Of Adam B. Wheeler and how this youthful con man extraordinaire made the world’s greatest university — and others — see red.

This is the story of the world’s greatest university,
rich, secure, inviolate, invulnerable… arrogant… ripe for the
taking.
This is the story of a talented young man, not
merely good at lying, deception, prevarication
and hoodwinkery… but (though connoisseurs of
such matters may cavil)  great.
This is the story of a young man so keen to
have the good things in life that he was willing
to sell his soul to get them… and of parents
who so loved their son that they were willing
to put him in prison to redeem him.
This is the story of the highest university officials
who thought this unthinkable thing could never happen…
and who drank deep from the chalice of
chagrin and public humiliation when it did.
This is the story of peers who, when forced
to confront this tale found that the perpetrator
was cute and desirable… and therefore deserving
of understanding, absolution, and a date.
This is the tale of Adam B. Wheeler. And I
suspect you will find it as riveting as I did
for, verily, it is a true tale of our times and,
therefore, irresistible and completely appalling.
Ole!
Adam B. Wheeler, a boy in a hurry

Adam B. Wheeler, by all accounts, was an average
student, neither good nor bad, outstanding in
no way, prosaic in all. However, such a boy could
dream… and Adam B. Wheeler did so dream… of
a place called Cambridge and a college called
Harvard, where sport the irresistible jeunesse
doree. Adam dreamt… then despaired… for
Harvard looked for the exceptional and Adam
was merely average and hence beneath Harvard’s
notice.
So this average boy took the first extraordinary
decision of his life: he decided to risk all to escape
from the usual, the hackneyed, the average, the
dull, the prosaic. He decided, in short, to  invent
the vehicle that would give him escape; he decided
to craft himself.
Years later, at Adam’s fraud trial, his lawyer Steven
Sussman, Esq. said “There is no answer to why Adam
did this. ” But Mr. Sussman, like so many adults involved
in this case, was wrong. Sussman has forgotten what
it is like to walk high school corridors and be nothing
more than one of a mass, faceless, dull, average,
forgettable. Adam knew that feeling… and, with growing
insistence, was ready to do everything, anything to
rise and get out of this situation… to take his place, however
wrongly, amongst the best and brightest of his generation. The
quickest way to do that, he concluded, was by mastering the
potent and practical arts of the fraudulent presentation, prevarication,
deception.
And so, Adam B. Wheeler commenced, by diligent study,
an ascension of trickery where each step successfully encountered
fueled the next. He submitted a plagiarized school essay and
winning the prize discovered the ease of deceit,
thereby engendering more and greater boldness.
Audacity, he discovered, could be created by successful
deceptions, which also delivered a plethora of benefits — money,
social recognition, the compliments of teachers and peers, the
thrilling feeling that he was “somebody”… and, all important,
further insights into how to rise higher still on his new skills and
expanding confidence. Adam B. Wheeler was moving… so fast that
goals once unimaginable were now within his grasp.
And so he grabbed.
Proud Bowdoin College with its picture-perfect campus gave
Adam a  place by deceit. But Adam wanted, had always wanted more.
For such damnation as he was willing to risk, he demanded the
very best.
So, then, fair Harvard’s turn. Adam, now almost through his
apprenticeship of deft manipulation, doctored his College
Board scores and forged letters of recommendation. These
were panegyrics of such transcendence that in a
more perfect world they would have moved Harvard to
contact him rather than he condescending to contact them.
And so Harvard, confident its summit could not be so
breached, became Adam’s trophy, too… and , with  its welcome
acceptance, gave him, he well knew, life’s ticket to privilege,
deference, and open doors everywhere. It was thrilling, heady…
dangerous because the very ease and extent of success caused
hubris, the most dangerous thing of all.
Adam B. Wheeler became an Icarus with no Daedalus to counsel
and advise. But even Icarus, with such a wise and seasoned
advisor at hand, was so fueled by arrogance and the certainty that
only the young possess, even well-advised Icarus flew too high, too soon, too
close to the sun… and so, his wings melting, plunged into death.
What chance, then, had still-learning Adam B. Wheeler to
know, so soon in life, the virtue of restraint?  Icarus-like, he
chose to fly too fast, too high, eschewing restraint because
constant victories were so exciting and gratifying…and, he had proved,
so easy.
However his fall, inevitable though he never knew it, was, in
the classical tradition, sharp, painful, ironic. Continuing
to want the best, he fabricated a fake straight A Harvard
transcript and aimed to grab a Fulbright or even a Rhodes
scholarship, much desired, achieved by only the elite,
amongst whom he insisted to be.
However, grinning fate was at hand with Adam’s
nemesis.
It was his parents, the good, decent, profoundly
appalled creators of Adam B. Wheeler, his mom and
dad. To save him,  they laid him low, beginning his unravelling
with a call to the chagrined Harvard officials whose
certainty and carelessness had moved Adam so appreciably
forward. They, powered by revenge and sanctimonious
moralizing, happily pounced, determined to end his career
and make sure This Could Never Happen Again. His
Harvard status was rescinded…. his trial ensued. His
conviction inevitable, he plea-bargained, admitting
culpability and accepting restitution for all funds and
prizes falsely won. Prison was avoided but shame was
not. It was the end of Adam B. Wheeler.
Or was it?
In the blog of the Crimson, Harvard’s student
newspaper, another stream was unexpectedly
running. Here the story took another turn, for
many bloggers (not just women either) saw what
“Daniel” saw: “He really is totally adorable. He probably gets
away with half of his shenanigans because people
look into those big blue eyes and see the floppy hair
and think he’s adorable”. Ah, too fetching to be guilty, much
less locked away.
It was, under these circumstances, no doubt wise
of the judge in his sentencing order of December 16, 2010
to prevent Adam from enjoying any financial gains from
his story from books, stage, and screen. It’s sad, though,
for local boy-made-good Matt Damon, who would have done full
justice to this tale of Cambridge, a place he knows so well. However,
no doubt in due time, Adam B. Wheeler will find a way
around this (temporary) obstacle. I hope so, for I long to
see this film.

