‘Flaming W’ to be built on mountainside above Weber State
Apr 5, 2024, 11:20 AM | Updated: Jun 28, 2024, 4:15 pm
Weber State University “Lights the W” on the hillside above the Ogden campus in honor of the Class of 2020 on April 24, 2020.
OGDEN — Weber State University’s “W” on the mountain will be getting a glow-up — if they can raise $500,000.
According to a release from the university, the previous electric W was lit on Mount Ogden during homecoming week. Now the university is working to place a permanent, solar-powered “W” in its place.
The flaming W is a reference to the stylized W within the university shield and will be lit up with Weber State colors: white and purple bulbs.
It will be lit for university events such as athletic wins, Founders Day, homecoming, and commencement.
“There have long been attempts to put a permanent W on the mountainside,” WSU President Brad Mortensen said. “The temporary one has been a source of pride for our Wildcats and the community, and the new one will only amplify that school spirit. Not only are we modernizing a tradition at Weber, but it’s also going to contribute electricity back to the grid.”
The first W on the mountain was literally a “flaming” W since it was lit with 100 cans of kerosene in 1937.
In 1979, J. Farrell Shepherd and university electrician Lynn Kraaima made the much-safer electric W.
Construction on the new W will begin summer 2024.
The university said the majority of the funding has been secured, however, they continue working to raise the remaining $500,000 in hopes of completing the new flaming W by homecoming in October.
Those interested in donating to the project can give here.
