The unnamed MIT graduate is none other than Guy Steele. His son Matt is on my Mystery Hunt team and I've heard this story from him. It's not a cigar box, it's

The unnamed MIT graduate is none other than Guy Steele. His son Matt is on my Mystery Hunt team and I've heard this story from him. It's not a cigar box, it's a locked filing cabinet in his basement (no, there's no Beware of Leopard sign, sorry). Guy doesn't like to let people touch it lest they try switching it to "magic".