It was television that triggered the explosion in sales of men’s fragrances. Before TV, there were a handful of scents on the market – Mennen, Pinaud Clubman, Williams After Shave and a couple of others. But in the late 50s and 60s, people – especially men people – would buy most anything that was advertised. And we Boomers bought a pile of fragrances. Let’s go back and see. Old … [Read more...]

We were sitting at a table at the Erringhaus Dorm cafeteria at UNC discussing our plans for the long-awaited Christmas break. I looked forward to being back home with my high school buddies – Bill Shaver, Mike Dawson and Dave Gladwell and sharing experiences from our first semester in college. At the cafeteria table, one of us had ordered a piece of ice box pie and a suite-mate, Dave Randleman, … [Read more...]

My daughter was telling me recently about the “Dos and Don’ts” of school lunches these days - especially lunches sent from home. Apparently, the modern Lunch Nazis now rifle through each Spiderman lunchbox or brown paper bag to approve or disapprove of what children can eat. Donuts are definite “no-no’s and so are Oreo cookies. When I was a kid, you only got an Oreo cookie if you’d behaved … [Read more...]

It was December 1972 and my close friend, Joe Davis, wanted me to join him as a referee for Little League basketball games. “We’ll call two games back-to-back, twice a week, and we can make $6 a game,” he offered, temptingly. While $24 a week wasn’t Warren Buffet money, it would be twenty-some bucks that I didn’t have before and I could spend it any way I liked. Fishing equipment, golf … [Read more...]

Boomers were raised on Kool-Aid. We drank gallons and gallons of the sugary liquid, which is why most of us now have more fillings in our mouths than white teeth. But having a pack or two of Kool-Aid in the pantry was an inexpensive and convenient way for Moms to be able to serve kids and neighbors a cold drink in the summer, and best of all, the kids loved to make it. There was an art to … [Read more...]

  We had a snow last week. It wasn’t much of a snow, at least by West Virginia standards, but it was enough to close the schools and send kids outdoors to sleigh ride. Watching the dozen or so children sleigh riding behind my house brought back some great memories. Our back yard, the school yard actually, has a gentle hill. It drops maybe 30 feet over a 25 yards distance, and then kids … [Read more...]

  After my father was declared Missing in Action during World War II, my mother brought her infant son home from the hospital to live with my grandmother, Mama Ida, her sister Pearl, my mom’s sister Jodi and Uncle Sidney, Mama Ida’s brother. I suppose we would have been considered poor, but everybody pitched in and somehow, we got by. Growing up, I remember that every dinner began with … [Read more...]

Boomers were all about clothing and style. Bottle green was a hot color one fall and burgundy, the next. Bass Weejuns were the shoes of choice. Anything else was a cheap imitation. Then, in 1962, a fabric called madras was hotter than hot. That Christmas, the only thing I asked for was a madras shirt. Madras was fairly pricey. I believe a long sleeve madras shirt was about $10, the equivalent … [Read more...]

I believe that as we age, we become accustomed to smells and odors. Sure, many things still smell good – like flowers and colognes. Or they can smell bad, like a trash can in August the day before pickup. But looking back – way, way back – this Boomer can recall the vivid scents of youth. It was as if I smelled things for the first time. Here are some of the distinct fragrances I recall. Well I … [Read more...]

  I miss seeing the test pattern in the early morning hours and I miss hearing the National Anthem played each night at the end of broadcasting. I miss seeing Dave Garroway on the Today Show and I miss the zany comics on the Steve Allen Show – Louis Nye, Tom Poston and Bill Dana (Jose Jimenez). I miss the Maxwell House commercials and the smell of hot tubes within the TV set. I miss the … [Read more...]