PLANO — Tucked away in Dan Smith's closet on Aliso Drive in Plano is something very special.
Neatly folded and still in great condition, it's a pair of 70-year-old pants.
"They've been around for a few years to say the least," Dan said.
For four generations, the men in the Smith family have worn the same pair of slacks on graduation day.
Dan said it all began in 1950 at Lewisville High School. It started with his oldest brother, James.
"Our father wanted him to have a good pair of pants to graduate in," said Dan. "But he didn't have the financial wherewithal to go buy any for him."
So Claude Smith let his eldest son wear his pants. It happened again with his middle son a few years later, and then in 1957 Dan wore the pants.
"The tradition was beginning to grab a hold of me," Dan said.
Many years later Dan's son Mark donned the pants. Mark's sons, Dillon and Colby, also walked across the stage wearing them.
"[It] kind of speaks to the humble beginnings of this family," Colby Smith said.
The wool, navy blue pinstripe slacks have been altered many times.
"We have to take them up for some people, let them out for other people," Mark Smith said.
The tradition continued this year when Dan's grandson, Lee, became the 15th Smith man to wear them at his Allen High School graduation.
"What excited me was that Lee was excited about it," Dan said. "He's the last one until next year."
The pants will go back into storage until 2023, when the Smiths' fifth generation graduates from high school.
