The Great Flag Heist at Whitman College
In a daring midnight operation, twelve freshmen scaled the Memorial Building to plant their class banner on the spire.
The Freshman flag floats in triumph from the spire of the Whitman Memorial building. To the class of 1907 belongs the honor of planting their banner in this heretofore inaccessible place. At midnight, 12 freshmen gathered silently behind the building and brought together ladders, wires, and ropes. Four of the longest ladders in town had been obtained and were lashed together to reach the steep roof. One freshman climbed the ladder with a banner attached to a 20-foot pole, lashing himself to the top of a swaying ladder 120 feet from the ground to hook the banner onto the weather vane. It was perhaps the most daring feat in the history of the college. The 'Deviling Committee' had organized the stunt, and the freshmen spent the night on guard in the tower to protect their prize from the determined sophomores.
“It was a fearfully risky piece of business not only for the climber but for all who assisted him on the steep slippery roof.”
Campus rivalries and elaborate pranks remain a staple of university culture, though modern health and safety regulations would likely prevent such a death-defying climb today. The Whitman Memorial Building still stands as a centerpiece of the campus.
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