A beacon of Texan pride: Lighting of the Smokestack

BY KELLAN BYARS

Multimedia Journalist

When the smokestack glows purple, Tarleton comes alive.

The Lighting of the Smokestack is more than just a flash of color against the Stephenville sky. It signals the start of homecoming and marks one of Tarleton State University’s most recognized traditions.

Each year, students, alumni and community members gather to watch the familiar tower glow purple against the night sky, ushering in a week dedicated to spirit, pride and tradition.

That light means something different to everyone watching, but the feeling is the same: pride, belonging and the shared heartbeat of being a Texan.

Freshman Sadie Crabill, a criminal justice and cybersecurity major, felt it for the first time this year.

“It was really exciting, and everyone was just so happy to be there,” Crabill said.

For Crabill and many other students, homecoming is more than just a Tarleton tradition. It’s a rite of passage.

“It means being on a diverse campus with people that you can always find interesting,” Crabill said of what the beloved week represents.

That sense of family is what the lighting of the smokestack is at its core – a visual reminder that Tarleton’s strength isn’t just in its history but in the people who carry it forward.

The smokestack itself has been a landmark for generations. It stands tall above campus, once part of the university’s original power plant, now transformed into a glowing symbol of pride. Lighting it purple before homecoming began as a simple nod to school spirit. Today, it’s the unofficial start of one of the most anticipated weeks of the year.

Each October, Tarleton’s traditions take over campus, from the lighting to the bonfire, the parade, and finally, the football game. The smokestack remains the first spark, the one that gathers everyone in one place and reminds them why they came here.

For alumni, the sight of the smokestack lighting up purple brings back memories of their own time at Tarleton. Many return for homecoming each year, walking the same brick paths and reliving the energy that once filled their college days.

The tradition links generations together – current students celebrating the same pride their predecessors felt. It’s one of the few moments on campus when time feels like it stands still, connecting the Tarleton of today to the one built decades ago.

Christopher Dommert, a senior and Plowboy at Tarleton, described this eventful week in one word.

“Energetic,” Dommert said. “When the smokestack lights up purple, the air is filled with a sense of pride and energy. Everybody’s happy to see it happen.”

For students new to Tarleton, homecoming can be overwhelming with all the events, traditions and names to remember. But the lighting gives everyone something simple to share.

Whether it’s your first semester or your last, standing in that crowd as the smokestack glows purple feels like being part of something bigger.

“You always feel like you have a family here,” Crabill explained.

For upperclassmen, the lighting brings back memories of their own first homecoming and finding their place, their people and their pride. For freshmen like Crabill, it’s the beginning of a story they’ll tell for years.

At its root, the smokestack’s glow reflects something larger than the week itself. It’s a reflection of what being a Texan means, and if you ask a dozen students, you’ll get a dozen different answers, but the words tend to sound the same: pride, integrity, respect, family.

For some, it’s about the legacy of those who came before. For others, it’s about creating a new one.

“Being a Texan means having integrity and respect,” Crabill said. “It means being part of something where you always have people around you who care.”

For Donmert, it’s rooted in the past but alive in the present.

“Tradition, pride, spirit – that’s what it’s all about,” Donmert said.

And that’s exactly what the smokestack captures – a tradition that looks forward while honoring where Tarleton came from.

Each year, as new Texans arrive on campus, the tradition continues to grow. What started as a simple gesture of school pride has become a defining part of Tarleton’s identity.

Even as the university expands and new buildings rise, the smokestack remains one of the few constants and a visible reminder of where Tarleton came from and the pride that continues to drive it forward.

Students hold up their phones with their arms around friends and look toward the tower that’s   part of Tarleton’s skyline for decades.

As the glow settles across campus, it paints every building, every face, in the same color. One that says, “We belong here.”

At Tarleton, that single beam of purple is more than a light. It’s a symbol that continues Tarleton’s most important traditions and its glowing future ahead.