Al Hall got his first Brooks Brothers suit in elementary school. His father took him for his graduation, and that was it. Fifty years as a financial advisor in New York, Hall rarely bought clothes anywhere else.
“He was addicted to Brooks Brothers,” his wife Gail Hall said. “I said, ‘Al, all the ties look the same.’ He’d say, ‘No, this one has this.’ I went wild once and bought him a patterned tie, totally out of the norm. He had worn it for years, but it was only because he knew I bought it for him. In 60 years of marriage, I bought him one tie.”
Hall believed presentation mattered. Even in hospice, he chose what to wear each morning. “He would know what he was going to wear, even in the house, because he wanted to feel good about getting dressed in the morning,” Hall said.
After he passed away, Hall didn’t want his suits and ties going to Goodwill. She wanted them to go to people who would understand what those clothes meant, who were building professional lives and needed that same confidence. She googled “law school North Carolina” and called UNC School of Law’s Career Development Office (CDO).
That same week in Chapel Hill, second-year law student Celine Kordon reached out to the CDO. As a member of Carolina Law First-Generation Professionals, she’d watched classmates struggle to afford professional clothing for interviews. Kaitlyn Parker, senior director of student engagement, and Student Bar Association President Maddy Calick were planning a clothing drive for spring. At SBA’s recommendation, Kordon connected with Parker, who adjusted the timeline to align with the organization’s goal of having professional clothing available for interviews. “Everyone deserves to feel prepared and confident in a professional environment,” Kordon said. Parker agreed,
“The CDO wants to ensure all students feel prepared to put their best foot forward, and access to professional clothing should not be a barrier to confidence or securing a professional opportunity.”
When Hall’s call came through a few weeks before the drive, Giovonni Wade, Director of Student Career Success, filled Parker in. “I could not believe the fortuitous timing of Ms. Gail’s call,” Wade said. The CDO was happy to accept the donation, though saddened by the circumstances behind Hall’s generosity. Learning that Hall planned to drive from Charlotte on top of everything else she had going on, they suggested she ship the items instead.
Hall refused. She and a friend loaded the car with suits, ties, corduroys, and shoes, and she drove them two hours to Chapel Hill with her daughter to make it before the event. When Wade expressed amazement that she’d made it, Hall looked at her and said: “Timing is everything.”
She was right. Sixty students left with professional clothing that day. The drive drew from both past and new donations from alumni, faculty, staff, and students. Some clothing was reserved at the law school for students to borrow for interviews, while other items were provided for students to keep. “Self-esteem,” Hall said. “I want them to feel that they can compete. If you look your best, you do your best.”
The turnout exceeded everything Kordon had imagined. “I knew the Carolina Law community was close-knit, but this was beyond what I imagined,” she said. “It especially meant a lot to see individuals outside of the Carolina Law community donate for the love of the game.”
Hall sees her husband in every student who wears his clothes now. “His legacy is going to be carried on, his fashion, his style, the way he felt about himself.” She laughed about putting trackers in the suits so she could watch Law & Order and spot someone wearing her husband’s Brooks Brothers ties. But the sentiment underneath is real. Somewhere right now, a law student is buttoning one of Al’s jackets before walking into an interview, carrying forward everything he believed about confidence and presentation.
The CDO will carry the memory of that day with them. “I will never forget Ms. Gail’s inspiring act of kindness,” Wade said.
The CDO welcomes donations of professional clothing year-round. Alumni and community members with suits, ties, or professional attire they’d like to pass along can contact Kaitlyn Parker to help students prepare for their careers.
