How the Gorlok was born
90 Years of Webster
By: Michelle Oyola
Issue date: 5/4/06 Section: News
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The Gorlok, the cheetah-buffalo-Saint Bernard mascot of Webster University, has a dark history. Its name has been ridiculed through the decades, and its cuddly, sunshine yellow appearance began as nothing more than a joke.
The name Gorlok and its form as it is known today were casually decided upon in the 1980s, when Webster was much different than it is today.
"Webster had a reputation of being a fine arts school or an evening degree completion program," said Niel DeVasto, Webster director. Many other schools looked down on Webster for being a "diploma mill" back then. There were only 85 full-time freshmen in the fall of 1984, and 45 of them were theater majors, DeVasto said.
In 1984, DeVasto began to carve out the university's athletic department. DeVasto served as the campus athletic director at the time. It was believed that having an athletic department would boost Webster's image as a full-service university, DeVasto said.
In the spring of 1984, a committee of students and faculty members came together to pick a name for the mascot of the fledgling sports program. DeVasto said Neil George, executive vice president, was the first to mention the name "Gorlok." George then served as the academic dean. The word "Gorlok" comes from two streets that intersect in the heart of old Webster, Gore and Lockwood Avenues, DeVasto said.
From the beginning, many students objected to the name. A letter to the editor ran in The Journal early in the fall of 1984, complaining about the nonsense word "Gorlok" and begging for the mascot to be changed to the Webster Pigeons. However, the word stuck, but no one knew what a Gorlok was exactly.
A contest ran in the Oct. 4, 1984 issue of The Journal. Students were asked to submit a description of a "Gorlok," and prizes were offered to the top three entries.. The student journalists poked fun at the mascot in the contest entry form, suggesting that "Gorlok" was actually a brand of toothpaste.
The name Gorlok and its form as it is known today were casually decided upon in the 1980s, when Webster was much different than it is today.
"Webster had a reputation of being a fine arts school or an evening degree completion program," said Niel DeVasto, Webster director. Many other schools looked down on Webster for being a "diploma mill" back then. There were only 85 full-time freshmen in the fall of 1984, and 45 of them were theater majors, DeVasto said.
In 1984, DeVasto began to carve out the university's athletic department. DeVasto served as the campus athletic director at the time. It was believed that having an athletic department would boost Webster's image as a full-service university, DeVasto said.
In the spring of 1984, a committee of students and faculty members came together to pick a name for the mascot of the fledgling sports program. DeVasto said Neil George, executive vice president, was the first to mention the name "Gorlok." George then served as the academic dean. The word "Gorlok" comes from two streets that intersect in the heart of old Webster, Gore and Lockwood Avenues, DeVasto said.
From the beginning, many students objected to the name. A letter to the editor ran in The Journal early in the fall of 1984, complaining about the nonsense word "Gorlok" and begging for the mascot to be changed to the Webster Pigeons. However, the word stuck, but no one knew what a Gorlok was exactly.
A contest ran in the Oct. 4, 1984 issue of The Journal. Students were asked to submit a description of a "Gorlok," and prizes were offered to the top three entries.. The student journalists poked fun at the mascot in the contest entry form, suggesting that "Gorlok" was actually a brand of toothpaste.
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