| Biographical Non-Fiction posted January 14, 2024 |
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Did It drive the girls wild?
Jade East
by Terry Broxson
At the college dorm where I lived from 1964 to 1968, many things mattered: girls, cars, playing pool, bridge, basketball, and girls.
Sure, classes were important because they were a great place to meet the girls.
Hardin-Simmons University traces its founding to 1891 in the West Texas town of Abilene. The founding fathers and mothers were devoted Baptists. The school's enrollment soared to over fifteen hundred students in my first year. Half of the student body lived on campus.
No one ever confused my university with any Ivy League schools in the Northeast, although my good friend, Grady Stevens, often referred to it as the Harvard of the Southwest.
We were certainly not like the West Coast or Southeast party schools.
There were some similarities with the more prominent colleges. A young man's appearance became a vital component of meeting girls and obtaining the possibility of a date for Friday or Saturday night.
Believe it or not, we were not all shit-kickers just off the ranch. Our casual shirts had little alligators on them. On dates, we wore cords or dress slacks. The guys had corduroy jackets with leather patches on the elbows. Smoking a pipe, particularly a white Meerschaum Calabash, displayed the epitome of sophistication.
We may have been a little behind the times of the sixties. We liked the music just fine. But no hippies could be found. The popular phrase, Make Love Not War, didn't apply to our campus. Anything resembling that idea had to be earned. Put a ring on it.
There may have been an exception or two. I will not name any names, mostly because I can't remember them.
What I do remember is the smell of Jade East. Ads implied hints of the Orient, citrus, cedar, spicy florals, musk, and vanilla. What guy didn't want that all over his body?
Jade East came out in the early sixties. By the time most fellas were shaving every day, we used it as an aftershave. It stung a bit, but that's the price to pay to attract the opposite sex.
Jade East also had cologne. It became a full-body splash from head to toe for date night.
As best I can recall, there were no toe issues on any date. Thus, the use of the sweet-smelling stuff became superfluous for that appendage.
The assumption by my fellow male students revolved around the belief Jade East made men irresistible. The lovely co-eds simply had no chance.
In truth, the effects of Jade East were never confirmed. It mattered not. Two hundred ten of the men in Anderson Hall used Jade East. Two guys used British Sterling. They were foreigners. I don't think they dated much.
The leaders of the Baptist Church that founded our university developed stringent rules about co-ed education. The rules applied to girls. No shorts or slacks on campus unless the young maiden wore a raincoat. This necessary precaution avoided temptation for their male counterparts.
However, to this day, former male students report they still get excited when they see a female wearing a raincoat.
There were two dorms for girls. One girl's dorm housed freshmen.
Dang it, Grammarly just jumped into my story and told me the use of freshmen might be offensive to some. Well, no one paid it any mind in the sixties, so consider yourself in a time warp.
The freshmen ladies had to be in the dorm by nine every evening. Friday and Saturday, the curfew occurred at eleven.
Curfews were strictly enforced.
The rules for upperclassmen (aka girls) stated they must be in the dorms by nine also, but midnight on the weekends.
The men of HSU had two dorms and no rules. The Baptist administrators thought if one sex could be locked up early, it meant less trouble. Really? Wouldn't it have made better sense to lock up the guys?
The extra weekend hours meant the sophomores, juniors, and seniors were more desirable for dating.
The weekend rituals followed a familiar path. Dinner dates were rare. We all ate at the college cafeteria, which was included in our room and board.
By six-thirty, the eager young lads were shaved, showered, and splashed with Jade East. We picked up our dates at the girl's dorm. These comely visions glowed with a spic and span look and the wafting smell of White Shoulders.
After a date in my car, a '66 gold GTO, the smell of gardenias mixed with the mysterious aromas of the Orient. I had to drive with the windows down for two days to remove the evidence.
The weekend date night agenda usually called for a movie from about seven to nine pm. Followed by a stop at Ding How's, a Chinese restaurant. Not for Chinese food (remember—West Texas) but for a hamburger and fries, split two ways. The cost came to a buck twenty, including the tip.
Watching the clock became a science for both the boy and the girl. Leaving Ding How's by ten left enough 'date-time' to stop at a park close to campus if your date happened to be a freshman.
But an upperclassman gave you two hours until curfew—plenty of time to drive to Lake Ft. Phantom, where watching submarine races passed the time.
I recall being with the desirable Miss Linda on one such occasion. We had been dating for a couple of months, and graduation loomed on our horizon. She would become a school teacher. I would attend law school.
We had a lot of fun, and while our relationship could have been considered relatively serious, marriage had never been discussed.
One evening at the submarine races, she opined she looked forward to being married because she wanted to try every position in the Kama Sutra.
I didn't think her desire extended an invitation for sex or marriage. I knew she was fantasizing. Her comments meant she had read the book that I had only heard about. I had no clue what words or pictures contributed to her thoughts.
Being a sophisticated, suave, almost college graduate and soon-to-be law student. I replied, "I certainly understand your interest; what do you think about trying the first chapter?"
Some of you might think I gambled in the dark. Perhaps, a bluff on my part. Sure, I had no clue about chapter one. I didn't even know if it had chapters.
Tempted as I am to leave you in suspense, I didn't hear the words, "That's a good idea."
A few months later, the alluring Miss Linda married a law student. She met him on her first teaching assignment. Even though he went to Baylor University, he most likely used Jade East. He never would have won her without it.
