Mr. Howard Kilgore: A Barber with the cutting edge
Howard Kilgore is a 1964 graduate of Bryson High School, which was then an all Black High School. In 1966 he was drafted into the United States Army, and completed his basic training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. Upon leaving Fort Jackson, he was sent to AIT, an Army base in Fort Carson, Colorado. After further training at Fort Carson, he spent the rest of his service for the United States in Germany. He served as a Scout Driver, Tank Driver, and his ranking was a Spec 4, which is one ranking below a sergeant.
Completing his Army tour in 1968, Kilgore returned home and went back to cutting hair. He began cutting hair at the age of 12. He credits his father with encouraging him toward developing as an entrepreneur. Kilgore would cut his friends' hair most of the time free of charge. His father explained that this was a great opportunity for him to start a small business. His clientele was already in place, therefore, rather than cut hair for free, he should charge a small fee for the service he was giving. Kilgore's father understood the business end when it came to supply and demand. Kilgore's friends were in demand of a quality, clean cut, and he was the avenue to which that demand could be met. He acquired his Barber's license on the same day of President John F Kennedy's assassination.
Kilgore's father worked at a Barber shop on Spring Street, in the downtown Greenville area. His father gave him the necessary tools for cutting hair, and began to teach his son a variety of popular styles and trends that would help Kilgore develop into an accomplished Professional Barber.
After perfecting his skills, Kilgore became a regular Barber on Spring Street. In those days the shop was only opened on Fridays and Saturdays. Hair was cut from eight in the morning until eleven at night. The charge for a cut was only fifty cents a head. Kilgore was married in 1973, and in order to support his wife and family, he gained full time employment with a company called Fabrication Products. He continued to work part-time as a Barber, and when this company closed and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1979, Kilgore returned to cutting hair on a full time basis.
Although much of his early years as a Barber started out on Spring Street, Kilgore came to the realization that it was time for him to venture out. The hostile and unsafe environment on Spring Street became a hazard not only to the development of his business, but his customers as well. Kilgore partnered with another Barber, Mr. James Brown, made a business move, and relocated to 521 East Stone Avenue. This particular shop has been in business since 1966; Kilgore is presently the Manager. He prides himself with the fact that the shop has that old school flavor, a place that makes every customer feel welcomed. The shop has a family oriented atmosphere, and Kilgore is viewed as a soldier, role model and pillar of the community.
Many noted African American Doctors, Lawyers, Pastors, and Deacons frequently come into the shop not only for a good quality hair cut, but also for the ambiance; that good ole wholesome flavor, the talk and camaraderie of the years past. The popular 107.3 JAMZ radio personality, K.J. in the mid-day, along with her son, is a regular customer.
Kilgore who just turned sixty years young on February 3, 2006, like a runner in a relay race, has passed the baton of this great tradition on to his son. Just as his father instructed, groomed, preened, and shaped him into the great Barber he has become, he is now doing the same with his son.
Kilgore is quick to remind the youth of this day the importance of a good education. "Go to school, and do not stop with high school. Education is a continuous building of the mind. College and beyond is an absolute must. Trust in the Lord, always."
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