Fisher's and Spangle's Lotteries

Aggies aren't the richest students in Texas, and they are always looking for ways to raise cash for the important things (women, booze, and I can't remember any other priorities.) The two sergebutts who lived next to me our fish year, Doug Fisher and Randy Spangle, hit on a great way to raise money, have fun, and involve women and booze at the same time - lotteries.

For fish, booze was a constant attraction - we were all well under the drinking age of 21 in Texas. So one of the constants in the set of "prizes" in these lotteries was a bottle or a six-pack, or two. You'd think that having women as a lottery prize would be a bit problematical, but this was 1968/69, and the Chicken Ranch was still in full operation. Said to have originally started in 1844 in Austin, after several relocations this house of prostitution was established at the ranch location in LaGrange, Texas, in the winter of 1913. It was part of a rite of passage for generations of South and East Texas boys and men (and a source of income for numerous tu coeds) until crusading Houston TV reporter Marvin Zindler publicized it in the summer of 1973, which led to its closure.

The Chicken Ranch got its name during the depression, when cash was scarce, and the madam, Edna Milton, started accepting chickens as payment for services. There are many stories, legends, and traditions associated with the Chicken Ranch, quite a few of which involve Aggies. In fact, Aggies played a significant role in the Broadway musical and eventual movie about the place, "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas." ZZTop even had a smash hit single with "LaGrange."

When Fisher and Spangle got low on cash, they announced a lottery. They'd figure out how much they needed, select an attractive set of prizes, run the math, price the tickets (sometimes 50 cents, usually $1, but sometimes more), and visit every fish hole selling tickets/chances. They'd usually sell out in a couple of days, hold the lottery drawing, and announce the delivery date for the prizes - usually the following weekend. A typical first prize would be a bottle of booze and an all-expenses paid trip to LaGrange.

Of course, Fisher and Spangle had worked the lottery such that they also made the trip out of the proceeds. Not a bad deal - all they had to do was to buy some booze and gasoline, give out the consolation prizes (usually a bottle or a six-pack), drive the fish who won first prize to LaGrange, pay the madam for three girls, and afterwards drive back to College Station. And they still had enough cash left over to tide them through the next couple of weeks. Then they'd do it again. It was also a pretty good deal for the fish who won any of the prizes - they'd get something very desirable and tough to obtain for a fraction of the actual price. What we now call a classic win-win situation.

John (Yankus) Yantis

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John, you make it sound as if we were participating because of the possible payoff. I don't remember who won the lotteries but I sure never did (I think that is one experience I definitely would remember). But, I seem to remember that I participated more out of coercion - what were the possible repercussions for not participating.

I do remember a blind date that Marcia set up for me when Animal and I went over to Sam Houston State. They were dating then and I was his ride over there. The girl she set me up with from her sorority was nice enough but I just didn't hit it off with her. Apparently, it came out a few weeks later that she worked part-time on the weekends at the "Ranch". I suspect it caused a major uproar in the sorority when they found out one of their members was "entertaining" men at the "Ranch".

Tom (TE) Schoolcraft