Still nutty

I continue to gets calls regularly about what has become of the Nutty Professor, otherwise known as Professor John J. Donovan. Until yesterday afternoon, friend and foe -- the latter too numerous to list here -- could catch up with him at professordonovan.com. There was even an e-mail address where you could drop him a line, or maybe a subpoena.

Let's go straight to the website: "Professor Donovan has spent 35 years in a quest to preserve land. Starting in 1972, and continuing for the next 35 years, he has assembled some 1,000 acres, and placed conservation restrictions on them. Recently, he has constructed a baseball field on a portion of that land for the Town of Hamilton. His professional goals have been to make living moments better for others."

N.P.'s website includes his nine-page resume, listing his academic accomplishments, the many technology companies he started, the numerous books and articles he has written, his awards and community activities. It also includes video of his famed technology seminar and footage with such military luminaries as Rear Admiral Jacob Shuford, president of the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., and General Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Contact Donovan at jjd@ceenterprises.com.

For some reason or other his website doesn't mention the charges pending against him in Middlesex District Court. To recap: Last May, Donovan, a self-proclaimed technology visionary with a fortune once estimated at $180 million, became a sensation when he was charged with filing a false police report after he allegedly staged his own shooting. Investigators said they believed Donovan, who was only slightly wounded, was trying to implicate his son, James, with whom he is involved in a long and tortuous family feud. My favorite part was an incriminating "to do list" of the crime that Donovan had in his bullet-riddled jacket at the time, police said. The trial, a natural for Court TV, is set for April 30.

Back to the website: "On a personal note, he and his wife, Linda, formerly a teaching fellow at Harvard University, have worked together in the community in a spectrum of charitable activities for children."

What N.P. doesn't mention is that his own children have sued him -- and have been winning at every turn -- to take control of those 1,000 acres he assembled over a lifetime. And that the Town of Hamilton, presumably the grateful recipient of a baseball diamond, has put a lien on his 68-acre gentleman's farm, Devon Glen, for unpaid taxes.

Among his current activities, Donovan lists himself on the MIT faculty and as an associate fellow at Silliman College at Yale. An MIT spokeswoman, Patti Richards, says he "is completely and definitely not an employee of MIT. That is completely inaccurate." A Yale spokeswoman, Dorie Baker, confirms Donovan is a fellow. "He should be up for renewal," she says.

Donovan might not want to count on another five-year appointment, all things considered. Donovan's resume also says he is currently working with the Navy on "fleet and manpower readiness" and with Homeland Security on "field force protection." Heaven help us if this is true. A Homeland Security spokesman didn't return my call. A Navy spokeswoman couldn't confirm what role, if any, Donovan has.

Donovan didn't return my e-mail, either. His lawyer, Barry Klickstein, said Donovan "isn't about to plead to something that isn't correct," but wants to get the trial behind him so he can get on with his life. The yearslong disputes with his children are "ongoing," he said. Klickstein said he hadn't seen the website, but said he is not surprised. "His mind is always going."

No kidding. By yesterday afternoon, within hours after I talked with his lawyer, access to Donovan's website had been blocked. His mind is always going.

Steve Bailey is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at bailey@globe.com or at 617-929-2902.