CRAIG CONLEY (Prof. Oddfellow) is recognized by Encarta as “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation.” He has been called a “language fanatic” by Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams, a “cult hero” by Publisher’s Weekly, a “monk for the modern age” by George Parker, and “a true Renaissance man of the modern era, diving headfirst into comprehensive, open-minded study of realms obscured or merely obscure” by Clint Marsh. An eccentric scholar, Conley’s ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the “virtual pet” in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular “Tamagotchi” in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Conley’s website is OneLetterWords.com.
By the time he signs his message, Colonel Jambuel Q. Stoopalaya is transformed into Col. Lemuel Q. Stoopnagle. We also appreciate the references to Mr. F. R. Q. J. H. Feltoph Randus and to the dose of bromo-seltzer named Herman. From Tulane's 1933 yearbook.
We thought this mild oath, "Judas' cats," was one we'd somehow missed along the way, but a search indicates that it's extraordinarily rare. From the University of Western Ontario's 1930 yearbook.