To Cornell Law School,
May your conquests always be in the best sense.
Your loving students,
A & S
April 1, 2008
So inscribed 2Ls Austin Rainwater and Sahand Boorboor on the back of a huge portrait of Napoleon which graced the hallowed walls of the Law Library for but a few brief moments on April 1st.
How did this lavish but surprisingly little known prank come to be? I recently spoke with Austin and Sahand to find out.
Back in the fall, one of the law school dean portraits in the Reading Room was removed for cleaning. To Austin and Sahand, a blank canvas ripe for student expression was simultaneously created. They brainstormed possible pranks, inspired by the hit show The Office, but nothing quite fit.
Shortly after winter break, Sahand was surfing the Internet and came across a site with portraits of famous figures. Inspiration struck! Napoleon gazed out from the computer screen with the Code Civil in the background, much like the law school deans gaze from up high upon the students in the Reading Room. He emailed his idea to Austin, who made an executive decision and purchased the largest version available on the spot.
It arrived six weeks later, rolled in a tube and needing desperate help. They took it to a local frame shop to have it mounted. Imagine their surprise when an empty frame perfect for the portrait, belonging to Cornell Law School no less, was sitting in the same shop. They considered adding it to their scheme, but decided prudence was the better course (and better for those ethics requirements, too).
By the time the work was mounted and ready, April 1st was just around the corner. They bided their time, then struck at 2:30 a.m. on the fateful day of fools. Strapping the paper bag wrapped painting to the top of Sahand’s car for transport to the law school, they entered in the stealth of night. Unfortunately, the facilities crew had done too good a job removing the previous portrait and there was no place to hang it. So they leaned it against the wall within the nook, looking forward to the coming day’s excitement. Unfortunately, it was never to be.
Liability adverse administrators (this is a law school after all) quickly removed the portrait at 8 a.m. and transferred it to campus police. What if it fell upon an unsuspecting student, et voila, litigation at Myron Taylor? What if it was stolen from another campus building? Who would do such a thing?! Mystery and speculation reigned amongst the law school staff, although few students knew of the great prank that never quite was. Until now.
Austin and Sahand have expressed some disappointment that their efforts to honor the law school were so easily and quickly foiled. But they made this a generous gift to the library and law school community. Napoleon will reside on a semi-permanent basis in the Reading Room, watching over us all from the Circulation Desk.
Austin will be spending the summer working in Seattle before returning to Cornell for his last year. Sahand will be working in New York City this summer at Allen & Overy, then continuing on to Germany to finish his joint degree through Cornell’s J.D./M.LL.P. program with Humboldt Universität zu Berlin.
We give them our most sincere thanks and best wishes for the future.
Many of you will be staying in Ithaca to work as Research Assistants for faculty this summer. The Law Library provides a Research Orientation just for you shortly after Memorial Day.
Date: Wednesday, May 28
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Place: Room 276
In addition to refreshing your legal research skills, we will let you know about the best ways to work with the library plus the various administrative details you will need to attend to as an RA. Of course, there will be coffee and goodies.
If you are unable to make the May 28 session, please inform Matt Morrison. Until then!
Summer Library Hours
Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Weekends Closed
Summer Reference Hours
Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm