Southern Methodist University dissertation and thesis (Moody School, 2026)

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\hspace*{\parindent}Many people know Jack Handey from his time dispensing wisdom from the hallowed halls of Saturday Night Live. Beyond these brief glimpses afforded to late-night viewers, Handey shaped the field of Greatness through his academic works published over the last two decades. Examining the themes of these works and their evolution over time provides a window into the state of our society -- what was great, and what could be even greater.

This dissertation analyzes three of Handey's most popular works, and asserts that greatness has not diminished over time as some have claimed, but merely has shifted to a new paradigm.

This work could not have been accomplished by the wisdom of my wonderful advisor, Prof. Rogers, along with his many colleagues in the Department of Greatness here at SMU. I'm also forever grateful to my family for being so patient with me and my friends for reminding me to take breaks and go be great instead of just reading about greatness all of the time.

\SMUAppendix
\begin{center}
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\textbf{Works by Jack Handey}

Deep Thoughts (1992)

Deeper Thoughts (1993)

Deepest Thoughts (1994)

Fuzzy Memories (1996)

What I'd Say to the Martians (2008)

The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure (2013)
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[1] Handey, J. Lost In Deep Thought. Berlkey, 1994.

\vspace{\baselineskip}

[2] Social Security Administration. Popularity of a Name. \url{https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/index.html\#\&ht=2}, 2016. Note: This is an electronic document. Date of publication: [Date unavailable]; Date retrieved: February 7, 2016; Date last modified: [Date unavailable].
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\SMUChapter
Who is Jack Handey and how did he become so wise? Jack's story begins long ago, when he was just a boy in search of answers.

\section{Jack Handey's Early Years}
Young Jack did not appear to be anything special to friends and family. Of course they loved him because he was family, but few would say they saw early signs of wisdom in the child.

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Jack's mother saw a glimmer of something in him, however, and sent him to live with monks on the remote island of Bouvet, approximately 1,000 miles from Antarctica. On this island covered almost entirely by a glacier, laden with sheer cliffs, Jack imbibed the wisdom of these monks and learned to become a font of wisdom himself.

\clearpage
\section{Beyond Bouvet}
After spending 10 years with the monks on Bouvet, they realized that he had learned all that he could from them. With tears in his eyes, Jack left them with one final piece of wisdom to ponder:

\begin{quote}\itshape
As you make your way thought this hectic world of ours, set aside a few minutes each day. At the end of the year, you'll have a couple of days saved up.
\end{quote}

With these words, Jack left the frigid wilds of Bouvet and prepared to rejoin the modern world. Although he would be a keen observer of the human condition, he would never fully become part of society, but rather remained on the fringes as he shared his insights.

\SMUChapter
\section{Journey to New York}
Although he had not lived in civilization in ten years, Jack dove right in and moved to one of the biggest cities in the world, New York. In New York he honed his insights on the street, shouting to passers-by whenever a great thought came to him. Most people thought he was disturbed, but one man saw that more was there. That man's name was Lorne Michaels.

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Year & Rank & \\
\normalfont 1972 & \normalfont 824 & \textcolor{cyan!25}{\rule{1.10in}{0.14in}}\\[-1pt]
\normalfont 1971 & \normalfont 851 & \textcolor{cyan!25}{\rule{0.95in}{0.14in}}\\[-1pt]
\normalfont 1970 & \normalfont 768 & \textcolor{cyan!25}{\rule{1.45in}{0.14in}}\\[-1pt]
\normalfont 1969 & \normalfont 692 & \textcolor{cyan!25}{\rule{1.95in}{0.14in}}\\[-1pt]
\normalfont 1968 & \normalfont 624 & \textcolor{cyan!25}{\rule{2.45in}{0.14in}}\\[-1pt]
\normalfont 1967 & \normalfont 627 & \textcolor{cyan!25}{\rule{2.45in}{0.14in}}\\[-1pt]
\normalfont 1966 & \normalfont 561 & \textcolor{cyan!25}{\rule{2.75in}{0.14in}}\\[-1pt]
\normalfont 1965 & \normalfont 568 & \textcolor{cyan!25}{\rule{2.75in}{0.14in}}\\[-1pt]
\normalfont 1964 & \normalfont 590 & \textcolor{cyan!25}{\rule{2.60in}{0.14in}}\\[-1pt]
\normalfont 1963 & \normalfont 620 & \textcolor{cyan!25}{\rule{2.50in}{0.14in}}\\[-1pt]
\normalfont 1962 & \normalfont 597 & \textcolor{cyan!25}{\rule{2.55in}{0.14in}}\\
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\captionof{table}{Popularity of the name Lorne since 1900.}
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After meeting Lorne Michaels, Jack Handey's life was irrevocably changed. Finally a person recognized that his street corner rantings were not the words of a madman, but rather a genius with a keen insight into the human condition.

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This is dedicated to Crookshanks, my best friend and a genius in her own right

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