Mascot, sculptures add intrigue to Gorlok U
By: LINDSEY PILCHER
Issue date: 8/18/04 Section: News
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First-year students at Webster no doubt have heard the sales pitches about what makes Webster such a great place. The small class sizes, international community and "individual learning experiences" will all ring a bell even to those who have never stepped foot in an active Webster classroom. What new, and perhaps even old, students may not know is the true oddities and distinctions of Webster, from the architecture and sculptures to that mythical creature we call a Gorlok.
While Webster has capable sports teams, we do not have the fan base of larger schools. The athletic department makes up for its small size with a mythical creature with the paws of a cheetah, horns of a buffalo and the face of a lovable Saint Bernard. It is therefore fast and fierce and oh so dependable.
"We explain the Gorlok in tours," said Matt Schutte, associate director of undergraduate admissions. "The new trophy room downstairs in the University Center has a huge statue of it, so it's a perfect place to explain the mascot's history."
The Gorlok was just an idea until 1988, when he made his debut appearance at a basketball game against St. Louis Christian College. He was a little pudgier and considerably fuzzier than the basketball players, standing at 6'3" and covered in blue fur. The Gorlok, however, being a mythical creature and fast evolving, has shed his blue fur and now dons a blue Webster T-shirt to cover some of his yellow fuzz.
The Journal was instrumental in the development of the mascot. After the name was chosen in 1984, as a combination of a busy Webster intersection, Gore and Lockwood, artists submitted sketches to the paper of what a Gorlok would look like. The winner sent in his picture anonymously, a sketch of a furry horned animal smoking a cigar. Today, the Gorlok does not condone smoking.
Webster University is not just about creating new creatures out of thin air-the campus also has some historical elements. Both the Pearson House and Sam H. Priest house are old residences that were bought by Webster in 1984 and 1989.
