Your first love letter is something you'll never forget. Even though I got my first one just months ago, I still tend to look back at it and remember what it was like to actually have someone feel so strongly for you. No matter how much times passes, you still cherish the sentimental idea behind those forgotten feelings.
One day when I was putting away laundry for my grandmother I came across a stack of letters in her sock drawer with a red ribbon tied around them, eager as ever I asked her if I could read them and her immediate reply was "you can read them when I'm dead."
Today is the day after her death. My mother brought a box of her things and as promised, the letters were inside.
These letters were from her first love, Brooks Taylor. My grandmother was engaged to him at the time. They did not get married and ended up breaking it off-- I discovered this only after finishing the 22 letters. That's how she met, married, and divorced my grandfather.
This is Brooks;
Brooks Taylor wrote from the University of South Florida in 1962, which is just years after it opened in 1956. The following year my grandmother would move from Miami to go to USF as well.
The kicker is that this is the school I attend right now.
I believe she wanted me to wait until she had passed to read these because it would make her live on forever. I think it is important to mention she wasn't just my grandma, she was my closest friend and had never once mentioned Brooks Taylor.
As I began to read these letters I came across things that have changed across campus and thought to compare them to what it's like now;
1. The USF Bookstore was The Campus Store and get this, it sold tobacco.
"I opened the package and found the pipe you should not have spent the money, you should have saved it for yourself. I went down to the campus store and bought me some tobacco, and man is it the best tasting thing I have ever smoked I am very grateful to you for it."
Anyone who goes to USF now knows that the campus is tobacco free. Of course these letters were from a time when smoking wasn't known to kill.
2. The campus wasn't finished but all anyone cared about was the air conditioning, the recreational center, and a million and a half dollar library.
"Donna you have to see this college to believe it. Every Room is Air Conditioned, there are recreational facilities on campus plus a million and a half dollar library at my disposal. The campus is not yet finished but the buildings that are there are spectacular. You have class in each subject given by lectures to a couple hundred student at the time"
Imagine not having air conditioning in a building like Cooper? No way, right? Now we have the luxury of a Starbucks in our library, air conditioning that is sometimes maybe too cold, and a glamorous gym.
3. Gasparilla was most definitely a thing.
"Today, Monday, we went to the Gasparilla parade, which is a big celebration that follows after pirates invade Tampa Bay and take over the town. We stood up for four hours watching the damn thing and then my cousin John had me tracing all over the state fair that is being held here. all in all I am to pooped to pop."
It's OK Gasparilla Goers, you can put down your pitch forks. Gasparilla has and always will be a tradition.
4. Before there was the Study, there was the Peppermint Lounge.
"Friday I went out for the first time with a couple of guys in the dorm. We went to the Peppermint Lounge, I was up until 3:30 and man was I tired sat."
The Peppermint lounge looked something like this;
According to the Tampa Bay Times, it's believed that a dance moved called 'The Twist' originated out of The Peppermint Lounge in Tampa; Florida in the 1960s. OK so does that mean USF students came up with a historical dance move?
5. Riverfront park had a rifle range.
"The College is now building about a mile away from a park. In this park, there will be a lake with canoes, a rifle range, and other recreational devices. They have more money than they can spend. I sure wish you could see it in person, I am enclosing some pictures of it."
The photos that were with this were torn in half, my grandmother more than likely got upset after he broke it off with her over mail-- imagine that, over mail not text.
But can you believe that Riverfront Park had a rifle range? Boy, the times have changed.
6. If you missed a lecture, you had to go to the 'Tape Room.'
Listen, I can barely get out of bed to open my laptop to email my professors, let alone go to a tape room.
7. Before it was called hooking up, it was called 'Petting.'
The question in the top box is what my grandmother asked Brooks;
"What do you think petting consists of and how far do you think it should go?"
In which Brooks describes;
"Petting, as I define it, is the next step of many that a couple could, and usually do explore. It consists of exciting different parts of the body by caresses that tend to not only to sexually excite but please both parties."
Couples during this time had it a lot harder than they do now, often waiting up to a week for a simple response to a question like this. If you can't tell by his explanation of sex, he really was trying his hardest to use the right words.
Can you imagine describing hooking up with a guy as 'petting?' Aka the same thing you do to your dog?
8. Before there was Juniper and Poplar, there was Alpha, Gamma, and Beta.
In the images above, Brooks always addressed his P.O box. He lived in a mens only dormitory known as Alpha hall. Below is what soon would come to be known as the first co-ed dorms on campus around 1970;
9. The university had a pool hall, and it seemed pretty awesome.
"The pool hall is pretty nice but I haven't had a chance to spend much time down there."
It is mentioned several times in various letters that the pool hall on campus was always packed with people, often smoking indoors.
These letters have taught me a lot. I learned the history of the university I currently attend-- other important messages stood out to me.
I'd like to point out that love hasn't changed. The feeling of love lies in the deepest parts of our brain that cannot be touched. Communication now is easier than ever. Technology allows for instant connection with anyone, anywhere in the world. Instead of having it like these two love birds, we now expect a reply within seconds.
Now to some, grandparents are those faces you see once or twice a year across a large dinner table. They come with the best gifts and even though you don't know them too well, they got you exactly what you wanted.
Spending time with my grandmother I learned about her past and her college days of getting arrested at USF --I realized that although her body started to wither away, her soul was more alive and colorful than anyone else I'd ever know.
My point is this: Spend time with your grandparents, you've only got a few. They've lived a lot longer than anyone you know and have a lot more experiences than you can imagine.
Today, at the University of South Florida, as I walk around this masterpiece of a school I realize that there was a time when we didn't have a fancy student center or a 24/7 Starbucks. We often take for granted our long walks through campus, never stopping to notice the beauty that this campus has to offer. Enjoy the mundane things this campus has to offer-- it won't always be there. And as always, Go Bulls.
