Reagan did so—on national television.