Carl J. Eckhardt Jr. never won a Nobel Prize for his work with light, but he started some great University of Texas at Austin traditions. With two UT engineering degrees and a faculty post, Eckhardt became head of the Physical Plant in 1931. That positioned him to supervise construction of the campus' new landmark — the Main Building Tower. Eckhardt devised a lighting system to take advantage of its commanding architecture to announce university achievements. When he implemented the orange lighting of the UT Tower, he demonstrated one of the engineer's chief contributions to society — applying technology for human purposes.

Eckhardt's orange lights first flooded the tower in 1937. In 1947, he helped create guidelines for using the orange lights. A number “1” on all sides highlighted by orange lights signals that the university won a national championship. The full Tower glowing orange alone represents a victory over Texas A&M, Commencement and other occasions the president deems appropriate. The Tower top bathed in orange symbolizes other victories or a conference title in any intercollegiate sport.

On Feb. 2, 2001, President Larry R. Faulkner appointed a committee to recommend a revised set of Tower lighting guidelines, specifically addressing:

• Should the Tower be lit for individual achievements, as well as "group" achievements?
• What should be the level of recognition?
• What should the lighting pattern be for each level of recognition?
• Should the Tower be lit for non-university events?

The committee recommended, and the president approved, the lighting configurations listed and illustrated below. A summary of the philosophy on which the committee based its recommendations also is listed.

Committee Philosophy

• Lighting patterns should distinguish between academic and staff achievements and athletic victories
• Traditional Orange should be displayed for celebration of campus-wide events
• Darkened tower (UT Remembers) should be used only for solemn occasions
• Committee recommends two new lighting configurations:
  White top, Orange shaft
  Top split Orange and White with Orange shaft
• Other lighting options are available

Standard Tower Lighting Configuration: Tower entirely White	Academic and Staff Achievements Configuration: White top with Orange shaft Faculty academic achievements (Academic Convocation) Student academic achievements (Honors Day) Staff achievements (Staff Recognition Day) Academic team achievements with #1 displayed Other events at the President’s discretion	Athletic Achievements Configuration: Orange top with White shaft Football regular season victories, except Texas A&M Non-Bowl Championship Series (BCS) victories Other events at the President’s discretion
Significant Athletic Victories Configuration: Tower entirely Orange Football victories Texas A&M Big 12 South Big 12 Championship Game Big 12 Regular Season Team Championship Big 12 Tournament Championships Student organization sports club national championships	Athletic Championships Configuration: Tower entirely Orange with #1 displayed Football Bowl Championship Series (BCS) 1 vs. 2 win NCAA championships for all other sports	Campus-wide Accolades Configuration: Tower entirely Orange UT’s Birthday – September 15 Commencement Texas Independence Day – March 2 Other campus-wide events at the President’s discretion
Solemn Occasions Configuration: Darkened Tower with White cap and observation deck — all other levels dark, including windows UT Remembers (annual memorial service) Tower Garden Dedication Significant solemn occasions, e.g. Texas A&M Bonfire Tragedy Other occasions at the President’s discretion	Symbolic Campus Events Configuration: Top split Orange and White with Orange shaft Gone to Texas — welcoming new students to campus Other events at the President’s discretion	Special Effects Configuration: Tower with special effects or numbering Special Effects Configuration: Tower with special effects or numbering