Memories

Tradition of pranks keeps campus on its toes

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A modern definition of a prank is ‘a practical joke or mischievous act.’ Whenever alumni gather for reunions, class parties or homecoming celebrations invariably the topic of pranks-practical jokes surfaces and most alumni are able to recall at least one incident or personality that stands out during their years at Western.

One of the most unusual students to attend Western was John Flemming. In 1949 he quite literally acquired a ‘taste’ for glassware and would consume the materials in front of friends and other non-believers. He likened glass to a crunchy breakfast cereal. He once tried to eat vinyl LP records but claimed, “They tasted awful.” Student Mike Banks amused his friends with a perfect imitation of boxer Muhammad Ali. On November 7, 1974 he phoned legendary broadcaster Howard Cosell during ABC’s broadcast of a NFL football game at Pittsburgh. Completely fooled by Banks, Cosell broadcast a poem directed at boxer George Foreman. “Georgy Porgey puddin’ and pie, Devastation punch and heap big thigh, When Georgy Porgy come out to fight, I’m gonna knock him outa sight.”

The 1960 cornerstone laying ceremony for the Josephine Niblett Spencer Law Building almost didn’t happen. Everything was meticulously organized until the 100-pound stone went missing. It was held for ransom for $50 – payable to a local charity. The administration refused payment. Ninety minutes before the ceremony was due to begin it was found lying in a ravine near the present site of University Hospital. Two years earlier the administration had narrowly avoided embarrassment when it was discovered that a Playboy centerfold had been placed over the covered cornerstone of the Spencer Engineering Building moments before the unveiling.

Western’s Engineering Students have acknowledged responsibility for many major pranks across campus and in some cases have paid for damages resulting from these practices. A long-standing target has been the Cronyn Memorial Observatory Dome. Following an incident in the 1960’s when permanent paint was used to create a giant Halloween pumpkin and later removed at great expense, the engineers have since utilized washable products. In 1972, Western police were lured off campus by a bogus call from Spencer Hall and upon returning found a spooky face grinning at them. For one week during the fall of 1962 engineering students loosened the bolts on over 100 toilet seats around campus. Later during a 10-minute raid the seats were removed and used as ransom to get a date for an engineering student with the frosh queen. The following day the students reinstalled all 104 seats. Ingenuity and engineering know-how was employed in 1978 to ‘park’ a car in a stairwell of the Social Sciences Building. However, the earliest recorded credit for an illegally parked car occurred in 1946 when an ancient automobile blocked the entrance to the South Street Medical School.

Perhaps the biggest smile of all came in 1980. On October 28 the clock tower of Middlesex College was transformed into the world’s largest Mickey Mouse watch. Walt Disney would have been proud!

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