When Dr. Farrell was a graduate student he once made up a pH 8.0 sodium acetate buffer. Why would the casual observer to this buffering faux pas come to the conclusion that he?

Not exactly sure what the question is asking, but sodium acetate will not buffer at pH 8. It is an ok buffer in the pH range of maybe 3-5 or so. Acetic acid is the weak acid of this buffer with a pKa near 10^-5. To make a decent buffer at pH 8, one needs a weak base, or a weak acid with a pKa closer to 8.