Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
We inform. You decide.
Friday, March 29, 2024

Retired Gainesville man sports T-shirt collection in the hundreds

<p dir="ltr">Harry Bowley, 82, also known as "T-shirt Harry," stands in front of his 309 T-shirt collection. It began with receiving shirts from his children, he said. Now he buys every funny shirt he sees.</p>

Harry Bowley, 82, also known as "T-shirt Harry," stands in front of his 309 T-shirt collection. It began with receiving shirts from his children, he said. Now he buys every funny shirt he sees.

Every day for 19 years, Harry Bowley wore a white T-shirt to work.

Now, the 82-year-old Gainesville retiree has 309 T-shirts for nearly every occasion and day of the year.

Around Christmas, he wears one of his 26 Christmas T-shirts. For Halloween, he dons one of 17 themed shirts instead of a costume. On St. Patrick’s Day, he has eight more to choose from.

It began with his kids buying them as a gift, but now he says he buys any funny T-shirt he sees.

“It just started from there, and it got out of hand,” Bowley said.

The shirts vary from puns and national holidays to comedic quotes such as, “Money isn’t everything, but it sure keeps the kids in touch.”

“I didn’t want the wife washing clothes every day, so I just started buying T-shirts,” he said.

Bowley and his wife have traveled to 48 states and bought a shirt from each.

Any time he visits a local restaurant, he checks if they have any T-shirts available for him, Bowley said.

He saves other shirts for special occasions, like his tuxedo T-shirt for events at The Village at Gainesville, a retirement community where he lives.

Every day, Bowley said he wears a different T-shirt, and everyone looks forward to seeing which one he picks.

“I’m glad I do it,” he said.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox

Harry Bowley, 82, also known as "T-shirt Harry," stands in front of his 309 T-shirt collection. It began with receiving shirts from his children, he said. Now he buys every funny shirt he sees.

Support your local paper
Donate Today
The Independent Florida Alligator has been independent of the university since 1971, your donation today could help #SaveStudentNewsrooms. Please consider giving today.

Powered by SNworks Solutions by The State News
All Content © 2024 The Independent Florida Alligator and Campus Communications, Inc.