Just Folks

Dewey Padgett

Dewey Padgett of Sallisaw has been known to cut up to 182 heads of hair in one day.

He has also been known to continue a haircut in the midst of a fire with flames burning down his barber pole.

More recently, Padgett celebrated his 87th birthday on Jan. 24 with a family breakfast attended by his family before going to work at the job he has been doing for 63 years, serving many generations of clients in Sallisaw and the surrounding area.

“I was working in Tulsa and my dad called me one day and said, ‘Why don’t you go to barber school and come and help me?’ So in 1959 that’s what I did. I’ve been cutting hair ever since. I enjoy cutting hair and I enjoy meeting and visiting with people. A lot of them have been coming here for years,” Padgett said.

Padgett said his father, Willie, owned a barber shop across the street from his present location on Oak Street when his barber career began. In the year 2000, Padgett decided to purchase the building across the street and opened the present location of Padgett’s Barber Shop at 219 N. Oak Street.

Padgett enjoys telling stories of some of the excitement that’s taken place during his time cutting hair. Such as the time he was cutting Highway Patrol Trooper Shane Allen’s hair in May 2009 when the building next door to the barber shop caught fire.

“That was Farmer’s Furniture. The fire blew out the window next door and my barber pole caught fire, and there were flames near my window. I kept cutting Shane’s hair and finally when the fire trucks and other emergency trucks arrived, Shane said ‘Maybe we ought to do this another time.’ So I said, ‘OK.’ I think he wore a flat top for a little while until we could finish his haircut,” he said.

Padgett said he moved the shop back to the old location across the street while repairs were being made after the fire, which caused some smoke and water damage to his shop.

Padgett also recalls when his partner Wayne Merrill was called to cut hair at Fort Chaffee for the boys who had enlisted in the army at the same time Elvis was getting a haircut two chairs away from Merrill.

“He said they had to burn Elvis’ hair because there were so many girls trying to get to him, they were afraid of them fighting over Elvis’ hair. Just think what that’d be worth now,” he said.

Padgett is accompanied by his youngest son Aaron by his side at the shop these days. His other sons, Steve and Rick, have also worked as barbers with their father. While Steve, who is also a Sallisaw fireman, continues to work on Saturdays. Padgett said his son Rick passed several years ago.

Padgett is the grandfather of five with one on the way. He also has six great-grandchildren with the loss of one.

The mother of his children, Alyne, passed in 2015. Padgett said the couple was two months away from their 60th wedding anniversary when she passed. He remarried a year and a half later to Laveda, now Padgett. The couple has been married for six years and are active in the Apostolic Faith Church in Sallisaw.

Padgett said he has always led an active life. He played basketball with his friends in Sallisaw until he turned 75-years-old.

“We’d all get together and play full court basketball in the evenings. I don’t know if they still do that but I enjoyed it while I could and it kept me in shape. Now I’m getting a little bit of a belly,” he said, with a laugh. He still enjoys watching his grandchildren play football and basketball in Sallisaw.

Padgett grew up in Adair County and attended schools in Stilwell before making Sallisaw his home. He said his grandmother, Eliza Sixkiller, was a fullblood Cherokee and enjoys sharing stories about her and hearing about his Cherokee culture.

“Son Steve likes to talk Cherokee. I jokingly tell people he was speaking Cherokee to a woman and she hit him with her purse,” he said, laughing.

“I just enjoy having a good time with people. I’ve done many haircuts for people here in Sallisaw. Some have gone but their sons or grandsons come in here for a haircut. I do all kinds,” he said.

“Dewey gave me my first haircut when I was 4-years-old. I’ve been coming here for 44 years,” said Sheldon Fair, who was getting ready for his haircut.

Padgett said he will continue to cut hair for as long as he can. He said he cannot begin to tell how many haircuts he has done to date. He was honored on Aug. 3 a couple of years ago when the mayor of Sallisaw declared Aug. 3 as Dewey Padgett Day, receiving a host of well-wishers from state to local representatives and his many friends who came by to honor him.

In response to a question of how Padgett can complete so many haircuts in one day, he said, “Back in the old days, the men would come to Sallisaw one day a week, mainly on Saturdays to get a haircut. Their wives would drive around the block and most usually by the time they came back around, their men would be ready. I guess that’s how it all began.”

“We’ve always told him, he needs a drive-thru barber shop. People can stick their heads out the window and he can cut their hair pretty quickly,” son Aaron said, laughing.

“Now days, when they tell me they want a ‘Dewey Special,’ I know what they want,” Padgett said, smiling.

Just Folks. Just Folks is Your TIMES way of honoring the regular people of Sequoyah County, recognizing their unique talents, personalities, jobs, abilities, etc. Your TIMES appreciates the cooperation of each Just Folks and the public’s nominations for this feature. If you know of someone you think might be a good story, contact Amie or Lynn at 918-775-4433.