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Jacksonville was a thriving city long before Miami existed. Miami was still swampland with a foot of water over it during the 20's. Jacksonville had become a resort for the rich and famous and huge hotels lined downtown boulevards. The lovely St. John's river that flows north instead of south, made Jacksonville a thriving port city. It was during these early years of development that Jacksonville had an extensive trolley car system and ostrich races in its parks. When the train rails were built to St. Augustine, Tampa, and further south, northern clients no longer visited Jacksonville for rest and relaxation. It transformed and became the industrial center of the south with a huge train hub and port.

During the forties, Irene was living in Jacksonville. It booming after the war years and she was a talented artist doing layout work for J.C. Penney advertising and working in Judge Porter's (one of the founding fathers of Jacksonville University) office when she met her future husband.

Her life took on a dramatic change from that point. He was in the Army Air Corp and a year after their meeting, they decided to marry.  As a reservist he had to decide whether to go back to his civilian law practice or continue in the military.  They decided to remain in the service and he took the challenging duty of legal officer and Observer to the French and Moroccan foreign courts, in Casablanca, Morocco. Irene, the young native Floridian, had said yes to him, and to the United States Air Force and the rest is history.  Irene had to pinch herself when at age 25, the wonders of the world she had read about in her childhood, were hers to explore.

THE EGYPTIAN                                   
Her love of scent blossomed while living in Casablanca during the French and Moroccan War.  A neighbor and an elderly/ retired Egyptian perfumer became her mentor: with this master's guidance she began a life long study of perfumes. Destiny conspired to initiate her into the ancient mystery of perfume making. When she became his apprentice and he taught her the "age old" methods of rubbing and pressing, techniques used for centuries. She learned steam distillation, effleurage, and modern solvent extraction.

He would send her to the market (souk) when the camel caravans, after their adventures traversing the exotic trade routes of the Atlas Mountains, brought their precious oils. However there was a war going on-- and she found to her dismay, at the end of a 4 year odyssey in Morocco, things were getting a little too heated to go to souk. . .The last trip into the Kasbah was frightening. A Moroccan mob converge on the car, rocking it, snarling and yelling in anger," Yankee's Go Home!" Even though the Americans were considered neutral during the war the Moroccans felt they leaned heavily toward the French. The French Foreign Legend spy in her husband's office eventually advised the family to leave Nouasseur Air Base. They left Dec. 29, 1955 for New York. Moroccan's eventually did win their freedom from the French.

Fast forward to the 1990's, the knowledge that her teacher imparted came full circle when she created four historical, sensual, magical fragrances she calls the "Time Capsule Collection, Exotic Fragrances of the Ancient World." From her rare opportunity to purchase incredible treasures of aromatic oils of plants and flowers and her first - hand/hands - on experiences with the Egyptian her knowledge dovetailed with the research the scientists/archeologists had discovered about Ancient Perfume.  Irene learned early to use the best most reputable companies as her suppliers of pure absolutes and essential oils.  Her nose knows the difference between a pure essence and adulterated one thanks to her incredible experience with a master perfumer.

Looking back at that time in volatile Africa, most of the tour was a wonderful experience. They explored Agadir, Mazagan, Safi, L'Atlas to name a few points of interest in North Africa. They managed to see Pisa, Italy/ Paris, France / Naples, Greece/ Istanbul, Turkey and most ports of interest on the Mediterranean, the world had become her classroom. There were many places to live and explore and learn about perfume so from Europe, to the Orient and finally back home to Florida-Irene now creates her extraordinary perfumes for you.

In year 2000, irene Parfums after 18 years, moved to "East Park Light Industrial Park" off Beach Boulevard and St. Johns Bluff Road when the city took her original building to make way for the expansion of the road system in downtown Jacksonville.

                                                                           Her biography can be found in Marques:          
                                                                                                           Who's  Who in America
                                                                                                           Who's Who in the World
                                                                                                           Who's Who of American Women
                                                                                                           Who's Who in Professional and Executive Women
                                                                                                   also: IBC Cambridge England
                                                                                                   International Leaders in Achievement                                                                                                                                                                                                    Affiliate member of the National Society of Cosmetic Chemists.