Route 66;
Chance encounter leads to marriage,
six decades of combined service to UT
By JENNIFER R. COTE
Laurissa Worley met her future husband
when she nearly ran him over
with her car in a UT parking
lot in 1975.
 Randy
and Laurissa Worley wedding
photo. The couple is retiring
at the end of January after
a combined 66 years of
service at the Physical
Plant.
“I was late for work, so I came speeding
around the corner, and he was in my way. It
all just kind of happened from that,” she
recalls with a laugh, noting that Randy Worley
escaped the incident unharmed.
This chance encounter made a lasting impression,
much the way the Worleys’ combined 66
years of service at the Physical Plant have
left an enduring mark on friends and colleagues
at UT Austin. The couple is retiring at the
end of January.
“If someone has truly made their mark,
as Randy and Laurissa have, you’re gonna
feel their departure,” said C.J. Wiles,
associate director of planning and construction
for the Physical Plant. “But, the campus
will have their mark — what they have
left in the physical and the personal contributions.”
During her 34 years in the Division of Locks
and Keys, Laurissa worked her way from a clerical
job to head of the department. Similarly, Randy — whose
father was an electrical engineer on campus — advanced
throughout his career. He began working as
a welder in the Physical Plant at age 16 while
still in high school, and is now a technical
trades supervisor for planning and construction.
“One of my favorite things is that we’ve
done everything from burying a dead horse at
Paisano Ranch to hanging a chandelier in the
capitol,” Randy said.
He also enjoys the creative aspects of his
work, which have involved such projects as
designing the metal framework for “The
Longhorn,” a 2,800-pound bronze statue
north of the Frank Erwin Center. Worley once
re-welded the horns of the steer, which was
sculpted in 1983 by Duke Sundt, after an attempted
Aggie vandalism.
In 1993 Randy used his creativity and technical
skills to design and build Boovo, the pumpkin-shaped
steer’s head that serves as an entryway
for Longhorn Halloween (an event that provides
a safe environment for children in the UT community
to celebrate Halloween). Boovo breathes smoke
and booms with sound effects from “King
Kong.”
 Randy
and Laurissa Worley pose
in front of ‘The Longhorn,’ a
2,800-pound bronze stature
near the Frank Erwin
Center. Randy helped design
the metal framwork for the
statue and once re-welded
the horns of the steer
after an attempted Aggie
vandalism. The statue
also is near the Alumni Center,
where the Worleys were
married more than 20
years ago. -Photo by Christina
Murrey.
Even though Longhorn Halloween takes place
on a Sunday, Randy volunteers his time to man
Boovo, missing only one Sunday since the event’s
inception. He plans to continue this tradition
after he retires. This year he even went to
Longhorn Halloween on his 29th wedding anniversary.
“Boovo is something that really adds
to the magic of the day for the children,” said
Susan Clagett, associate vice president for
the Office of Relationship Management and University
Events. “The Worleys have such good hearts,
they’ve never been here because they
work here. They’ve been here because
they care. That’s why they’ve done
what they’ve done, and that doesn’t
just leave at the end of January.”
When they do leave UT, “we’re
just going to wing it for a while,” Laurissa
said, adding that the couple hopes to take
up paragliding and get back into their loves
of cycling and water sports.
In addition to taking on projects at their
home and on their 13 acres of land in the hill
country of Kingsland, they plan to travel to
Los Angeles in April and May. There they will
see their daughter, Lee, a classical musician
and UT alumna, receive her Ph.D. from the University
of Southern California.
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