Three-piece suits

My father never wore jeans or shorts, he didn't own any. He wore three-piece suits with a tie, even on his "day off". Actually, he never had a day off, as far as I know. He never took a vacation, and even preached at both services the day my mother died (it was a Sunday).

I know, you're thinking, surely he didn't wear a suit in the summer. Well, yes, he did. In fact, he played tennis until he was in his late seventies, and basically wore the suit, but took off the jacket and loosened the tie.

Later in life he discarded the vest, sort of. He wore sweater vests instead of the vest that came with the suit. He saved the "good" vests for Sunday and Wednesday night (preaching nights).

And, in the summer he wore long-sleeve shirts -- he just rolled up the sleeves.

Daddy didn't own a pocketbook, but he had pockets and was very particular what item went in which pocket. Poor mom, his shirt pockets were either ink-stained or constantly torn. He carried in his shirt pocket (left side) a fountain pen, an Esterbrook mechanical pencil, and a pen-light flashlight, but no nerdy pocket liner. In his inside jacket pocket (left side, again) he carried a new testament. In his pants pocket, front right, he carried a change purse. Left pocket of his pants, his keys, and his back pocket, his wallet.

He did own a briefcase -- well, several, I lost count, actually. Each briefcase was for a different purpose. I think it was his filing system. He had a briefcase for Tuesday night Bible school, another briefcase for Thursday night Bible school. He kept all his banking things in a briefcase.

And he was a collector of pens and pencils (something I enjoy doing as well). So, the pens and pencils for his pocket were carefully chosen. And I'm not sure he put the same ones in his pocket everyday until they wore out. He probably switched them around.

Oh, yeah, occasionally he carried a glasses case in his pocket with a spare pair of glasses. But that's another story, for another day.

And he had ties -- after all it was easy to give the pastor a tie for Christmas. I'd say he got 10 ties each year, and he never threw any away. Mom would cull out the dirty ones from time to time, but not when dad was looking. He had his shirts cleaned at the Runnemede dry cleaners and had them lightly starched. The dry-cleaners were originally next to the hardware store, in the pike, but in the 60s they moved south on the Pike a few blocks, I think it was on the corner of Ardmore and the Pike. But don't hold me to that.