The long list of pranks pulled by Blair students in honor of Peddie Day could easily fill a book. In the 1940s, students left their mark by painting “BEAT PEDDIE” in large letters on the water tower in the center of campus. Fifty years later, one of the more unusual traditions involved “kidnapping” an administrator on the eve of the big event. In years past, both 15th Head of School T. Chandler Hardwick III and former Dean of Academics Sam Bacon found themselves at the mercy of Blair seniors. 

Then there was the time that Blair students “stole” the four children of English teacher Tom Parauda and “gave them back” during a School Meeting. “That was a lot of fun,” Mr. Parauda recalls good-naturedly. For the safety of Blair’s current faculty children, we won’t delve too deeply in that one knowing it was all in good fun, but Mr. Parauda does have quite the story to tell. 

Another particularly epic prank came courtesy of Edward Tirpack ’13, who, as a student, managed to secure a plane and fly over the Peddie soccer game, dropping rubber chickens onto the field below. 

No accounting of Peddie Day would be complete without the unforgettable story of Vikram Mansharamani ’92, aka “Vinnie Spitoli.” Donning a gray pinstripe suit, black shirt and heavy gold chains, Vikram devised an elaborate scheme to convince Peddie’s Director of Admission, Peter Quinn (who went on to become Head of School), that he was a student in need of a postgraduate year. Under the guise of “Vinnie,” a character straight out of The Sopranos, Vikram scored an interview and, with camera in hand, spent a lovely day touring the Hightstown campus. 

Once back at Blair, Vikram, with the help of a few friends and English teacher Andy Hay, whipped up a mock edition of the Peddie School newspaper. “We printed 1,000 copies, drove down to Peddie the night before Peddie Day and distributed copies to everyone,” he recalls. The paper was packed with photos Vikram had snapped the day of his tour, along with dozens of outrageous articles, including one announcing “Mr. Quinn…to Leave Peddie This January” and a heartfelt goodbye to Mr. Quinn from the one and only “Vinnie Spitoli.” 

In an ironic twist, Vikram even persuaded the good-natured Mr. Quinn to write him a letter of recommendation to the college of his choice. Remarkably, it worked—Vikram got into Yale University, and this legendary prank earned its place in the annals of Blair history.

Blair’s 175-year history is filled with a mix of well-documented facts and time-honored legends passed down through generations. From ghost stories and wartime mishaps to cows mysteriously appearing in dorms, we’ve teamed up with the School's historians and storytellers to uncover some of Blair's most enduring tales. Join us next Monday for the next installment of the Legends & Lore of Blair.