Lurch

Clarence T. (CT) Gore '69 was known as Lurch. That probably came from his resemblance to the physical and emotional characteristics of the character on the TV series, "The Munsters". He whipped out from either Sheridan, or Arp, Texas, taking Chemical Engineering.

The "CT" was also an accurate description. If you looked up "gung-ho" in some kind of Aggie dictionary, you'd probably find Lurch's picture there. Lurch loved the Cadet Corps, and all its traditions. And when rules got in the way of those traditions, as Lurch understood them, the rules were irrelevant. For example, there was a rule that fish could only work so many hours a day on Bonfire, because they needed to stay focused on academics. Rumor has it that when Lurch was a fish, after a day of working in the cutting area, he'd sneak out of his hole after taps and work on the stack most of the night.

The rules also said that the Corps was optional at A&M, but that didn't keep Lurch from explaining to every non-reg that he encountered that they were lower than a snake's belly. But Lurch reserved a special hatred for female students, known as Maggies. See the memory on Maggies for a couple of examples.

There were also rules against physical hazing. But Lurch believed that since he was hazed as a black-belt, and was man enough to endure it, that it was his duty to give the classes following his the benefit of the experiences that made him what he had become. See the memory on Steam Showers for an example of how he manipulated a couple of our buds into creating a situation that had dire consequences for our entire class.

I often wondered about how Lurch came to room his zip year with Harry Schmidt. There couldn't have been a more complete opposite. Harry was a gentleman, focused on academics, and, as far as I can remember, respectful of the rules. Where Lurch was all bluster, Harry exuded quiet confidence. Where Lurch was devious, Harry was up-front and straightforward. I wonder what happened to them.

John (Yankus) Yantis