News, Citizen Profile, Willard Otho Martin, LaSalle Parish, La. ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Submitted by: Craig Franklin of The Jena Times, Jena, LaSalle Parish, La. Features Wednesday, August 1, 2001, Page 1, Section B A Times-Signal Feature "Citizen Profile" A Very Special Salute Willard Martin – Citizen Profile Forty years of cutting hair and hearing stories For over 40 years this Tullos man earned his living cutting hair. That's 40 years of haircuts, and 40 years of stories of which only half can be repeated. Willard Otho Martin was born on April 4, 1920, in the small community of Kelly in Caldwell Parish. His parents were Elijah and Minnie McDaniel Martin. He was the fourth of eleven children in the Martin household – five boys and six girls. The family lived on a 110- acre spread where 40-45 acres was in cultivation for farmland and the rest was timber. "Daddy worked on the farm and mother was, well, she was a real mother," Mr. Martin said. "She loved her kids. Daddy believed in discipline and I'm so glad he did. I raised my children just like I was raised. Later on they thanked me for that too." With a large farm in the 1920's and ‘30's, that meant many long hours in the fields working the crops. Mr. Martin remembers that his father taught his children early on the importance of hard work. "All the kids helped," he said. "Even our mother would work in the fields. I remember she'd work ‘till about 10 (a.m.) and then she'd go back and fix lunch. We were definitely a working family." When they weren't working the farm, the family earned extra money cutting timber on their land. During that time, cutting pulpwood and selling cross ties to the railroad was hard work, but it allowed the Martins to make some extra money they wouldn't have normally had. At that time in Kelly, Mr. Martin remembers that there were two churches in town, one Methodist and one Baptist."My mother belonged to the Methodist Church and my daddy's folks were all Baptist," he said. "In fact, my daddy's daddy was a deacon in the Baptist church. But back then, everybody went to both churches anyway." He explained that during the early years in rural places, most community churches did not have full-time pastors. "We'd have half-time preachers and so when one church didn't have a preacher we'd go to the other church," he said. "Basically, we'd alternate churches from Sunday to Sunday." The Martins, led by their mother, were faithful to attend church each Sunday and also any special events that happened at the church. "One time we were having a revival at the Methodist church and one night of this revival the preacher preached on going to heaven," he said. "I was about 9 or 10 years-old and I remember thinking how I wished I could know for sure I was going to heaven. But I didn't make a decision that night, it wasn't until years later when I was in the service before I accepted the Lord." He attended school at Kelly and went until he finished the seventh grade. At the time though, helping his family make money was more important than his education. "But I loved to read," he said. "I would read everything and always read the newspapers and kept track of what was going on. In fact, years later when I was in Shreveport, I got my GED. I didn't even have to take any classes, I just took the test and passed my first time." When Mr. Martin was 17 years old, he went into the CC Camps were he worked for two years. He was first stationed in Chatham and then moved to Florida. Toward the end of his service, he transferred back to Louisiana and served out of the rest of his time at the Ruston camp. In 1941, two big events took place in Mr. Martin's life. First, he was married to Doris Cupples of Urania, and secondly, he joined the United States Navy for World War II. He served for four years, until 1945, working on a freighter hauling supplies to troops. It was on one of these trips that he met a man that changed his life forever. "We were going by these islands with no escorts and we all knew how dangerous it was going to be," he said. "I got to thinking about dying, so I just got out on the deck of that ship and accepted the Lord right there. I never will forget the burden of sin that was lifted off of me that night." After returning home in 1945 after the war, Mr. Martin worked for the railroad building bridges. He and his young bride joined Standard Baptist Church in Olla. It was while he was working with the railroad that he became interested in being a barber. He obtained information about a barber school in New Orleans, but put his plans on hold as his wife announced she was expecting their first child. In 1947, his wife gave birth to their first child, a boy, but the joyous occasion quickly turned to grief. In the process of giving birth, complications arose with Mrs. Doris, and four days after their first child was born, she died. Ironically, her death marked exactly six years and six months to the day that the couple was married. Following his wife's death, Mr. Martin decided to go ahead and attend the New Orleans barber school. The nine- month course helped him keep his mind off the tragic circumstances that had just occurred, and there he met a man that would be a life-long friend. Attending the barber school with Mr. Martin was an Aimwell man by the name of Ronald Andrews. Andrews, who most all of Jena residents are familiar with, owned and operated Andrews Barber Shop for years in downtown Jena. He, like Mr. Martin, was not only known for his great hair cuts, but also for his fine Christian demeanor. After he graduated, he came back to Tullos where he started barbering. In 1949, Mr. Martin met his second wife, Bronis Miles, and the two were married. "What is interesting about this