Document text
February 7, 1938
Asa Guenther (white)
70k Lemon trest
Palatka, -qorida
Barber
Bill Hairdo, ariter
Arelyn Aornar, reviser
CU -2M Mit
I went into lAr1"e larbor Wan in PalatIto for a haircut. Its
walls lined with mirrors barber chairs, calendars, church scheales,
shoeshino ()hair, and poliehed ouspidors. partition separated it
from a beauty parlor in the rear.
411d. .,1.4enthfar, the outer, waited on me. talkative, heavy...oat
man, six foot tall, with a ruddy conplexion and reddish hair, he did not
work in the Jsual white coat, but in shirt sleeves with his collar
open at the throat.
"Aranger in town! Thought so, never seen you round," he spoke
with a slight drawl. "Tnis is a good little tennomyrogressive. Ao man-
age to make a living and still have time to hunt and fish."
it was a simple thing to get is life histeryiseto liked to talk.
"I'm ao native. I was born in Alton onto, March 23, 1897. My
father was Irish and my mother i4sglish. Their grandfathers sone from
Massachusetts Into the Ohio wally, early in the eightsenth century, and
settled rht where ayton stands today. I may ba an Ohioan by birth all
right, out I'm a Florida cracker by emigration ond a option.
"I want to alckeye Aummar 'iohool in Alton and worked on my ad's farm
before 4nd after school. ue had a big farm and there We always plenty
to do. I entered Alvaro Aigh ehoo1 when I was fourteen. jad didn't
wale's in no going to collage, so when I finished h:gb school, he gave
as a joo in the shop. I've wished since that I'd gone on to college, but
26025
didn't think much about it then.
"I WOG glad to tot away from form chores and couldn't mit to be a
barber au good as in ad. or the first year I swept floors, shined
shoes, wattled windows, polisded outolidore and lathered faces, all for
a musk. I watched all the time and eventually I ems allowed to use
the clippers or scissors an one of the barbers during slack ilourr, it
woo anJther yotr ofore Itoe elAmed to ohltvo anyone.
r9urera have come a long way since then. Now we have rIgolor barber
colleges in at of the larger Atios, ',here you not only learn to shave
people and out hair, but you're taught the. sotenee of treating the hair,
coulp, am; fwA). I'll* visited the Jacksonville narber Oalege and they
have ol8Atoon chairs where the students gat actual experience. h. first
two ctuArs give nu a shave and haircut. ler about two bits, the next four
for trienty canto. The price decreaces as ybu get farther buck in the onfv.
in tho lad two chairs they don't charge anything and &usually rive you a
bag of oundy ao cansolation.
rdering iv more of a e:!ience all right; new actoode are noinr to
ruvolutionlae the booinoss. :Je Vol that our treatments are as much for
ration no for 1048. "You know the hietory of that striped pole out
front of barber ehlpet 4011, is the oixteonth tentur beroro did almost
everything. 'ihey did Kinder ourrieul oporatims, bled people, pulled t,Aht
triLrned hair, and sharpened knives. hen a barber went to e ..-une, you
aoldn't tell by tho way he dreered or the tools he ctrried if no had eons
to shave the master or inspect the plumbing. he striped pole is sold to
have originated from a 231s in front where the barbers hung their bloody
4.. 3 a,
t
bandages to dry. Tho wind blow theta, ifj.nding then diagonally tround tho
"1.fav th.thea hullo ohne!, ed arid no hmva prioos. In tlemi durinc the
bout, In I used to cat a dollar for a hairout end do:0.er for
a atiroVo• w hod wasn't holf he, nice as tile one but wo did a
lanit—affie° buainees beaz,tise everybody inaa so busy Eating noney t noy k i de t
bairo time to cheats tmssuelves. od nenoy, inverted ;11.t '.th !tied
iir;d LOt curui-A in the crash.
ft or tn-:, eo'let:ve of the land boomin iktio T triated bcelt o )1 0m
bro.,..pod r!:ff loco to visit save ealtAives Grid lilted it so nuah docided
to ntny. taouilat the town needed 1,,n5ther borbr shop, so 7 opanod tip
thin plrro, and I'vø been here thirto tit yours.
oft rr or.oned, tm L-Arl aire Te tented to rr.nt ti
clarlor. Tria o rri I ter, che If -'t! riarny hor
sho tr1dit•t hovo to play rent. I foolec her. 7 srried -r ard nos she
priy tIf in rent on the t..Lialervc ',Tad T'vel rt.111 rot the te,at
ht. re ,r n -11!:11 col.rt,:; 'f:of,oty rttr3.or to et t,c0r to t .10 tar-
bor t.:414,
"71a b:rocirc in thi ton ivo a cat prine to tif.t1141(10 unioir compoti4o,
it.j.ret muRo avytang Mu 7 000d tom...about half as swap _'d say«,
Lot t:,kee half et0 :Irutoi; to :live nere.
A tt vIttl rink° pretty, f. itr !nem°. %This first yocir after psying
0 t for eu:Larl,lo ..up 14 or kutiiptiont nc 2. Vint, OXperl$011, T retina that I td
cy...ty:scoor7. to v.," about 4 h nc;red do.. btt. -ince thot tin° we ;lave t equip.
ta Art
I or hod have mnalp0 to Lark ilJottt fifty otWArti c eti an
sub
averazo. :e voth pay Loconio
41.8 trite a month eV every nurev9r '.,elen things aro slow end go up
north for a vicit. I unually spend a couple of weeks in Lind around .myton
wit rA,ativee ond the other two !evic off tourinr, corawhere.
