Stylin' teacher dons same '70s outfit for 40 years of school photos

http://www.dallasnews.com ^ | 7/2/13 | Steve Blow

[Lucky9teen]

After a good long career in education, Dale Irby has retired. And so have his groovy shirt and sweater vest.

In every school picture for the past 40 years, Dale wore the same 1970s-era polyester shirt and coffee-colored sweater.

And let me just say he aged a whole lot better than his clothes did.

It began as an accident — a product of his sparse wardrobe back in the day.

“I was so embarrassed when I got the school pictures back that second year and realized I had worn the very same thing as the first year,” said Dale, 63.

But his wife, Cathy, dared him to do it a third year. Then Dale thought five would be funny. “After five pictures,” he said, “it was like: ‘Why stop?’”

So he just never did, right on through this, his final year as every kid’s favorite physical education teacher at Prestonwood Elementary in the Richardson school district.

[Lucky9teen]

See Slideshow of all 40 pics here

[Buckeye McFrog]

and here I thought Wally Cox was dead...

[Mrs. Don-o]

I love it!!!!!

I want to marry him!!!

(Don-o: just kidding....)

[angcat]

He did not gain weight in all those years. I didn't look at all the pics he is not very good looking :)

[SamAdams76]

One of the best things about being a man is that you can pull out clothes that have been sitting in a box in the basement for the past 30 years and just dust them off and put them on.

Nobody will say a thing. Nobody cares.

Women on the other hand fret constantly not only over the last time they wore something but whether some other woman out there might be wearing the same thing that day. Apparently wearing the same thing as somebody else is something that women live in mortal fear of.

[dansangel]

I love this story...thank you for giving me my first smile of the day.....

[svcw]

How many people even remember Wally?

[svcw]

What a good sport.

[cuban leaf]

I want to marry him!!!

---

Hey, I’m no fag, but...

[Lucky9teen]

Thanx. I was listening to Air1 Radio this morning and heard this story and HAD to share it....it made me smile too.

[Dr. Sivana]

How many people even remember Wally?

I do. He was a game show host at one point (Personality?). Was also a panelist on Hollywood Squares. He had a bit part on the Odd Couple as an aspiring writer. He was the voice of Underdog. Many have not seen Wally Cox. Few forget him having seen him.

He was also "Mr. Peepers", but that was before my time.

[SkyPilot]

God bless good teachers.....we have so few of them left it seems.

You always remember the good ones you had in school - I applaud him for being there for generations of children.

[svcw]

I found an episode on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9dxgRwyhRw

[svcw]

Sorry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9dxgRwyhRw

[ErnBatavia]

[SkyPilot]

[Sheapdog]

I attended Prestonwood from kindergarten thru 6th in late 70’s and 80’s and I don’t really remember him. I remember just about every teacher I had. Strange. I only recall women gym teachers. I don’t recall the first few years about gym except for some of the activities.

[cuban leaf]

;-)

Some outfits never get old:

[svcw]

I know it’s only a picture, he just doesn’t like a guy you would remember.

[Alex Murphy]

It began as an accident — a product of his sparse wardrobe back in the day. “I was so embarrassed when I got the school pictures back that second year and realized I had worn the very same thing as the first year,” said Dale, 63. But his wife, Cathy, dared him to do it a third year. Then Dale thought five would be funny. “After five pictures,” he said, “it was like: ‘Why stop?’”

Forty-years of pranking. Dale is my kind of guy.