Vogue Fashion, TJ Maxx Macarons, and witty sarcasm come to mind when Hailey Glover and Teddi Pope remember their friend Chandler Brock Kuck. “He [Kuck] was one of the smartest students on campus,” Glover said. Pope added, “he just had a different way of showing people who he really was, and there was something special about that.”
On Nov. 27, Kuck was on his way home from Albany when his vehicle lost control on the road. Family and friends of Brock were notified that he didn’t survive the crash. Posts started flooding in on Kuck’s Facebook page after a family member posted the devasting news. Mary Harper, English and Communications Lecturer at ABAC posted on Kuck’s timeline saying, “Chandler Kuck was one of those students who you only meet once maybe twice in your career.” Kuck studied a track in history and political science, and faculty from the rural studies program adored his presence in the classroom.
Kuck was a key role to most class discussions in the upper-level history classes he took. If the classroom fell silent after a professor asked a question, Kuck was always there to save the class with a well-thought-out response. “He would legit be the only student answering the questions some days, and when he wasn’t in class, we really had to pick up a lot of his slack,” said Pope.
Kuck was known for walking into class with a fashion magazine. His favorite magazine was Vogue. Fashion was one of Brock’s interests growing up. “He always would look at everyone’s outfit and judged people’s wardrobe choices,” said Pope. “Not in a mean way, however, he couldn’t help that he had an eye for what looks good and what doesn’t.” Kuck liked wearing colorful shirts with different patterns and he wore loafers daily.
It didn’t take long for teachers at ABAC to realize Kuck’s intelligence when he registered for classes. He would come to school with a bag filled with books, but he never purchased the books required for a class. Kuck was an avid reader and a true history lover. “He was filled with random facts that you would think weren’t relevant,” Glover remembered. “It was funny because every time he [Kuck] hit us with a random fact, it always came up later in a class discussion.”
Kuck went on a class trip to the Swan House in Atlanta with Elizabeth Medley, Assistant Professor of History and Political Science. The Swan House is a 1,000,000 square ft. mansion located in Buckhead once belonging to Edward Inman, a wealthy cotton broker in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The house was acquired by the Atlanta Historical Society and serves as part of the Atlanta History Center. The first time Brock ever visited the Swan House, he fell in love with the design and its historical furniture and decorations. “He never stopped talking about the Swan House after that field trip,” remembered Pope.
The ABAC atmosphere gave Kuck a place where he was surrounded by intellectual people and a place where he could be himself. He kept his ABAC friends separate from his family and hometown friends. “There was never anything wrong with Chandler keeping us separate,” said Pope. “He had to act differently around his family than us. Would you act the same around your best friend as you would around somebody like your father?” Kuck was able to better discover himself emotionally and politically during his time at ABAC.
Anybody that knew Kuck well, knew that he enjoyed discussing politics. His political views didn’t always align with his family’s, but he didn’t hide his beliefs. Kuck formed his political opinions from constantly reading at a young age. He did his own studying without a teacher assigning homework. Kuck had a desire to learn and a love for education.
Macarons were a favorite snack for Kuck. He routinely stopped at TJ Maxx to purchase them. “We would just be sitting there hanging out and out of nowhere Chandler just pulls out a sleeve of macarons from TJ Maxx,” Glover said. Glover and Pope had a long laugh after remembering the day they found champagne flavored macarons at a store. What started off sounding like a great combination of flavor turned out to be unappealing after the friends tried the unique tasting dessert.
Kuck is remembered on campus for his brilliance and his eccentric personality. Glover and Pope agreed that it’s best to focus on all the positives from Kuck’s life. “Instead of feeling sad, we need to remember the fun times and the things we learned hanging out with Chandler,” said Pope. Kuck is dearly loved and missed by his family and friends.