"T•rn t-,lveyo giud to et trick cy.ttor hoer lorg rir gone. 1y rife
can't- st,,rld tho north. .T.t's nut tho climate SW !web as the people ond the
cast .,zre• he's a "el 1,9tket girio porn n nd rebated richt bore iT. the .outtt_,
and t tend a t:ovey ,144 -:re. her on rose her up north, wellepo,
she hos 6 p-Cratty tamper. •Iftki 1140.
0 ,10119t have 'Any childrsno but her nephew lives with ue orid ,Doe
to lila school. Ito is -a .1uricr row .rd a star co tho football
team. i ?ltqs half...boa and in alotsd to be next year's) voruity captain.
"lusseidoe Cle nephew, we've got tf..-o i'.hoves .`Joston 7011 and et couple
of orals ries. .8 live in our own hone, richt nerer here. 7.t es =1; a five
room bnol...r.aow but it's nice. ',14 drive n hoorrolet soden and fortnege to
get n now one every year. That's the test way to buy curs, :,00GUO0 Yee
c;at G liberal allowanco or tho ono you turn in if it'e w11 tuft=
vire of tr.ra thn Osalor blown shll •nallo LAin trek. iy thfi to u had
now tiros anci Int.nor ropaire rola* or --ur ltyltor rtodol :it%) tnuld have
s7ent anou7h to pay the difforonce fluturw:118”.
rift und g0 aUt n erfAat !!ac41. 11 U t4II r
and rimy, ,T-th to the Otrh scha...11 atiletic 27.-yed cit
nicflt ttm football finial and pc:rk ttro
we flavor mine. ,00nue,- of :Ifr tu ort idlOntribct5ons t ihe t",letiat
ausorlation we'ro 1.nvited tu tho aw•ual football, brquet, r1,,ern honor
of the. depart ing sesiers.
17 Wife 1141. Aar bridge olbh and i belong to sireerol otitis and fries.
ternol orsations. :4) aro all .working together right now to do ettat
too wan abut getting an ap.)roprintion throurtx ngrees tnio Saar: AI for the
odetplotion of the T1 arida 1,,hio anal. It will ,.3alne down the t. John's
ivr ri:ht by "ore and on to a point twelet Niles below town where it
will torn aerol:) the ltato.
"I We one of the clliamtis to moot tho liorbor and -iver "%axiitteo
:ran Alai; LTA "in that a..krttis •lovn hero loot r.-09he -40 wttt,d nil afternoon
for t -411:1 finally ab,ot_ff;_•rk mot thin nine !vilea above hors otho
river w1111 a •.olvoy of boats. They cue down from daeksonstilo xi a
private sooeo boat and went frota hare to u(!ale yefor. If we s!et the
eatil. it pal ,....orten eiling titzt to Ili* CtelvOoton tind other
ports in tne :;,ulf by cuttinE out the trip.orooLd the •loricia -•trta.
It "Quid take so many of those !loan t:ocks off the roa.tie. .'nfo are 'vino
tA$ tat$ hILAways and bemuse of their vise rake it d‘ogeroue to driva
on the rued kt.orind the oi rue sonnon. boy t:y the nese of -owall Velti
cilled liket iok, just LOrth of bore when hie ear ran nto tho rce.r of
ono of te,ze trucks parked cm the b4:1roril'•"
°I:to to cuoroh, Orr!" rektki.
wo Ltvo a prAty leievrod if cround Pince," Pie mnliee. "I
.ury n!Littd ut 1.Po otAta.iist ::hursh, but I. spend wet
,undays
"_Areryody honte an,1 f104113 klia t.ko cl%JrLs.
•id unys t..,ko cotQlo of :tit tioek ofr, tho r4.o,ut...orts
rii-Ost hø'Aontinc, late i,unk last fd:11 on eloo.nt of the. ..r,pei;a• 7kie
ar 6
fiehing this year ought to be good enough to make up for it, though.
The ogekinox an jut paesed FAnd tho fish will food good all doy betwoen
the new noon and first quarto,. I caught a roil (femalo) base this spring
on an artificial plug that tipped the scales at better than thirteen
pounCsoi that was jz.let rittor eptiwning 3 *AIM '11.th an average roe she
w0A171 'rive weighed fifteen pounds or bottor• The Asto champion prise win«,
nor only ,0 :ADO to a little, bolter t.77tin fourteen pounds.
":44 y:),„t vote! "I interraptod.
“y9a bet I do," ho switched topics eatly. "I' always vote a etreight
Dsmocratic ticket but can't afford to 0.7:preve my ,pinions about local
pc.- it ice. I have so many elicitatiorc that ask no what I think about tote
person for of that person for lor:Tieri:cter. T inriofilektoly nhengo
the 7InjoA if T
brushed me off r.nd en I ITot !1.r.to y Goat he said, "..'ver hear of
Joie e 'love 7i.e:!.lon, the late freeel rieff,nato from Pittsburg! -,00nt every
wintrr for over .frty ymni in is hone hero. nbout 1938 fix Ai the
rbutler that ?always ohaved him 4init trirred hio hair and I vat the job. Used
to invite my !Tiff, end ryselt tc rats !--,r143 hire eind we always spont o for
days wi im r1.11037 we trIlt north. 't-7.1.-1- fertro. Ho hrd retired fror, husim.
no:.7! nn(7, :71.31ty of tine, rtsiO hn,e, u avorymare nnd intr.:levee us
around ricre 'kat ore or 'Fond rbUtn.
t110, oc! !lir! for the intervion and started for tho door, he tinned
aftor me, '''`letor, hi3 cure end 000 ur )1.1111.0 f'-tErdesla before yrni leuve
to,r. 1 o. cool a zind thre°c: p:.enttcl Lorte
of fir):ortas o7eloso."