University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

When my wife, Nancy, was pregnant with our first child, I told her I had always admired the name “Charo,” and that if we had a baby girl that was the name I wanted. “Charo DellaContrada.” I was very insistent. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my wife agonized over the possibility of naming our child after this famously curvy Spanish actress/singer. Weeks later when I told Nancy I was only kidding, she was very upset with me. She still gets mad, nine years later, whenever one of her friends or family members mentions the “Charo incident.”

John DellaContrada
Senior Director of Media Relations
University Communications

While I have perpetrated some outrageous things in my life, especially in college and dental school, my “practical joke” career was cut short at an early age when I put an exploding load in my mother’s cigarette. While it was classic in a YouTube sort of way, it was deemed NOT to be funny by those in charge at the time. Although in retrospect, I bet my father enjoyed it.

Gene Pantera
Assistant Dean/Clinical Associate Professor
Department of Periodontics and Endodontics
School of Dental Medicine

Get the phone number of two different 7-Eleven stores. On a phone with conference call capability, dial both and connect them in a conference before anyone at either location answers. Sit back and enjoy! From each of their respective points of view, they have received a call. Hilarity ensues as each clerk tries to figure out why a caller would be offering to help them.

Scott Morris
Associate Vice President
University Human Resources