At the college dorm where I lived from 1964 to 1968, many things mattered: girls, cars, playing pool, bridge, basketball, and girls.
Sure, classes were important because they were a great place to meet the girls.
Hardin-Simmons University traces its founding to 1891 in the West Texas town of Abilene. The founding fathers and mothers were devoted Baptists. The school's enrollment soared to over fifteen hundred students in my first year. Half of the student body lived on campus.
No one ever confused my university with any Ivy League schools in the Northeast, although my good friend, Grady Stevens, often referred to it as the Harvard of the Southwest.
We were certainly not like the West Coast or Southeast party schools.
There were some similarities with the more prominent colleges. A young man's appearance became a vital component of meeting girls and obtaining the possibility of a date for Friday or Saturday night.
Believe it or not, we were not all shit-kickers just off the ranch. Our casual shirts had little alligators on them. On dates, we wore cords or dress slacks. The guys had corduroy jackets with leather patches on the elbows. Smoking a pipe, particularly a white Meerschaum Calabash, displayed the epitome of sophistication.
We may have been a little behind the times of the sixties. We liked the music just fine. But no hippies could be found. The popular phrase, Make Love Not War, didn't apply to our campus. Anything resembling that idea had to be earned. Put a ring on it.
There may have been an exception or two. I will not name any names, mostly because I can't remember them.
What I do remember is the smell of Jade East. Ads implied hints of the Orient, citrus, cedar, spicy florals, musk, and vanilla. What guy didn't want that all over his body?
Jade East came out in the early sixties. By the time most fellas were shaving every day, we used it as an aftershave. It stung a bit, but that's the price to pay to attract the opposite sex.
Jade East also had cologne. It became a full-body splash from head to toe for date night.
As best I can recall, there were no toe issues on any date. Thus, the use of the sweet-smelling stuff became superfluous for that appendage.
The assumption by my fellow male students revolved around the belief Jade East made men irresistible. The lovely co-eds simply had no chance.
In truth, the effects of Jade East were never confirmed. It mattered not. Two hundred ten of the men in Anderson Hall used Jade East. Two guys used British Sterling. They were foreigners. I don't think they dated much.
The leaders of the Baptist Church that founded our university developed stringent rules about co-ed education. The rules applied to girls. No shorts or slacks on campus unless the young maiden wore a raincoat. This necessary precaution avoided temptation for their male counterparts.
However, to this day, former male students report they still get excited when they see a female wearing a raincoat.
There were two dorms for girls. One girl's dorm housed freshmen.
Dang it, Grammarly just jumped into my story and told me the use of freshmen might be offensive to some. Well, no one paid it any mind in the sixties, so consider yourself in a time warp.
The freshmen ladies had to be in the dorm by nine every evening. Friday and Saturday, the curfew occurred at eleven.
Curfews were strictly enforced.
The rules for upperclassmen (aka girls) stated they must be in the dorms by nine also, but midnight on the weekends.
The men of HSU had two dorms and no rules. The Baptist administrators thought if one sex could be locked up early, it meant less trouble. Really? Wouldn't it have made better sense to lock up the guys?
The extra weekend hours meant the sophomores, juniors, and seniors were more desirable for dating.
The weekend rituals followed a familiar path. Dinner dates were rare. We all ate at the college cafeteria, which was included in our room and board.
By six-thirty, the eager young lads were shaved, showered, and splashed with Jade East. We picked up our dates at the girl's dorm. These comely visions glowed with a spic and span look and the wafting smell of White Shoulders.
After a date in my car, a '66 gold GTO, the smell of gardenias mixed with the mysterious aromas of the Orient. I had to drive with the windows down for two days to remove the evidence.
The weekend date night agenda usually called for a movie from about seven to nine pm. Followed by a stop at Ding How's, a Chinese restaurant. Not for Chinese food (remember—West Texas) but for a hamburger and fries, split two ways. The cost came to a buck twenty, including the tip.
Watching the clock became a science for both the boy and the girl. Leaving Ding How's by ten left enough 'date-time' to stop at a park close to campus if your date happened to be a freshman.
But an upperclassman gave you two hours until curfew—plenty of time to drive to Lake Ft. Phantom, where watching submarine races passed the time.
I recall being with the desirable Miss Linda on one such occasion. We had been dating for a couple of months, and graduation loomed on our horizon. She would become a school teacher. I would attend law school.
We had a lot of fun, and while our relationship could have been considered relatively serious, marriage had never been discussed.
One evening at the submarine races, she opined she looked forward to being married because she wanted to try every position in the Kama Sutra.
I didn't think her desire extended an invitation for sex or marriage. I knew she was fantasizing. Her comments meant she had read the book that I had only heard about. I had no clue what words or pictures contributed to her thoughts.
Being a sophisticated, suave, almost college graduate and soon-to-be law student. I replied, "I certainly understand your interest; what do you think about trying the first chapter?"
Some of you might think I gambled in the dark. Perhaps, a bluff on my part. Sure, I had no clue about chapter one. I didn't even know if it had chapters.
Tempted as I am to leave you in suspense, I didn't hear the words, "That's a good idea."
A few months later, the alluring Miss Linda married a law student. She met him on her first teaching assignment. Even though he went to Baylor University, he most likely used Jade East. He never would have won her without it.
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