Random Thoughts from a Random Memory

By Edward Master

Dare I say that I have had a love affair with barbers? At least some kind of an affair to say the least.

My relationship with the friendly neighborhood barber came first with a definitely local guy, Jim Gardner. I think Jim was a friend of the family, certainly a friend of my dad. I was fairly young when I was getting a haircut from Jim. He may have had a barber’s chair, but I cannot swear to that minor detail. What I do remember is that it seemed as much hair was pulled out by dull scissors as cut by them.

As I got older, I matriculated from elementary school in St. Pete for a short walk uptown to Lefty Nevel’s establishment. I think a haircut for me was 50 cents. I swear Lefty had two barber chairs, but I only ever remember one in use. He had a long padded bench against the southern wall, full of outdated magazines. Lefty’s shop was eventually replaced by a replica jail cell and the current fire station. I never heard in all my years how he got the nickname Lefty. During my time in school, Lefty retired and my Grandpa Master and I moved our barber needs to Lamartine and Charlie Chadman. Charlie was a character and he had a gift of gab, even for a barber.

Chadman was a fairly common name in the area, but I had no knowledge of any of his relatives. I started getting ‘flattops’ from Charlie Chadman sealed with butch wax, probably in junior high school. Grandpa drove us to Lamartine (Salem Township). Chadman did my hair sculpting chores through high school. I considered a switch to a Clarion barber once I began college. I had a choice of Rogers up the street from the Loomis restaurant/hotel and Reinsels(?} next to the Garby movie theater, not far from the post office and the Modern Diner.

My other option was Tommy Kurtzahl’s in Knox, on main street not far from the NW bank. Tommy gave a good haircut; he also had an attractive daughter, Jeanne, who married a fraternity brother and they ended up in Myrtle Beach, SC. She passed away a few years back from canccer. I knew Jeanne and her husband Cyril (Bud) Schmader from high school times.

I remember once doing a stylist in a mall outside of Reading out east; I sported a natural, curly do by then. Same in New Jersey--stylists. In Indiana, PA, I got lucky with locating a couple of barbers. I also used a softball team spouse, a stylist from school in Punxy who had a home shoppe, a few times until I found a barber. In Grove City I had a barber until he got divorced and moved to Florida. I even returned to the flattop for awhile. Then I revolted and did what I should have done years ago. I bought an electric razor/hair cutter and went buzz cut. I have paid for the razor several times over.

I offer my nephews Brady and Tyler, buzz cuts but they always refuse. That I can’t figure out.

Going to a natural wavy/curly do was my first big step, but in reality, a natural big step.

With Rogers in Clarion, I went there cause my father went there. It later became Craigs. Now it’s a multi-barber/stylist shoppe my nephew has used. I laugh because he talks of tipping the barbers, and he has a full beard.

I was never much with the styling combs, brushes, hot air dryers. As I said, I should have buzzed long ago. I used to in the summers; I should have continued.