Friday, September 14, 2012

"Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette"

The headline here is the title of an old country classic, written by Merle Travis and Tex Willams, and captures well that era not so long ago when cigarette smoking was virtually omnipresent, including in college. While preparing for this week's 50th reunion of the Class of 1962, the archivist was struck by how common smoking was in that era. There were ads, like the one here, in the Stylus; photos of the campus bookstore showed cartons of cigarettes prominently displayed and so on. At the reunion itself, the subject came up, and among other memories several attendees recalled faculty smoking in class. It would be impossible to Imagine any of this taking place today of course. Yet, we can only wonder what elements of our day will seem startling to those who come after us!