George P. Burdell
Encyclopedia
George P. Burdell is a fictitious student officially enrolled at Georgia Tech
in 1927 as a practical joke
. Since then, he has supposedly received several degrees, served in the military, gotten married, and served on Mad magazine's
Board of Directors, among other accomplishments. Burdell at one point even led the online poll for Time
s 2001 Person of the Year
award. He has evolved into an important and notorious campus tradition; all Georgia Tech students learn about him at orientation.
in Ceramic Engineering
, 1930. Ed conceived the idea for Burdell when he received two Georgia Tech enrollment forms. In a 1977 Atlanta Newspaper interview, Smith said that he originally intended to enroll his ARC (Academy of Richmond County - Augusta, Georgia) high school principal, George P. Butler. He decided against it and changed the last name to Burdell, the maiden name of his best friend's mother.
After enrolling him, Smith signed Burdell up for all the same classes he had. Smith would do all schoolwork twice, changing it slightly to avoid professor
s catching his sham. When he had a test, he would take it twice and then turn it in under both names. By 1930 Burdell had earned his bachelor's, and only a few years later received his master's degree. He became an official alumnus
, even though his name has remained on the active student rolls ever since. In 1930, Burdell was admitted to the ANAK Society
, Georgia Tech's oldest secret society.
One of the first pranks to use Burdell's name came after someone was snubbed by a fraternity
he had intended to join. "That irritated [him]. He went out and ordered a truckload of furniture to be delivered c.o.d. to that fraternity. Of course, the order was made by George P. Burdell."
, George P. Burdell served in the armed forces on many fronts, his name appearing around the world. He was listed on the flight crew of a B-17 bomber, flying twelve missions over Europe with the 8th Air Force in England. However, when a Tech graduate became the new operations officer for the crew, he immediately recognized the name on the flight log, and Burdell's flying days were over.
George P. Burdell and equally fictitious Agnes Scott College
student Ramona Cartwright announced their engagement in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1958, a prank by Agnes Scott's senior class. The 50th wedding anniversary, of "Mr. and Mrs. George P. Burdell from Atlanta," was acknowledged in the September 23, 2006 broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion
.
George P. Burdell was listed on Mad magazine
's Board of Directors from 1969 until 1981. Also, when Time magazine
was attempting to select their Person of the Year
for 2001, George Burdell was the leading candidate (holding at least 57% of the votes) until the magazine removed him from the running. In addition, checks from Kraft Foods
are signed by George. Burdell has even obtained a number of credit cards in his name, and subscribes to myriad magazines and music clubs.
More recently, Burdell has participated in music and politics; George P. is a longstanding staff member of WREK
, the Georgia Tech student radio station, and he played baritone on the 1995 album Jesus Christ Superstar
: A Resurrection, which was made in Atlanta by musicians from the Atlanta alternative scene. In 2000, George was the alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Georgia. Burdell was also a member of the choir of the 2006 album There is a Place. He is also listed in the Faculty and Staff list on Georgia Perimeter College's website. Currently, George's "son," George P. Burdell Junior, is an active proctor for several classes every term. Burdell is also currently listed as a production assistant for the South Park
website, southparkstudios.com.
are introduced to him as one of the greatest alumni to graduate from the school. George P. Burdell is often paged by first year marching band students during football
games and also at airports, bars, and hotels. Georgia Tech students or alumni often use his name as an alias
when they do not want to disclose their real name. There is a store in Georgia Tech's student center named "Burdell's," pictured above. A newspaper recently published in its "community calendar" that Burdell was "unavoidably detained on Friday night and was unable to sit in the Relay for Life
dunking booth. His slide rule
was confiscated by TSA
at the Augusta Airport.".
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
in 1927 as a practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
. Since then, he has supposedly received several degrees, served in the military, gotten married, and served on Mad magazine's
Mad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
Board of Directors, among other accomplishments. Burdell at one point even led the online poll for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
s 2001 Person of the Year
Person of the Year
Person of the Year is an annual issue of the United States newsmagazine Time that features and profiles a person, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year."- History :The tradition of selecting a Man of the Year...
award. He has evolved into an important and notorious campus tradition; all Georgia Tech students learn about him at orientation.
Origins
The credit for George P. Burdell's origins go to William Edgar "Ed" Smith, BSBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Ceramic Engineering
Ceramic engineering
Ceramic engineering is the science and technology of creating objects from inorganic, non-metallic materials. This is done either by the action of heat, or at lower temperatures using precipitation reactions from high purity chemical solutions...
