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.
What do these cats have to do with a yearbook? Well, a tabby named Tom Terrific earned his medical degree in 1972. From Medical College of Virginia's 1972 yearbook.
There is an ancient folk belief that effigies possess souls of their own. The belief isn't baseless. From the University of Rhode Island's yearbook of 1962.
It would be more disturbing to encounter scary clowns in old yearbooks if old yearbooks didn't already frighten us so very much. From William and Mary's 1974 yearbook.
Vague signs ("Don't let it happen," "Unfair," "Hell no!") in a spoof protest over nothing. Then again, what college protest has ever been meaningful or had any effect? From Montclair's 1977 yearbook.
INSTRUCTIONS: Here are three ghosts. Click to see a slightly less ghostly version of the same photo that appeared on the same page. From the Washington and Lee yearbook of 1984.
It's so difficult to empathize with yearbook editors. Not only did these ham-fists mismanage their content and find themselves inexplicably unable to delete blank pages, but they had the audacity to encourage folks left out of the yearbook to draw themselves and their friends in with crayon. (The implication is that if you were left out, your loser friends were left out too.) Offensive. From Monclair's 1977 yearbook. For peace of mind, see How to Hoodoo Hack a Yearbook.
You've heard the expression that someone looks like she "just stepped out of a painting." Here's the first photo we've encountered of the phenomenon in action. From Butler's 1962 yearbook.