A short list of Mr. Livingston's accomplishments:
- Earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart during the Battle of the Bulge in WW2
- Came to UT- Austin in 1949 as a Government professor
- Held many roles on campus, including but not limited to:
- Chair of the Government Department
- Vice-Chancellor of academic programs
- Vice President and Dean of Graduate Studies
- Led the committee and planned the development of the LBJ School of Public Affairs
- Served as acting president in 1992
- And, lastly, how I remember him, was the voice of TEX
For anyone enrolled at UT in the 1990s, you remember all too well the phone calls to the Texas Enrollment Exchange; TEX for short. You knew when your call-in window was and had mapped out perfectly how your upcoming semester would play out; no school on Fridays and no classes before noon! Nailed it.
Unique numbers would all be jotted down in one place so you could access them quickly enough to make it happen and get in before everyone else beat you to it. The problem is, and was, that you weren't always so lucky. That's where Bill Livingston's voice would come into play. He was TEX, and his dulcet tones would guide you through the process.
You see, before the internet took over the world and you could register for classes online, you either had to go to a mass registration center and sign up for classes or, when the technology became available, you could dial-in, using a touchtone phone and make your selections. It was the most nerve-wracking experience one could fathom at 19 years old and probably sleep deprived and potentially half-drunk.
After each selection you punched in, TEX would let you know how successful you were. I can't remember exactly how it went, but it was something along the lines of, "The class you have selected, #####, has(30 second pause - not really, but still) (NOT) been successfully added." Those were your two options, success or failure.
The other fun part was the time constraint on each call. When asked for your next selection or to try again, you had to be ready or else you would get disconnected, all previous progress would be lost and you would be in full-on scramble mode, feverishly trying to reconnect at the same time that thousands of other students were also jamming up the lines. You had to have all back-up plans and follow-up scenarios played out just in case you failed at your first - or second, third, fourth - attempt. It was frantic flipping through the course guide and trying to think on the fly what your advisor had told you that you needed to take.
The most fun part of the call came at the end, whether you were enthused or dejected, TEX always left you with a hearty, "Goodbye, and Good Luck." Even though it was recorded, you felt as if he meant it. (To listen, click the link on the words, I couldn't get the video to load and play here)
I was on the cusp of never knowing TEX. When I started college, many services weren't available online, including class registration. I think it was somewhere around my third year that Eric figured out we could register online, heard my phone call frustration from the next room and told me to try online. I did, found it to be easier and never called TEX again. They retired TEX in 2005, but I bet many after 2001 hardly knew him.
Lifetime Longhorn Richard Hogeda, who happens to be a lifelong friend, former student of my mom, and current mentor to me on my journey through school had a great idea yesterday that Mr Livingston's familiar phrase should be played at every commencement from here to eternity and I couldn't agree more. I plan on seeing if this movement has already been started and, if not, I plan on starting it myself.
Mr Livingston is survived by his wife of 70 years, two sons and daughter-in-laws, two grandsons and four great-grandchildren.
Goodbye and Good Luck, Mr. Livingston, "Til Gabriel blows his horn!"
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