Dell Girard in his Port O’Connor Barber Shop.

Dell Girard celebrated his birthday on March 5th. Although he was born Adelard Joseph Girard in Berlin, New Hampshire, he’s called “Dell the Barber” here in Port O’Connor, where he has lived most of his 93 years.

When he enlisted in the U.S. Army, Dell was sent to Camp Hulen, near Palacios, for his basic training. It was there that he fell in love with Ray Elizabeth Stapp of Palacios. They were married in October of 1941. Soon afterwards, Dell was shipped overseas.

While in the jungles of New Guinea, having the need for a haircut, Dell traded haircuts with a buddy. His talent as a barber was evident, and other GI’s started asking him to cut their hair. He used his artistic talent to draw cartoons of people’s heads, which made it easier to see how the hair should be cut.

One day his commander told him he should start charging for haircuts. RayBeth sent Dell a pair of hand operated clippers. (He still has them.) “After that, I always had money in my pocket,” Dell said.

In 1944, upon being discharged from the Army, Dell and RayBeth settled in Port O’Connor. Dell worked as a deckhand on his brother-in-law’s shrimp boat. After a few years, he started driving the school bus from Port O’Connor to Port Lavaca, working at a Port Lavaca ship yard refurbishing yachts while the students were in school.

In 1949, Dell decided to go to barber college in Houston and become a licensed barber. While doing his apprenticeship in a Port Lavaca barber shop, he also went back to driving the school bus. “I drove the band and football team everywhere for all their games and contests,” Dell recalled fondly.

In 1954, he built his little one-chair shop in his back yard. He also traveled to Matagorda Island Air Force Base two days a week to cut the servicemen’s hair. He would drive his own boat most of the time so that he could fish on the way over and back. On Sundays, he and his fishing buddies would fish and pick up some oysters.

After Hurricane Carla destroyed his barber shop, Dell built the little shop that still stands at Third Street, between Adams and Main. There are several deer racks on the wall of the shop, and Dell has many photos of past deer hunts, a pastime he greatly enjoyed. He utilized everything he shot, making deer sausage –link, pan and dried. He left some as ground meat to make “meat pies” like his Mom had made when he was a young boy.

Dell also loved gardening, and his efforts put fresh vegetables on his family’s table year-around. His well-tended citrus trees produced large and tasty lemons, oranges, limes and grapefruit.

Dell and RayBeth had three children: a daughter, Betty Causey, living in the Austin area; a son, Joe Girard, who passed away in 2008; and another daughter, Mary Hawes, living in Port O’Connor. They have six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, ranging in age from 4 weeks to 22 years. After being married for 69 years, Dell’s beloved wife, Ray Elizabeth, passed away in 2010.

In the early 1970’s, about the same time as the Air Force Base shut down, men and boys started wearing their hair longer. Since that meant fewer trips to the barber shop, or maybe even switching to a “hair stylist”, Dell decided he’d better do something to supplement his barbering income. Since he loved fishing, and knew all the “hot spots”, he got his fishing guide license and started taking fishing charters.

Dell’s Barber Shop was open two days per week, serving mostly repeat customers with whom he developed a friendly relationship over the years. As time went by, many of the old-timers moved away or passed on. At the end of 2011, Dell decided to hang up his clippers and retire.

Since then, Dell has given up his garden and his hunting and fishing, but he still has one hair cutting customer, his son-in-law Mike Hawes. “I miss doing all the things I used to do,” Dell said, “but I really appreciate friends and family who bring me fresh veggies from their gardens and fish, ducks and deer.”

He still has a full life visiting with family and friends and attending his Church.

“I do miss my customer friends, though,” Dell said. “And I want to thank them for their patronage all these years.”

Dell and his wife, RayBeth, in front of Dell’s Barber Shop ‘54-’61

Cutting a youngster’s hair

Dell, the school bus driver, 1950

Dell, the fisherman