, 1930. Ed conceived the idea for Burdell when he received two Georgia Tech enrollment forms. In a 1977 Atlanta Newspaper interview, Smith said that he originally intended to enroll his ARC (Academy of Richmond County - Augusta, Georgia) high school principal, George P. Butler. He decided against it and changed the last name to Burdell, the maiden name of his best friend's mother.
After enrolling him, Smith signed Burdell up for all the same classes he had. Smith would do all schoolwork twice, changing it slightly to avoid professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
s catching his sham. When he had a test, he would take it twice and then turn it in under both names. By 1930 Burdell had earned his bachelor's, and only a few years later received his master's degree. He became an official alumnus
Alumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
, even though his name has remained on the active student rolls ever since. In 1930, Burdell was admitted to the ANAK Society
ANAK Society
The ANAK Society is the oldest known secret society and honor society at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1908, ANAK's purpose is "to honor outstanding juniors and seniors who have shown both exemplary leadership and a true love for Georgia Tech"...
, Georgia Tech's oldest secret society.
One of the first pranks to use Burdell's name came after someone was snubbed by a fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
he had intended to join. "That irritated [him]. He went out and ordered a truckload of furniture to be delivered c.o.d. to that fraternity. Of course, the order was made by George P. Burdell."
World War II
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, George P. Burdell served in the armed forces on many fronts, his name appearing around the world. He was listed on the flight crew of a B-17 bomber, flying twelve missions over Europe with the 8th Air Force in England. However, when a Tech graduate became the new operations officer for the crew, he immediately recognized the name on the flight log, and Burdell's flying days were over.
George P. Burdell and equally fictitious Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College is a private undergraduate college in the United States. Agnes Scott's campus lies in downtown Decatur, Georgia, nestled inside the perimeter of the bustling metro-Atlanta area....
student Ramona Cartwright announced their engagement in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1958, a prank by Agnes Scott's senior class. The 50th wedding anniversary, of "Mr. and Mrs. George P. Burdell from Atlanta," was acknowledged in the September 23, 2006 broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
.
Postwar career
George P. Burdell is listed as a basketball letterman from 1956 to 1958 in the Georgia Tech Basketball yearbook. In 1969 Georgia Tech computerized its class registration, believing they had successfully found a way to keep George from registering for class that semester. As it turned out, hackers registered him for every class in the Institute that quarter, over 3,000 credit hours. And George did so several times, including in 1975 and 1980.George P. Burdell was listed on Mad magazine
Mad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
's Board of Directors from 1969 until 1981. Also, when Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
was attempting to select their Person of the Year
Person of the Year
Person of the Year is an annual issue of the United States newsmagazine Time that features and profiles a person, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year."- History :The tradition of selecting a Man of the Year...
for 2001, George Burdell was the leading candidate (holding at least 57% of the votes) until the magazine removed him from the running. In addition, checks from Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
are signed by George. Burdell has even obtained a number of credit cards in his name, and subscribes to myriad magazines and music clubs.
More recently, Burdell has participated in music and politics; George P. is a longstanding staff member of WREK
WREK
WREK is the radio station staffed by the students of the Georgia Institute of Technology. It is located at 91.1 MHz and on channel 17 on the Georgia Tech cable TV network, GTCN...
, the Georgia Tech student radio station, and he played baritone on the 1995 album Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
: A Resurrection, which was made in Atlanta by musicians from the Atlanta alternative scene. In 2000, George was the alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Georgia. Burdell was also a member of the choir of the 2006 album There is a Place. He is also listed in the Faculty and Staff list on Georgia Perimeter College's website. Currently, George's "son," George P. Burdell Junior, is an active proctor for several classes every term. Burdell is also currently listed as a production assistant for the South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
website, southparkstudios.com.
Legacy
Burdell is a campus icon, and his name is revered among the students on campus. Incoming freshmenFreshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
are introduced to him as one of the greatest alumni to graduate from the school. George P. Burdell is often paged by first year marching band students during football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
games and also at airports, bars, and hotels. Georgia Tech students or alumni often use his name as an alias
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
when they do not want to disclose their real name. There is a store in Georgia Tech's student center named "Burdell's," pictured above. A newspaper recently published in its "community calendar" that Burdell was "unavoidably detained on Friday night and was unable to sit in the Relay for Life
Relay For Life
Relay For Life is the main volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. Originating in the United States, the Relay For Life event has spread to 21 countries. Relay events are held in local communities, campus universities, military bases, and in cyberspace...
dunking booth. His slide rule
Slide rule
The slide rule, also known colloquially as a slipstick, is a mechanical analog computer. The slide rule is used primarily for multiplication and division, and also for functions such as roots, logarithms and trigonometry, but is not normally used for addition or subtraction.Slide rules come in a...
was confiscated by TSA
Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that exercises authority over the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States....
at the Augusta Airport.".