GOING

The Allure of WeAring A Corduroy JACkeT

As you walk through the hallways at Calvert Hall, one will notice a select group of students wearing gold corduroy jackets. Why would students in 2023 seek out corduroy jackets? Corduroy, in the fashion we recognize it today, didn’t originate until 19th century Manchester. The material found popularity in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. How has this material stood that tale of time and remained one of the most coveted jackets at Calvert Hall?

Gold jackets can be remembered being worn since the early 1950s. John Doud, III, Esq. ’58 joined the Brotherhood in 1954. He distinctly recalls seeing Soccer and Baseball players wearing them. The jacket was an unspoken way to denote student-athletes who excelled at their craft. A student-athlete earns a gold jacket if they are a member of a Varsity MIAA or Catholic League Championship team, a Varsity student-athlete named to the MIAA All-Conference team, Baltimore Sun All-Metro first or second team, or All-Catholic team, or a Varsity studentathlete who places first in the MIAA Individual Championships. Flash forward to the late 1990s, and Lance Bajkowski ’98 shares earning a gold jacket evoked a