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Professor Joseph Boskin, Humor Expert, and the Great April Fools’ Day Hoax
In March 1983, a public relations representative from Boston University contacted Joseph Boskin, a history professor specializing in humor, seeking information about the origins of April Fools’ Day. What began as a facetious response from Professor Boskin unexpectedly escalated into a widely circulated, elaborate April Fools’ prank that would follow him throughout his career and even involve an Associated Press reporter, culminating in a memorable coconut cream pie encounter. This incident became one of the most peculiar episodes linked to April Fools’ Day.
The Genesis of a Prank
Professor Boskin, who passed away on February 16 at the age of 95 in a Lincoln, Massachusetts hospice facility, jokingly told the university official that he had extensively researched April Fools’ Day. To his astonishment, Boston University issued a press release presenting him as a leading authority on the subject.
Shortly after the release, Fred Bayles, a reporter with the Associated Press, requested an interview with Professor Boskin. Unreachable initially as he was en route to Los Angeles to interview Norman Lear for a forthcoming book, Professor Boskin was met with a page over the airport intercom upon landing – it was the B.U. public relations office.
“I confessed, ‘You know, I was just kidding,’” Professor Boskin later recounted to The Christian Science Monitor. “I protested, saying I couldn’t proceed. She insisted, ‘Oh no, you must call him.’”
Upon connecting with Mr. Bayles, Professor Boskin admitted his lack of knowledge regarding the true beginnings of April Fools’ Day.
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Crafting a Fictitious History
Mr. Bayles recalled his initial reaction: “As a young, enthusiastic reporter, I recognized the potential for a compelling national story, assuming his reluctance was mere modesty. I was mistaken; shyness was not the issue. Like any persistent journalist, I pressed forward.”
Embracing the spirit of April Fools’ Day, Professor Boskin relented and fabricated a narrative about Constantine, the Roman emperor. He described how court jesters convinced Constantine they could govern more effectively. Amused, Constantine appointed a jester named Kugel as a one-day ruler who then decreed April 1st an annual celebration of absurdity.
“I anticipated he would understand the fabrication,” Professor Boskin disclosed to BU Today, a university publication. “Instead, he inquired about the spelling of ‘Kugel’.”
On April Fools’ Day, Mr. Bayles’s article, detailing this fabricated origin, appeared in newspapers globally.
“In a sense, it was a day with serious undertones,” Professor Boskin was quoted in the article. “Historically, jesters were truly wise individuals. Their role was to offer humorous perspectives.”
The Unraveling and Aftermath
Two weeks later, Professor Boskin revealed the prank to his class. A student journalist in the class, recognizing a significant story, contacted The Associated Press for comment. Mr. Bayles discovered the truth, leading to considerable professional distress.
“I believed my career was finished,” Mr. Bayles stated. “It was absolutely devastating.”
The A.P. subsequently published an article about the incident, including a statement from a Boston University spokesperson: “We regret that a story intended to be humorous has become devoid of humor.”
Professor Boskin, however, maintained he had acted innocently.
“I invented the story because it aligned with the essence of April Fools’ Day,” he explained, “and I fail to comprehend the ensuing commotion.”
However, the account did not conclude there.
Life Beyond the Prank
Born on August 10, 1929, in Brooklyn, Joseph Boskin was the son of Abraham and Diana (Geyer) Boskin. His father worked as a plumber.
After graduating from the State University of New York at Oswego in 1951, he joined the Army, serving as a historian for a top-secret scientific expedition in Greenland. Having a fear of heights, his time was spent largely avoiding H-13 helicopters.
“While exhilarating for some, the airborne thrill was not for me,” he penned in his memoir, “Corporal Boskin’s Cold Cold War: A Comical Journey” (2011). “I was content defending my nation as a ground-based historian.”
Following his military service, he obtained a master’s degree in history from New York University and a doctorate from the University of Minnesota in 1959.
Professor Boskin conducted research on race relations while teaching at the University of Southern California in the early 1960s. Joining Boston University in 1969, he began instructing on humor and authored scholarly articles such as “Humor in the Civil Rights Movement” and “Black Humor: The Renaissance of Laughter.”
After The Associated Press exposed the April Fools’ Day hoax, Professor Boskin, and Mr. Bayles, anticipated the story’s obscurity. However, every April 1st, reporters sought interviews. Mr. Bayles consistently declined, while Professor Boskin often accepted.
“It felt like he was relishing it,” Mr. Bayles remarked.
Reunion and Revenge ( averted )
In 2004, Mr. Bayles became part of Boston University’s journalism department – an ironic twist. Differing recollections on initial contact led them to eventually agree to a lunch meeting at the university faculty club.
Prior to their meeting, Mr. Bayles recounted buying a pie at a supermarket, intending to pie his former adversary. “Given his affinity for humor, I thought I’d reciprocate,” Mr. Bayles explained. “I dedicated considerable time to selecting the funniest pie. Lemon meringue was considered, but I opted for coconut cream.”
During their conversation, progressing from small talk to the Constantine and Kugel story, Mr. Bayles, pie concealed in his backpack, disclosed his feelings of ongoing betrayal. Professor Boskin responded that he equally felt unfairly labeled a liar.
“His expression turned genuinely somber,” Mr. Bayles noted. “I was taken aback, realizing this had also been a source of torment for him.”
He refrained from using the pie and instead ate it back in his office.
Legacy and a Daughter’s Perspective
Professor Boskin’s marriage to Claire Greenberg in 1955 ended in divorce. He is survived by his longtime partner, Charlene O’Connor; daughters Julie Scott, Lori Boyle, and Deborah Boskin; three grandchildren; and a brother, Melvin.
The narrative of the professor and the reporter extended beyond their reconciliation lunch.
Mr. Bayles’s daughter, Cara, also became a journalist. Familiar with the anecdote, she believed it merited retelling, emailing Professor Boskin for an interview in 2017.
“I would be delighted to meet with you,” he responded, adding, “Life holds unexpected turns, and this is one I could never have foreseen.”
Ms. Bayles remained slightly skeptical about the pie detail’s veracity. She shared her father’s revenge plan with Professor Boskin, inquiring his opinion.
“Even if untrue,” he commented, “it’s a brilliant invention.”