Norman — Zachary “Porky” Mabry

Zachary Mabry, finance sophomore, was the adorable little kid who played Porky in The Little Rascals. He hated pickles, sung the ‘We got a dollar’ song and messed up Alfalfa’s note to Darla. Now, grown up and looking to make a new name for himself, Mabry is attending OU.

But people knowing his name, and who he is, doesn’t bother Mabry.

“I always have the most unique ice breaker!” he says. “Usually I only hear anything about it at the beginning of the year when I’m meeting new people. After that it’s old news.”

As a student, Mabry likes to stay busy. He’s involved in CAC’s University Sing and is a member of Delta Upsilon. He was also part of the President’s Leadership Class last year.

“I don’t think being in the movie has really influenced my choice of jobs or my major,” Mabry says. “My parents made sure I understood how important education was, so I’ve always tried to be a good student.”

Fifteen years ago, Mabry’s parents, on a whim, thought it would be fun to have their son audition for the movie role. Little did they know he would snag the role and forever earn a place in American pop culture.

“It’s like watching home movies, because it has always been a big part of my childhood and there are all sorts of behind-the-scenes stories to go along with each scene,” Mabry says. “Sometimes I come home and my parents are watching it, which is really creepy.”

Despite having the unique claim to fame by acting in The Little Rascals, Mabry says he’d be at OU no matter what. The movie definitely gave him a good story to tell, but the role didn’t define his childhood, or now, his time at OU.

People occasionally ask Mabry to talk about the movie, and they inevitably ask if he still doesn’t like pickles.

“I have to say that I definitely do not like pickles,” Mabry says. “And every now and then people want to hear ‘We got a dollar,’ but it’s always just for fun.”

Post-movie days, Mabry says he couldn’t ask for anything more in life.

“Being a student at OU just ensures me that I have a future that will be even more exciting than my childhood.”

Alisa Tillman

For most students, starting college is like entering a brand new world, one free of high school stigmas and embarrassing childhood nicknames. Essentially, it’s a fresh start.

But that’s not the case for Alisa Tillman, advertising senior. She’s the daughter of Spencer Tillman, the former NFL player and lead analyst for College Football Today on CBS. She came to OU with a name everyone knew because they knew of her father.

Despite this, Alisa has enjoyed her college experience.

“I can usually make a name for myself before they discover who my father is,” she says.

An OU alum himself, Spencer Tillman earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a double major in communication, and she says her father’s career has had a definite influence on Tillman’s career choice.

“That’s the reason why I chose advertising in the journalism area,” Tillman says. “It’s what I grew up around. It was really interesting.”

And just because she’s the daughter of a famous face doesn’t mean she doesn’t pull her own weight. She holds jobs with both the Athletic Department and Oklahoma Memorial Union.

“I’m going to work at something I like,” Tillman says. “I like learning how things work. And you don’t have to do just one thing.”

Tillman doesn’t feel that her father being who is he has influenced her experience at OU. Most professors have expectations of her at first, but then they get to know her and realize she’s on point.

She also doesn’t associate her father with being anyone more than just her father. When asked about how it feels being related to someone so influential, she has to stop and think about who she’s related to that’s influential.

“He’s my dad. He’s just a normal dad,” Tillman says.

Tillman says she has no worries about going through college and making a name for herself outside of her father’s shadow because she was never preoccupied with the fact that her dad is famous.

“I like being a Tillman,” she says. “It’s cool.”

Leah Barbata

“After coming to college, I decided to direct my efforts into making my life unique, but in a more personal way,” says Leah Barbata, international studies junior.

A lofty goal for most people, but even more so for Barbata. She’s the daughter of Johnny Barbata, the drummer for the bands The Turtles, Jefferson Airship and Jefferson Starship and for the song Ohio by Neil Young.

According to Barbata, having a life as unique as her father would be worth living.

“He loves reminiscing about his crazy life — from hanging out with The Beatles, to having screaming girls pulling out his hair attempting to get a memento as he passes or getting a sawed-off shotgun put to his head by a well-known murderer,” Barbata says.

Barbata intends to live around the world, so she can see everything and all that it has to offer.

“Both my parents lived some extraordinary lives,” Barbata says. “They were adventurers of the world and they went where the wild things were. If I could live a tenth of what my parents have seen and experienced, I would say I have lived a full life.”

After coming to OU, Barbata discovered that she can be just another face in the crowd. In the small town of Ada, everyone always knew who she was.

“I usually don’t blab to people about my dad at first because I don’t really like to be defined as Johnny Barbata’s daughter,” Barbata says. “I have my own identity, and even though I am proud that he is my dad, I prefer not to use him a crutch.”

With a life like her father’s, it’s no wonder Leah strives to be as unique. She says she believes a successful life will inspire people to live their dreams, adding she’d like to know that her presence changed at least one person’s life.

Johnny Barbata also put a great emphasis on his daughter receiving a good education, as he never went to college.

By attending the OU, Leah has embarked on the first step of her personally unique life because she is already doing something her father hasn’t. She may not ever play with The Beatles or have a mass mob of fans screaming her name, but Barbata says she’s content to take her own, special path on her life’s journey.

“There are things in life that you will never learn in a classroom, but you will make better decisions in the real world with a firm education at your base,” Barbata says her father taught her.