Student Issue, 1979—Volunteer Statue Flame

In May 1979 the Student Senate voted unanimously to request the UT administration to leave the flame of the torch carried by the Volunteer Statue continuously lit. The flame had been extinguished to save money during the Arab oil embargo of 1973 following a student protest of the waste of energy used by the flame in which students roasted marshmallows in the flame and stuck them on the statue. Since 1973 the flame had been lighted only on special occasions. John Crisp, sponsor of the Student Senate bill, told the Daily Beacon: “Without the torch flaming in his hand, the Torchbearer just looks like a green man, draped in towels, with his arm up. He looks like a Right Guard Commercial.” Crisp added, “The torch he holds symbolizes enlightenment. He is supposed to hold the torch aloft so that its shining light can lead others and provide symbolic guidance. But the torch is not burning except on special occasions. This means we get only occasional enlightenment.”