Spec Gammon, who served 19 years as the sports information director at Texas A&M University, passed away peacefully at his College Station home Feb. 15. Gammon, 84, had a short battle with cancer.
Gammon was hired in July of 1963 as the Aggies sports information director. He worked with Aggie football coaches Hank Foldberg, Gene Stallings, Emory Bellard and Tom Wilson. During his time as SID, he helped promote All-Americans such as Bill Hobbs, Maurice Moorman, Steve ONeal, Tommy Maxwell, Rolf Krueger, Dave Elemendorf, Pat Thomas, Garth Ten Naple, Ed Simonini, Lester Hayes, Robert Jackson, Tony Franklin and Jacob Green.
After retiring in the spring of 1982, Gammon continued to be an avid golfer on the courses in the Brazos Valley. One long-time friend commented, You better have more than a stroke on Spec before you hit the 18th hole, he was a great finisher on the course.
Gammon came to Aggieland after serving 13 years as the sports editor of the Odessa American newspaper. Prior to his stint in Odessa, Gammon had worked in sports departments with newspapers in Seminole, Oklahoma, Borger, Amarillo and the valley edition of the San Antonio Express-News.
Born in Coalgate, Okla., Gammon attended Eastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College (currently Eastern Oklahoma State College) prior to entering military service. After a three-year hitch with an armored infantry unit in the Third Army in Europe during World War II, Gammon finished his college work at Oklahoma State University where he received a bachelors degree in journalism.
Gammon was inducted into the Eastern Oklahoma State Hall of Fame in 1994.
Gammon is survived by his lovely wife, Arla, their daughter, Marla Thomas and son-in-law Bob Thomas, son Greg Gammon and his wife, Anjelique, grandchildren Sam and Maggie Thomas and Hallie, Copelan and Braden Gammon.
A memorial service will be held Sunday, Feb. 19 at Christ United Methodist Church at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Brazos Valley Hospice and the Scott and White Foundation are encouraged.