This Week in History: An Elaborate (And Noisy) April Fools Prank

Each year, as April 1 rolls around, Princeton students take advantage of the centuries-old April Fools’ Day tradition and play harmless pranks on campus. Students have moved beds into the dining hall, disrupted room draw, and filled McCosh Hall with balloons and condoms. 

But in 1977, student members of WPRB, a Princeton-affiliated broadcasting FM radio station, collaborated with faculty to carry out an especially elaborate prank, convincing students in Holder Hall that bells were ringing in Holder Tower.

The Daily Princetonian reported on the prank on April 4, 1977, detailing how the hoaxers played a recording of bell chimes from four loudspeakers inside Holder Tower, convincing students that bells were actually ringing within the tower. 

To carry out the prank, members of WPRB enlisted the aid of University music professor Walter Nollner and recorded music of a carillon, an organ-like instrument composed of many bells. Sneaking to the top of the tower with a tape and a tape deck through a bolted door that WPRB had sole access to — their studio was located in the basement of Holder Hall at the time — students played the recording from within the historic tower at 9:30 p.m. The cohort went so far as to bolster the prank by sending a fake press release to the ‘Prince’ that announced the donation of a 72-bell carillon valued at over $300,000 by an alumnus who had always wished Holder Tower had a carillon. 

Over the course of the next two nights, organ music continued to play from the tower, captivating students who were fixated on identifying who had managed to enter the tower each night.

The prank was well-received by the community. The ‘Prince’ wrote, “Holder residents seemed generally pleased, if surprised, about the possibility of a carillon in Holder.” 

Robert M. Ellsworth ’80, chief engineer for WPRB and one of the pranksters, took full blame for the hoax, noting that “no one at the station was responsible for it.” After the prank, Ellsworth told the ‘Prince’ that the prank was planned to show "how nice it would be" to have a carillon in Holder Tower.

Despite the prank’s positive reception, Ellsworth and his collaborators were unsuccessful in introducing a real carillon to Rocky College, and the courtyard remains silent today. 

When asked about the possibility of a functioning bell tower, first-year Holder resident Paulette Martinez ’29 told the ‘Prince’ that she imagines that a carillon in the tower could add to the already spirited energy of the courtyard, despite it being a residential college.

Martinez is the Associate Cartoon Editor for The Daily Princetonian.

“I think it would have bettered the atmosphere,” she told the ‘Prince.’ “It’s such a moving area. There’s always people moving. So that sound wouldn't have harmed it.”

“I’ve never been inside of [the tower], so I don’t know what it has,” Martinez added. “But it’s just gorgeous. It’s a staple part of Rocky.”

Today, WPRB’s fun-loving, positive spirit continues to resonate across campus through its daily radio programming, curated by a collection of students and community members. 

WPRB DJ and Director of Publicity and Promotions Monty Oxman ’28 described the vibrant community at WPRB in an interview with the ‘Prince.’

“It’s awesome that [WPRB] is independent from the University, because it feels sort of like an enclave from everything Princeton,” Oxman noted. “Everyone’s just really cool and really excited about music, and so I think it’s a very collaborative, fun environment with a lot of like-minded people.”

When asked if she thought WPRB would be able to pull off such an elaborate prank today, Oxman said, “Yes, definitely, everyone in WPRB is really creative and fun and wants to have fun in that way.” 

In the words of Martinez, “Princeton needs a good laugh once in a while.” Looking back at WPRB’s prank serves as a reminder that Princeton always welcomes a good laugh, and student pranksters are at the ready. 

Isa Mena is a contributing Archivist for the ‘Prince.’ 

Please send any corrections requests to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.