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conflicts. He even flew 12 missions in a B-17 bomber over Europe in the 8th Air Force until a Georgia Tech graduate was promoted to operations officer and put the kibosh on his service. Burdell wed the fictional Agnes Scott student Ramona Cartwright in 1958, served on the board of directors for Mad magazine, and was nearly voted the 2001 Time Person of the Year before the magazine removed him from consideration. Barack Obama even did his part to further the myth. While giving a speech at the school in 2015, he began “Now, I understand George P. Burdell was supposed to introduce me today — but nobody could find him!” The only thing more impressive than Mr. Burdell’s abundant achievements is his fans’ dedication to keeping him alive. You may think your buddies’ inside jokes are long- running — this one practically willed a human into existence.
Somehow, despite the fact that Mr. Burdell never once attended a day of class, he managed to secure his B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1930. Soon after, he continued on to his master’s degree. At some point, George P. Burdell morphed from an elaborate practical joke into a bona fide legend with countless copycat pranks to his name. One of the most famous came early on, when a truckload of furniture arrived “collect on delivery” to a Georgia Tech fraternity, addressed to one George P. Burdell. Apparently, a freshman had felt snubbed by the frat and decided to get even. Burdell was continually enrolled in the school by loyal fans for decades. In 1969, Georgia Tech computerized the registration process, but intrepid hackers found a way to enroll him in every single class offered at the school that quarter. The man was unstoppable. Members of the armed forces carried on the Burdell hoax, and Private Burdell began to appear all over the world in dozens of
or during football games. Even in his ripe old age, he still has time to be the production assistant on “South Park” and read thousands upon thousands of magazines during his spare moments. Wherever he is, we can only wish him well and hope that all the would-be pranksters out there take a note fromWilliam Edgar Smith’s playbook this April Fools’ Day. After all, if you’re truly dedicated to your craft, what’s 70-plus years?
Today, people always seem to be on the lookout for Burdell, paging him at the airport
The Art Behind the Macabre Business The Bright Side of Dark Tourism
and the type of cash flow they produce —but it trickles down to the ticket sellers, tour guides, and T-shirt salesmen on street corners.
People have always been fascinated by the strange and macabre, as is evident by popular Netflix documentaries, true crime podcasts, and horror novels. Fromwatching public executions throughout history to visiting famous death sites, humans have been curious about the morbid and the taboo, always looking to catch a glimpse of something that takes us away from the doldrums of our sheltered lives. But where some may see suffering, exploitation, or ill-advised curiosity, others see dollar signs. And “dark tourism”keeps the cash rolling in. “Dark tourism”is an umbrella term used to describe people visiting and migrating to certain areas because of a titular dark event that took place there. Sites like the scene of Princess Diana’s car crash in Paris or serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s apartment in Milwaukee attract thousands of visitors each year, who all contribute to the pot in some way. Not only does this type of travel benefit the city — think of Paris’world-famous catacombs
It’s not just goths and devil worshippers paying homage either. People from all walks of life find themselves drawn to these sites. Professor Lennon from Glasgow Caledonian University in London, who helped coin the term“dark tourism,”says that the phenomenon stems from humans being“motivated by a desire for actual or symbolic encounters with death.”People have been profiting from the misfortune of others since the beginning of time, and the margins are steep. It’s pretty cheap to conduct research in a public library, it costs next to nothing to print out pictures to commemorate a horrible tragedy, and it’s free to stand on a sidewalk.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and where there’s heartache, there’s business.
2 • marclopezlaw.com
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