Matt McGrory

This isn’t an actual letter, rather it’s a suggestion to The Quad. An alum that attended WCU while I was a student back in the mid-nineties passed away recently and I thought it would be fitting for The Quad to do a piece on him. His name was Matt McGrory and he graduated with his degree in Criminal Justice in 1996. I didn’t know Matt personally but will forever remember the image of him walking about campus. He was 2ft tall at birth and grew to a height of 7’6″. For those who didn’t know Matt, he was listed in the Guiness Book of World Records for having the world’s largest feet (size 29 1/2) and his incredible size led to a bit of fame and fortune. He was interviewed by Howard Stern; appeared as the giant on the HBO series, Carnivale; and landed various movie roles. He played Human Sasquatch in Bubble Boy and Karl, the misunderstood giant, in Big Fish (directed by Tim Burton). Because of the various health problems that arose from his considerable height, Matt was not expected to live long past his 25th birthday. Matt lived seven years longer than anyone expected. He passed away on August 9th at the age of 32.