Community's last barber calling it quits

(image from sr. perspective)

One can hardly help remembering the Beatles' "Penny Lane," as we consider the upcoming retirement of Dave Evenson. Dave is our town barber. We refer to him all by himself: "the town barber," yes the cheese standing alone, or the last local survivor of his craft.
I suggested recently we have a proclamation signed locally for the affable Dave, who with wife Yvonne is soon to be a resident of sunny California. The suggestion wasn't made in this blog. It was made directly to the parties who would perform it. I get the impression the proclamation will happen. I was asked for my own input.
Such a thing, a congratulatory proclamation, might seem totally innocent and easy to do. Surely it ought to be. The problem is with gender sensitivity. I suggest we honor Dave as sort of the "last man standing" in his craft locally. I invoked the memory of "Floyd the Barber" from the Andy Griffith TV show. The problem or challenge is that we are defining Dave's role in gender terms: he's someone of the male gender who cuts males' hair.
"Big deal," you might think, "we've always had barbers around." Consider though that we live in an age where political correctness is a barrier to a lot of thoughts we once deemed innocent. "Hey, he's a barber." Yes, but what exactly is that? We still have numerous people in the community who professionally cut hair. We routinely use the word "cosmetologist" for females in the trade. Use that term and you seem automatically to be suggesting a female.
But why should this be so rock-ribbed? It actually should not be, given our contemporary sensibilities. There are people who cut hair professionally, period. Right? So maybe it's just not right to make a big deal of Dave Evenson retiring, based on political correctness.
Political correctness is something that few of us profess to actually like. Yet we realize it pushes forward like a bulldozer, and in the end we have to admit that it has benefits for all of us. Back around 1970 it would have been considered radical and a little outlandish to suggest that girls should play on high school basketball teams. If that were to be allowed, it would be a novelty, surely nothing that could exist side by side with the boys. It is not pleasant to dredge up such a memory but it is absolutely true.
Say the word "barber" and we all know what's being talked about. A guy like Floyd in "Andy of Mayberry," a genial guy who knew how to give a guy a "trim."
So often we present "common sense" to rebut political correctness, but that is getting more and more difficult to do. My, how times change. Let me count the ways. There were several barbers around town when I was a kid. This is a nice trivia challenge for long-time Morris residents. As I get older - I'm in my mid-60s now, Lordy - I find my memories of Morris are getting more and more valuable. And BTW is anyone making preparations for the Sesquicentennial? Are community celebrations important anymore? We're witnessing the death of Prairie Pioneer Days as a summer event. And my, we're witnessing the death of the ShopKo store.
There was a time when we all were guardians of community "amenities" partly for the sake of the UMM community. However, I have pondered over the last few days, as news of ShopKo closing has bubbled and festered, how off-campus shopping probably is not important to today's college students. So it don't matter.
Should a man cut a man's hair? Why should it matter?
 
From the memory vault
Let's recall with a knowing smirk what can happen when a man sits in the chair of a female "cosmetologist" with apron over hands. Hey guys, when seeing a woman just say "I'll keep my hands where you can see them." I joked with barber Dave about that, when I saw him recently for the last time in his barber role. I told him to cut my hair as short as possible. I won't have to deal with hair issues for a while. And when I do, I might just hack away with scissors for a time.
No more "barber" in Morris with the "barber pole" outside. We remember guys like Bob Reese, Max Smedsted and Merlin Beyer, all in the mold of "Floyd the Barber." It's cherished Americana.
My suggested proclamation for Dave acknowledges that female cosmetologists can do the job just fine. We have to acknowledge that, lest we suggest we're losing an absolutely necessary resource. And we're not: women can do the job fine. But we are losing the last "barber" with all the cultural importance that carries, whether it's in line with P.C. or not. The barber comes right off the cover of the old Saturday Evening Post. Or the "Mayberry" TV show.
Dave tells me he's selling his barber chair. Ah, life will go on, I guess.
 
"Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs, of every head he's had the pleasure to know."
 
Interesting: I have always heard this line differently, as "had the pleasure to have known." What about you? Looking online for verification, the consensus is "to know" although I found one place where it's reported as I heard it. Precise song lyrics are sometimes hard to ferret out. Remember, it's not "might as well admit it you're a dickhead in love."
 
Addendum: Is there hope finding a barber in Alexandria? I asked Dave that today and he said yes, and to look for "Kyle's" close to the Ole statue.
 
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com