As he pointed out himself, there was something ironic about a Harvard club honoring a high school drop-out. But no one seemed to care last night as the Harvard Hasty Pudding Theatricals paid tribute to John Travolta as its 1981 "Man of the Year."

Officers of Hasty Pudding presented Travolta with the traditional "pudding pot" before last night's opening show of "Serf's Up," and he told the black tie audience that the award "came as a complete surprise."

He added that being named "Man of the Year" was "more exciting" than his Academy Award nomination for Saturday Night Fever, the movie which established Travolta as a film star.

"When my father heard about this, he was very proud of me because Harvard is such a prestigious and illustrious school," Travolta said yesterday, adding that, "I think he thought I was getting a degree."

Birthday Boy

At one point, the audience began singing "Happy Birthday" to Travolta, who turned 27 yesterday.

"I could not think of a better gift than this," the film star said before joining the audience to watch the play.

Although Travolta arrived at the Hasty Pudding Clubhouse at 7:30 p.m., a small crowd had already assembled outside the building by 2 p.m.

Academy Award

At a press conference yesterday, Travolta said that the award "could only help" his chances for an Academy Award this year as best actor in "Urban Cowboy."

The Hasty Pudding awards "The Man of the Year" annually to "that performer who has made the most outstanding contribution to the performing arts." Recent recipients have included Paul Newman, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, and Johnny Carson.

Actress Mary Tyler Moore was honored as the 1981 "Woman of the Year" in a parade last week.