FAMILY AND FRIENDS SAY “GOODBYE” TO MR. FORMAL
John Ingram was a living legend who created an African American owned institution which was the first of its kind in the state of Texas and most likely in all of the United States. That institution has been in existence for over 58 years. Mr. Ingram was absolutely a drum major for economic development in the African American Community. Early in his life, while growing up in Marshall, Texas he had aspirations of becoming an entrepreneur. He received his formal education in Marshall, Texas and attended Southwestern Business School in Dallas, Texas.
After his discharge from the United States Army he started working for a local formal wear company in Downtown Dallas, where he gained his initial experience in the business. Additionally, during this time African Americans could not rent formal wear from the white owned formal wear stores. It was this sad fact that began his quest to start his own formal wear business. In 1961, Mr. Ingram opened his first store on Oakland Avenue in the heart of South Dallas and named it “Mr. Formal”. Initially business was very slow and seasonal. Facing tremendous economic uncertainty, he realized that he would have to work another job to make ends meet. He worked several jobs until business took off. For many years he worked full-time for Braniff Airlines. Despite much disappointment and many long years of struggle, he always managed to maintain a positive attitude about realizing his dream of economic development and success. He is living proof that with God’s help and much prayer you can overcome life’s many obstacles.
The love, determination and devotion to his business are the principal reasons that he was able to weather the many storms along the way with the help of Joan, his devoted wife of 49 years. Through hard work, a hands on attitude and a strong commitment to customer satisfaction he was able to grow “Mr. Formal” into a well-respected and successful minority owned business with at least nine locations over the years.
Mr. Ingram never forgot his roots and he always took time to mentor young entrepreneurs in the basics of business development. Through the years he touched the lives of many young people. He constantly gave back to his community through donating his time and formal wear to many organizations, schools and many underprivileged men and women.
“M r. Formal” as he is affectionately called, received many awards and accolades over the years. Here are just a few of the awards that he received over the years:
- Member of the 2nd class of the “Quest for Success”
- National Association of Marketing Developers
- Concord Baptist Church’s “Businessman of the Year”
- Martin Luther King Award
- District 111 Outstanding Texan Award presented by State Representative Yvonne Davis
- 2011 Dreammaker Award presented by Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson
John and his wife Joan have been members of Concord Baptist Church since 1977. He was a member of the Dunbar Social and Charity Club for over 40 years and had served as one of its Presidents. John and Joan were also members of the Couples Club of Dallas.
