The oldest licensed hairstylist in Tennessee is being forced to retire on her 100th birthday
Like most hairstylists, Callie Terrell loves to make her clients feel good about themselves. But unlike most hairstylists, Terrell has been coiffing hair since 1945, which is when she earned her beautician’s license.
“They say I’m the oldest licensed beautician in Tennessee,” she told the Washington Post. “Nobody’s come forward to dispute that, so it must be true.”
However, that will all change next month when the senior citizen is forced to retire. Terrell, who turns 100 on Nov. 26, says the owner of the salon she works in plans to retire, leaving her out of a part-time job she loves. “I’d keep going, maybe to 101 or 102,” she told the newspaper. “I love what I do, so why not?”
Before becoming a beauty legend in her own right, Terrell owned a salon in the late 1950s and witnessed it all, from demonstrations during the civil rights movement to the hair trend made famous by Michael Jackson. “I never wanted to do that Jheri curl,” she said, “So I didn’t. I gave those customers to another operator in the salon. I don’t like tacky things. I want people to look realistic and professional.”
Terrell also recalls being in the audience at Memphis’s Mason Temple the night of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, which was the night before he was assassinated. The next morning, while she styled clients, she served as a shoulder to lean on during the tragedy. “I’ve seen and heard a lot of things, some good, some not so good,” she said, “but when a lady needs somebody to talk to, I’m there for them.”
The 99-year-old, who has outlived most of her clients and family, credits her job as her secret to longevity. “I can’t account for why I’m still here,” she told the newspaper. “I suppose it’s just working and doing something that brings joy.” She still drives herself to work and doesn’t need glasses. In fact, she serves as a hairstylist and chauffeur for her 78-year-old daughter, who no longer drives.
Terrell is the poster child for loving what you do and admits that she doesn’t really plan on stopping after 73 years in the beauty biz. “I’ll miss my job, and I’ll miss my customers when I retire, but that won’t be the end,” she said. “I’m still going to keep active.”
She has big plans for the 100th birthday, too. “You’ll see me out driving around Memphis,” she said. “You bet.”
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