70
INPERSON
For the past 70 years it’ s been rare to find John DiBernardo without a pair of scissors and a comb. Over the years, the local barber not only witnessed and adapted to seven decades worth of changing hairstyles, but has also watched Pittsburgh blossom into the beautiful metropolis it is today.
DiBernardo grew up in Rankin and attended Rankin High School. His father, who was an excellent student and at the top of his class in Italy, noticed his son wasn’ t excelling in school and worried he wasn’ t going to graduate. So his father contacted a friend who was a local barber and had trained young men in the trade.
Before he knew it, at age 13, DiBernardo was learning the ways of a barber, though he often posed as the shop’ s cleaning boy since he was too young to begin learning the trade and barber permits were not available until age 14.
“ One day I was sitting around the shop, and the owner said,‘ If you want to learn the trade of a barber, come here, stand by me, but stay out of my way and just watch my hands. Watch everything my hands do,’” recalls DiBernardo.“ Once in a while I would get tired of watching him, so I would look out the window. Next thing I knew, he’ d kick me in the leg to get my attention and force me to focus. He was strict, but he was good!”
The owner of the barbershop in Rankin was master barber Vincent( Jim) Compagnone.“ He was a very good barber,” beams DiBernardo. Compagnone had learned the art of barbering when he was a child in Italy.
At age 14, DiBernardo was issued his pink barber’ s permit and officially became Compagnone’ s apprentice. He learned all that barbering had to offer including facial shaves, facial massages and shampooing in addition to cutting hair. DiBernardo has many fond memories from those early years, including watching Compagnone shave himself in the morning with a straight razor.“ One day he sat back in the barber’ s chair and said‘ Johnny, pick up the white razor and shave me,’” says DiBernardo.“ I said,‘ You want me to shave you?’ and he said‘ Yeah, you’ ve looked long enough, so come over here and get to it!’” DiBernardo nervously but successfully shaved the left side of Compagnone’ s face, but as soon as he was done and about to begin on the right side, Compagnone sat up, saying“ OK, this side is very good”
YEARS OF
STYLE
Hometowner John DiBernardo, owner of Dee’ s Barber Shop, celebrates seven decades behind the chair.
— BY NICOLE TAFE—
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