From the Archives
Can you tell us who’s in the gorilla suit—and why?
You never know what you’re going to find” in the archives, Amanda Troendle (CAS’18) said of her internship at BU’s Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center. The same holds true for the BU photography archives. That’s where Digital Imaging Manager Andrew Costello discovered this photo during his hunt for a political science photo in honor of CAS economist Raymond Fisman’s study on corporate philanthropy as a tool for political influence. The professor in this photo might be costumed as King Kong to make a point about how corporations mow down common folk in pursuit of power—or not. Maybe it’s just his preferred teaching apparel on chilly spring days. We don’t know for certain because the professor’s name on the photo negatives envelope is illegible. All we have to go on is the date—March 22, 1977—and the location, the third floor of 232 Bay State Rd.
That’s why we need your help. Who is this professor, and why is he wearing a gorilla costume? Write to the editor and let us know. And visit the Letters section to see what people had to say about our last photo from the archives, BU’s mysterious “star ball.”