January 2, 2003 — July 5, 2023

Caring, selfless, geeky and unapologetically himself.
Gregory Angus McFarlane, Jr will be remembered for his immense nerdiness and love for others.
Ever since he was a kid, Angus had been fascinated with space, science and adventure, with many of his passions stemming from his early love of “geek” pop culture, his sister Ella McFarlane said.
Angus loved Star Wars, Doctor Who and Adventure Time, alongside his immense love of building Legos.
“He [had] the most extensive Lego collection that spans over his college apartment and home because all of them can’t fit in one place,” Ella said.
When he was younger, Angus would wear bowties and skate on Heelys, but he never outgrew his quirky fashion style and would often wear graphic tees of his favorite fandoms, Ella said.
“Even when he got older and his style got a little more mature, he still kept some aspect of Doctor Who or Star Wars incorporated,” Ella said. “He just always did what he wanted, what he felt represented himself. He didn’t really conform to social pressures or anything.”
Ella and Angus were born only 15 months apart, which made them grow up very close together, she said. One of Ella’s fondest memories with her brother was to trade watching each other’s favorite TV shows and movies.
“He would watch Barbie movies with me, and I would watch the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series with him,” Ella said.
According to Ella, Angus was very close with his dad, who was heavily involved as a scoutmaster within the Boy Scouts of America. Following in his dad’s footsteps, Angus joined as a scout, consistently attending meetings and troop camping trips.
Throughout his childhood, Angus had numerous family pets, ranging from cats and dogs to a plethora of reptiles, fish, snakes and ferrets, Ella said. From laid-back cats to high-energy dogs, Angus was always patient and loving to all animals, who in turn, loved him.
Classics junior Eliot Kalinov, Angus’ childhood friend since junior high, said Angus was always regarded as the model friend in their group. Kalinov said Angus was always receptive and could almost read his mind from across the room.
Ella said he was proud to be an engineer, and his Aggie Loyalty ran deep for what he loved most: his studies, pets, friends and family.
Despite being a “self-declared two percenter,” Angus worked hard to earn his spot at Texas A&M after transferring into engineering after a year at Blinn, his sister said. However, she doubts he ever attended a football game.
Angus initially wanted to study aerospace engineering, but he was accepted into the nuclear engineering program. However, this wasn’t a problem for him, and Angus fell in love with his major.
Aside from studying and spending time with friends, Angus was dedicated to his position at A&M’s Fuel Cycle & Materials Laboratory.
According to Ella, he was proud but secretive of his work because he signed a non-disclosure agreement. Even his friends, such as Kalinov, didn’t know what he did in the lab. Kalinov said he thought Angus’ playful secrecy made him feel like a spy.
Angus was never known to take the easy way out, Kalinov said, and he always sought to learn.
“Ever since elementary school, he just understood math and science in a way that just didn’t click with other people,” Ella said. “He could be in a calculus class and not even try that hard and be really successful.”
“Once he hit A&M, he found that initiative … He just became such a good student on top of how naturally intelligent he already was,” Ella said.
Angus was known for his straightforward demeanor and was set on always doing the right thing, Ella said.
“It’s so hard whenever you’re talking about these things because when you hear other people talking, you’re like, ‘Oh, that sounds so generic,’” Ella said. “But when it comes to talking about it, it’s just generic. He was very true to his word. He always thought about others before he made choices for himself.”