Six things you can do to ensure constant good service. Hint: tipping isn’t one of them!

How often do you complain about poor service? About
businesses that seem to specialize in gratuitous
irritants and mind-boggling ineptitude in the care
and feeding of worthy customers… like you! Such
commentary in our rude days is voluminous, constant,
and largely pointless. After all, what is to be done
with what is so obviously a general, universal melt-down
and daily deterioration in manners?
Plenty!
That’s why this important article is so important.
Constant complaining won’t do much. However, there
are things you can do every time you visit any business
that’ll ensure constant good service.  Let’s dig in:
1) Smile.
Have you looked at the members of the human comedy
as we (for I include myself) go about the business of
living. Review the faces you see. How many exhibit
such off-putting expressions that would make Ebenezer Scrooge
seem like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm? Answer: a number
that seems to grow by the hour. Indeed, the “get lost;
leave me alone; don’t you dare speak to me” expressions
are so characteristic of our time that the Rolling Stones
hit “I can’t get no satisfaction” should become our
national anthem. That’s why we need to put “smile”
at the top of the list.
Smiling costs nothing and opens a world of
possibilities and easier-going relationships.
Thus, your goal is to proffer a  smile whenever
possible… and, by smiling, motivate the people
around you to return the favor.
2) Always greet people, whenever possible
by name.

People like to be called by their names. This
being the case you have to wonder why more
people haven’t figured out that greeting a person
by their name not only is courteous; it’s a vital
way to ensure good service. So, how do you
get the name?
In many businesses personnel either wear
name tags… or else they often have a name
plaque (like banks).  Make a point of looking
for the name… and then using it. “Good morning,
Betty. You look cheerful today!” In such a simple
beginning is a future replete with good natured
help and assistance from Betty; which is just what
you want.
3) Offer a cheerful remark.
If you want cheer from otherwise morose and
self-centered personnel, make it a point to break
the ice with a positive comment, like the one
above delivered to “Betty”: “You look cheerful today!”
Count on the fact that you will be one of the few
people in contact with this person today who will
be cheerful, upbeat, with a hail-fellow-well-met
attitude. Remember, the run of homo sapiens
will be scowling instead. Thus your remark
is guaranteed to stand out… and get the response
you want, namely regular good service from
someone positioned to assist you, if she would!
4) Look the person you are addressing in the
eye.
The general population moves listlessly through
life eyes cast resolutely down, making a point
to avoid eye or any other contact. This makes it
difficult to secure the best service possible; in
fact, it is a prescription for the exact opposite.
That’s why you must look your potentially helpful
but current unhelpful person in the eyes. Eye
contact is crucial in establishing long-term good
relations and the superior service you desire.
5) Has someone been helpful to you? Tell the
manager or responsible individual before you
leave.
Every day most employees manage to do a
reasonable job. If you want good service from
these people, tell their supervisor that they
were most helpful to you.
Now here’s the key point. Maybe these employees
have been particularly helpful… or perhaps they
are just a tad above horrible. If you want to make
a good impression and open a bridgehead to
better service in future, you will find something
to commend to the person in charge; you will
tell the employees you intend to put in a good
word for them…and you’ll put in that good word
before you leave the business.
Doing it now — and letting the employee know
you’ve done so — marks you as an action
oriented individual… and a person to be remembered
and treated with the kind of respect only a few
holy persons and an occasional monarch get.
A live commendation puts you in this select
society… and gets you the superior service
you desire.
6) Write a congratulatory note or send an email.
In a society as service-challenged as ours, there
ought to be a law ordering congratulatory comments
like those above. Sadly, there is not…which is why
so much good service never gets more than a thank-you
at best.  But not from you…
Your job, if you are determined to secure better
service from the establishment and  its employees,
entails getting the good employee’s name, the manager’s
name and mailing or email address. Then writing a
brisk, focused message lavishing compliments and
praise. In such messages there cannot be too many
compliments or excessive flattery. Use  both… for
they are important in getting you the better service
you desire. Make sure such messages are sent
the very day of the good service. Delay diminishes
their value, which would never do.
So, who gets superior service… and why?
The bottom line: if  you want a lifetime of superior
service… become a superior customer. Don’t
expect the people you deal with in business to
give you what you will not give them: good manners,
an ease of manner, not a jolting “I exist. Serve me”
attitude.
Thus, the key point of this article is not merely to
provide helpful hints that guarantee superior service,
but to make it abundantly clear that those who get
superior service are those who deserve it. And by
“deserve” I do not mean that they are big shots who
arrive in a chauffeur-driven limousine. Indeed, no.
People deserve better treatment because they give
better treatment. And that’s the way it should be!