The Gorlok is a mythical and mysterious creature. Much like the Gorlok, the person who portrays the mascot on campus is also a mystery.
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Video by RJ Gallucci
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Currently there are three people that share the Gorlok suit. Justin Barton is in charge of the Mascot here on campus and he and his team of Gorloks are determined to keep to what they call, Mascot Code. Mascot Code is the promise by every person that wears the Gorlok suit to keep it a secret that they are the Gorlok. When Justin is asked who is in the Gorlok suit he answers with, “It’s the spirit of every student here at Webster.”
“I’m the Spirit of Webster! I’m here for support!” – The Gorlok
The Gorlok was created back in 1984 by a committee on campus and Justin believes that, much like the Gorlok, which is a mysterious creature, whoever is in the Gorlok suit should remain a mystery as well. Justin really enjoys being in charge of the Gorlok and takes it extremely serious.
“It keeps the magic alive. If you know who the person is every single time and you see them around campus what fun is that?” – Justin Barton
Justin has a lot of experience with school spirit. Dating all the way back to high school, where as a senior at Hillsboro High School in Missouri, Justin found his passion cheerleading. After graduating high school he went to Jefferson Community College, where at the time there was no cheerleading. Justin took it into his own hands and in 1997, as a student, he created a student run organization for cheerleading. The organization has been a huge success ever since, winning three national championships and has now been upgraded from being an organization to an athletic program. Cheerleading is not the only thing that Justin created at Jefferson though. He also created their beloved Mascot, JC the Viking.
Other than being the handler for the Gorlok here on campus. Justin is the Retention Initiatives Program Coordinator here at Webster. Which fits Justin’s personality and passion perfectly, his job is promoting school spirit and setting up activities like, freshman orientation, to make campus life fun and to make sure Webster University students stay Webster University Students. Along with that, he coaches cheerleading at Ursuline Academy where his team just placed 9th in state.
“It’s a pretty awesome thing to be a Gorlok. Students should be proud to be a Gorlok and come out and support their Gorloks.” – Justin Barton
The paws of a speeding cheetah, the horns of a fierce buffalo and the face of a dependable Saint Bernard, you put all these things together and you get the Webster University Mascot, the Gorlok. The myth of the Gorlok “embodies the highest standards of speed, agility and stamina in an atmosphere of fairness and good conduct.” This is the definition of a Gorlok that you find on the Webster University Athletics website. To find out more about the history of The Gorlok click here
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