TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The University of Arizona is set to kick off another year of homecoming festivities with the annual tradition of lighting A Mountain.
While the yearly event started officially in 2008, the actual act of lighting the 'A' can be traced back to a group of fraternity brothers in 1967.
Sam O’Shaughnessy-Stangel came up with the idea to light the 'A' on homecoming as a fraternity project.
“Every fraternity has got a tradition where they make the pledges do something in their pledge year…..So I decided to take on a pledge project," O’Shaughnessy-Stangel said, "And I, for some reason, decided that ‘A’ mountain up there was an interesting place to tackle”
O’Shaughnessy-Stangel was raised around the construction industry. So he decided to use his background and borrowed and bought equipment to bring the mountain to light.
The fraternity brothers spent two days installing about 70 concrete stakes, 700 feet of electrical wire, 100 sockets that attach to that wire and then, of course, the light bulbs.
“On homecoming weekend night, it was a Saturday night, seven o'clock, we lit up that A and you could not believe how bright it was," said O’Shaughnessy-Stangel.
Though the process may not look exactly the same as it did in the 1960's, a spokesperson for the university says, the celebration has grown into more than just a university event.
“It is about tradition. It's about connecting, right, and how do we build that Tucson community," said Marc Acuña, Senior Director of Alumni and student engagement for Arizona alumni, "How do we bring them into the university—and one great way is lighting that A, right, because you can see it from anywhere in Tucson.”
While his electrical wire and light bulbs aren't used anymore, O’Shaughnessy-Stangel said he is still proud of the legacy.
“It's always nice to leave a legacy. It's always nice to have a nice reputation of being a do-er…… its been a fun ride.”
The official celebration is on Sunday, Oct. 29 from 5-7 p.m. with the 'A' expected to be lit around 6 p.m.
A full list of homecoming festivities can be found on the University's website.
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Blake Phillips is a reporter for KGUN 9. Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Blake grew up in Sierra Vista. During his college tenure at the Missouri School of Journalism, Blake worked for the NBC affiliate KOMU-TV in Columbia. He is excited to return to a place he calls home and give back to the community in which he grew up. Share your story ideas and important issues with Blake by emailing blake.phillips@kgun9.com.
