by Donna Swagerty Shreve
During my freshman year of college, I invited a good friend to spend the weekend with me in the dorm and get a feel for college life. Ann was a senior in high school so being part of a college weekend would be a treat.
Ann got to experience a boiled turkey drumstick dinner in the dining room where I was sent back to my room to get a belt for my shift. I was not considered properly dressed for dinner. Remember, the year was 1964. My roommate had gone home for the weekend and her bed was available. What we did other than eat a horrible dinner has left my memory but it set a precedent for Ann to reciprocate.
The next school year Ann attended Occidental College in Los Angeles. She invited me for a weekend at her college and I took her up on it. I took the train/bus down and drove back with a classmate. Ann had arranged for me to go with her to a college fraternity party. Her date, for the evening, found a fraternity brother, Dick Dwiggins, to be my date.
Ann had given me a glowing resume to her date to make his task easier. I was touted as a fashion model, which I did as a side job during college. I was told I would have a nice looking tall guy. Superficially, the evening seemed promising.
The two guys picked us up and Dick was tall enough but he quickly gave the impression he was unimpressed with me. Conversation in the back seat was stilted and I knew we would both have to work to make the evening bearable.
The party was in full swing when we arrived. Conversation was now a challenge because of the loud music. I was brought a drink and I am not sure we even danced before Dwight excused himself to go the bathroom.
I entertained myself observing the other couples and the various styles of dancing. Finally I could not ignore the fact that it had been too much time since my date had excused himself.
I approached Ann and explained my predicament. Ann’s date went to the bathroom to check on Dick. Ann’s date returned to report that a chair was under an open window and no sign of Dick. I had been unceremoniously ditched.
I then received all sorts of apologies from Ann and her date. I decided it would be best if they just took me home and then returned to the party. I reassured them that I had a good book and I would be fine. I was mortified at first and then realized I was relieved. That evening was going to be a lot of work.
Fast forward twenty-five plus years and my younger sister was attending a party in the Bay Area. One of the men told a humorous tale of his classmate and colleague who, years ago, had ditched a fashion model through a bathroom window at a fraternity party at Oxy. My sister gasped and explained that was her sister. I had become part of an often-repeated college legend. I felt rather vindicated when I was told my horrific date had already gone through several marriages, He had a professional life as a lawyer.
Later that 1964 school year, I set up Ann with a tryout date for an afternoon get together at Dad’s Point followed the next day with a fraternity party. This time I set Ann up with my future husband who I hadn’t dated yet. John set me up with a guy who would later be his best man at our wedding.
That disastrous date of long ago made me an urban Oxy legend. The way I heard the tale repeated, I came out as much more from what I ever thought I really was.
653 words
Mar. 24, 2014
Swagerty-Aldrich Family Web Site 