OGDEN, Utah, April 4, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Weber State University has announced plans for a permanent “W” on the mountainside overlooking its Ogden campus.
The “Flaming W,” a stylized W within the university shield, is expected to be completed this fall with solar panels to contribute electricity back to the grid, WSU officials announced Wednesday. Construction gets underway this summer.
The W will light up with purple and white bulbs to celebrate special occasions such as homecoming, commencement and athletic home wins.
“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.”
The permanent W also reflects the university’s commitment to sustainability, Mortensen said.
“Not only are we modernizing a tradition at Weber, but it’s also going to contribute electricity back to the grid,” he said.
WSU has been lighting an electric W on the slope of Mount Ogden during homecoming week for the past 45 years. The first “Flaming W” was lit in 1937 with 100 cans of kerosene and burlap sacks as wicks, university officials said.
Various versions of the mountainside “W” were made over the years, including planted bushes, white rocks and other burning objects. Actual burning objects were discontinued after flares started a brush fire in 1957, according to the “Light the W” website.
The safer, electric W became an annual homecoming tradition thanks to J. Farrell Shepherd and university electrician Lynn Kraaima, who established a process in 1979.
University officials say the majority of funding has been secured but another $500,000 is needed to light the W in time for WSU Homecoming 2024 in October.
Anyone interested in supporting the project can donate at give.weber.edu/light-the-w-gifts.
