Members of the Gentlemen of LHS program will be sharp-dressed after local business owner Edward Hamra volunteered to measure them for dress shirts.
Jeff Elbert, adviser for Gentlemen of LHS, said it was a goal of his to have button up shirts made for the 50 or so club members.
“We are trying to teach young men etiquette, how to look nice. When you look good, you behave good,” Elbert said, describing the program as a passport to manhood.
Members of Gentlemen of Lawton High crowded into the library recently as LHS English teacher Seth Patterson demonstrated how to tie a necktie and Hamra and other volunteers from Edward’s Men’s Wear took their measurements for dress shirts.
“We are getting them fitted to get them a tailored shirt. We want them to have the experience to get their own suit,” Elbert said. Funds the program has raised will be used to purchase the shirts, which will have the club logo on the pocket.
The second Thursday of each month is Gentlemen’s Day, and the idea is to look nice in the hallway, Elbert said, hence the lesson on tying a tie and getting dress shirts.
“We could change the culture of our community if we did that,” Elbert said of dressing up.
Hamra, who graduated from Lawton High in 1968, said he was happy to help his alma mater.
“This has been home for us,” Hamra said of his family’s connection to Lawton High School. “I spent three of the most wonderful years in school here. Anything we can do to help young men, we are happy to do. We want them to be able to know about clothing and to dress appropriately.”