is that Bronis' first husband was killed during the war," he said. "They had a child before he left to go to the war so when he was killed that left her alone with their child." He said that he'd been praying that God would send him a Christian girl to help him raise his little boy. "Well, God gave me a bonus," he said. "She had a little girl so I got a daughter. God has blessed me so much." Later on, the couple would have another child together and then they would adopt another girl to make their family complete. The Martins stayed in Urania for some time, and Mr. Martin went back to New Orleans and obtained his master barber license. Mrs. Martin, who had gotten about halfway through college before her first husband was died, decided that she wanted to go back to school to finish her education. It had been her desire to be a teacher. So, the family moved to Monroe until she finished college at Northeast Louisiana University. "I had a barber shop on campus and I got to cut all of the professors' and doctors' hair," he said. "Bronis graduated in 1959 and at that time they were wanting teachers everywhere. We moved to Shreveport and she took a job as an elementary teacher at Summer Grove." Mr. Martin went into the barber business with another man in Shreveport, who was originally from Sikes. The two opened two barber shops and eventually split up, with Mr. Martin taking over one of the shops and his friend the other. "I had two barbers working for me and we had a tremendous business," he said. "We were in a great location and nearly everyone came and got their hair cut at my shop. I even cut Elvis Presley's drummer's hair. I tell that to people and they think I'm lying." The long-time barber remembered that when he first started in the barber business, a hair cut cost only 75 cents. Over the years, the price would be raised to $1, $1.25, $1.50, and so on, until the price today is around $10. Mr. Martin said that during the early years, the barber shop was not only a place to get a hair cut, but you could also catch up on all the latest news around town. "You tell it and I've heard it," said Mr. Martin. "I've heard a lot of stories at the barber shop over the years, some of which I wouldn't dare repeat." While at Shreveport, the Martin's attended Summer Grove Baptist Church where Mr. Martin was ordained as a deacon in 1962. He has also taught Sunday School in every place he has attended church. Also in Shreveport, an event occurred which changed barbershops across America forever. "When President John F. Kennedy was in office, Mrs. Kennedy had John-John and she let his hair grow out and it started a new style," he said. "So I went back to school to learn how to style hair to keep up with the times." In the Fall of 1973, the Martin's moved to Jena, where Mrs. Martin went to work teaching at Good Pine Middle School under Earl K. Brooks. Mr. Martin bought the building next to the old Strand Theater (now Crick Insurance) and started cutting hair. He hadn't been cutting hair long in Jena when a severe illness struck him and laid him off of work for four years."They had to take out 85 percent off my stomach and that just about was the end of my barbering days, or so I thought," Mr. Martin said. So in 1976, he sold his building to Bud Crick and he moved his family back to Shreveport, where they stayed for another two years. Eventually though, he would be able to return to the job he loved and in 1981 the moved back to Jena. Mr. Martin remembers that the barber in Tullos had just died and some of the people in Tullos contacted him about coming back to Tullos to cut hair. "So we bought our house in Tullos and I went back to work cutting hair," he said. "I started out working just three days a week, but I got so busy that I had to work four days a week." He eventually bought a new shop building and located it right across from the Tullos Town Hall. Over the next several years, he would sell the shop, buy it back again, and then sell it again before retiring for good. "It wasn't that I didn't want to barber anymore," he said. "I just got to where I couldn't physically do it. I got sick again and had to get out of it for good in 1991 or 1992." Throughout the years, Mr. Martin often found other ways to bring in extra income for his family. "I guess growing up the way I did, I learned quick to supplement my income and make a dollar any way I could," he said. "When I was off work for those four years sick, I got into doing locksmith work and did work all over the parish. I've done banks, schools, the courthouse, along with opening cars and houses. Anything with a lock on it, I can open it." Since moving back to Tullos in the early 1980's, the Martin's have been faithful members of Tullos First Baptist Church, where he continues to serve as deacon today. "I've had a ball being a barber for all those years," he said. "I've always been a people person, so being a barber was right up my alley. I've met people from all walks of life and enjoyed all the conversations that have taken place." The list of people who Mr. Martin has cut their hair would be too many to name. He has cut generations of hair, given many in LaSalle Parish their first hair cut, and probably knows most everyone in the parish. "If they've been here very long, I know them," he said. "And I might have even cut their hair, or at least cut someone's hair that is kin to them or that they know." Despite having some rough times in his life, Mr. Martin said that he wouldn't change a thing. "God knew exactly what he was doing and everything worked out just exactly like He planned," he said. "I'm just thankful He's blessed me like he has. I've enjoyed life and enjoyed being a barber, husband, father and most importantly, a Christian."