Two things convinced Barry Adams, 75, he wanted to be a barber when he graduated from Humboldt High School in 1961.
Like boys back then, he marched to Ward Barricklows shop every two weeks to have his hair trimmed. Over the course of those biweekly trips, Barry noticed Barricklow took off a week or so every fall to hunt deer in Colorado, and also closed whenever he liked to trek to western Kansas when pheasant season opened.
That sounded good to me, Barry said.
After a year at Chanute Junior College, Barry attended a barber school in Wichita.
I thought I might end up in Humboldt, he said, but after barber school he positioned himself behind a barber chair in Leavenworth.
The towns strong military presence and two prisons, however, were off-putting to Barry and his wife, Sue (Schurtz).
It was quite an experience, Barry recalled. Within hailing distance of where he worked were 52 places where liquor sold. I didnt like it all, nor did Sue, who worked at Wadsworth military hospital while Barry cut hair.
All changed within a years time when Wayne Sparks needed someone to take over a second chair in his Chanute shop.
Barry leaped at the chance. Nine years later he bought the shop and changed the name to Topper.
I had four or five guys work with me until Brian (the Adamses son) joined me. It has been an amicable relationship since. Barry retired two years ago when he had five bypasses during a second heart surgery.
All told, Barry barbered in Chanute 53 years.
Hunting once was his favorite hobby, but now its golf. He plays several times a week, even of late when the weather wasnt inviting to many.
BARRYS CAREER hasnt been without interesting moments.
Once an older fellow was having his hair cut when he suddenly started to fall head-first toward the floor. Me and another guy grabbed him. I thought hed had a heart attack I almost had one when it happened but hed just passed out momentarily for some reason.
