George P. Burdellwas a pupil enrolled at Georgia Tech in 1927 . He was n’t real , but rather , the result of a practical trick carried out by an actual student , William Edgar Smith . When Smith was take , he was unintentionally send off two registration forms instead of one . Spotting an chance to seize the mean solar day , he filled out both kind — one for himself and one for a animal of his imagination who move by the name of George P. Burdell . The name was taken from the president ( and former UGA football maitre d' ) of the Richmond Academy of Augusta , Ga.—George P. Butler — where Smith pass away to gamy school .
Smith was able-bodied to make the artifice last by enter Burdell in classes and turning in assignments for him ( with some help from friends ) . The elaborate buffoonery lasted all the way to graduation day , when Burdell earn his degree in Mechanical Engineering . Presumably they did n’t take attending back in those days .
Other scholar have fuel the Burdell story to this day . After graduate , he fell 12 missions in aB-17 Bomberin Europe during World War II ( and several wars since ) , served onMADmagazine ’s Board of Directors from 1969 to 1981 , and even register up in the polls forTIMEmagazine ’s “ Person of the Year ” honor in 2001 . The alum is beloved back at schooling , with a Facebookprofileandpagededicated to his legacy , and there ’s even a store in Georgia Tech ’s student centre named " Burdell ’s . " He also has a Georgia Techfaculty page , where he ’s listed as : “ Helluva Engineer and Namesake of the succeeding Burdell Center . ” Burdell is say to have joined the staff in 2005 . His contact information and authority minute are observably absent .
Despite alter technology in registration , bookman have continued to successfully enroll Burdell several multiplication throughout the years , and each year on April 1st , the schooling shake off a natal day solemnization for the “ Spirit of Georgia Tech , ” George P. Burdell .
And to begin with this twelvemonth , even President Obama got in on the action when hespokeat the college — he get down his statement with : “ Now , I translate George P. Burdell was imagine to stick in me today . But nobody could find him . ” That Burdell . So elusive .
