Stanley SuttonStory 10April 27, 2011Words: 1,647

Gallagher-Iba Arena isn’t the only place in Stillwater that has memorabilia of

OSU basketball, football and wrestling legends on display.

On the corner of University and Knoblock sits The Varsity, a small

barbershop wedged between a clothing store and a campus ministry building. Open

four days a week, The Varsity offers $10 haircuts, but customers can listen to stories

about former Cowboys of the past for free. Richard Danel owns and operates the 53-

year-old barbershop and has cut hair for 63 years. Danel was 13 when his dad

became his first customer, giving birth to a dream of becoming a barber. Although

he went to college to study about agriculture, the dream never wavered.

“I graduated from Oklahoma A&M in 1954 with a double major in

agricultural education and animal science,” Danel said. “As you can see, that has

nothing to do with haircutting. Well, I received my haircutting license three years

earlier in Tulsa but came to Stillwater because of school. Before I graduated, I knew

I wanted to be a barber and open a place of my own. As a matter of fact, I was cutting

hair while in college, but only for friends and family. When I finished school, I got a

few haircutting jobs around town and three years later Harvey Fix, a friend of mine,

and I opened The Varsity. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe this little place has been

around for so long.”

The Varsity is a hit among OSU coaches and players since its opening Oct. 7,

1957. OSU athletic greats such as Eddie Sutton, Henry Iba, Bryant Reeves and Walt

Garrison are some of the famous Cowboys who have visited Danel to get a trim.

Athletes and coaches aren’t the only ones to walk through The Varsity’s wooden

door; people from across the state have made trips to Stillwater to get a haircut and

to share stories with the one they call “Whisperin’ Richard.”

“I get all types of customers,” Danel said. “Students, coaches, players,

professors, farmers and little kids who hate getting haircuts. Some come from places

like Tulsa and Oklahoma City.”

In an age where new barbershops go for a modern look, The Varsity opts to

keep its historical feel. The smiles (and smirks) of OSU sports heroes greet

customers who step inside the barbershop, smiles that are captured by old

photographs that rest comfortably on the building’s brown walls; an inch separating

each frame. Customers are invited to sit on one of two black benches that are

perched against a wall while they wait for their chance to sit in a barber chair that

has seen more use than any seat down the road at Boone Pickens Stadium. In

between the benches rests a mound of magazines for customers to read, some

dating to October and November. Garrison, a former OSU and Dallas Cowboy

running back, was one customer who took magazines home without getting a

haircut, Danel said.

“Sometimes Walt would come in, talk for a little bit and leave with one of my

magazines,” Danel said. “Not too many people come in and leave without getting a

haircut, let alone come in and leave with some of my reading material.”

The benches face two mirrors and three barber chairs, the center chair being

reserved for customers. A look to the left from one of the benches seats will yield a

view of a wooden shelf, its surfaces being the resting place of 10 basketballs

featuring the signatures of Sutton and former Cowboy and Cowgirl basketball

players; no ink smears or ball deflation to be found. One basketball commemorates

the Pokes’ run to the 2004 Final Four in San Antonio. This ball sits above the others

and is sealed in a glass case; the Final Four logo prominently shown in its center and

surrounded by signatures from Joey Graham, John Lucas III and more.

While Danel is busy cutting hair or conversing with customers, figurines of

Pistol Pete, placed on the top of the shelf, keep an eye on the white and brown

basketballs that have been branded with the OSU logo and tattooed by dozens of

signatures; each Pete stands with a pistol at the ready in case unwanted visitors

come too close.

Sutton and Danel have a close relationship. Danel has cut Sutton’s hair since

Sutton was a student at OSU.

“Eddie is a familiar face around here,” Danel said. “I’ve cut a lot of hair, but he

is one person who has come to the ol’ barbershop decade after decade.”

Along with showering Danel with autographed balls and photographs, Sutton

gave the barbershop one of its larger display items: a piece of Gallagher-Iba Arena’s

historic white oak floor that is tagged with Sutton’s autograph.

“OSU gave it to coach the night they named the court after him,” Danel said.

“Eddie went on to give it to me.”

A look above the benches shows a row of pictures featuring OSU football and

basketball coaches of the past. Next to an autographed photo of Sutton rests a photo

of Jim Stanley, a former Cowboys football coach. Stanley, an assistant coach at OSU

from 1963 to 1968 before returning to Stillwater to take the coaching vacancy in

1973, is credited with giving Danel his nickname after sharing phone conversations,

talks where Danel kept a quiet voice because he says it’s rude to talk on a phone in a

way that everyone in the barbershop can hear the conversation. The nickname

“Whisperin’ Richard” caught on with customers and has stuck with Danel.

“Jim would call and ask how many customers were waiting for a haircut,”

Danel said. “I would tell him when we were and weren’t busy so he can come by for

a trim. Jim started this whispering bit because he told me I was whispering when we

were on the phone. Before making his way over, he would tell other coaches that he

was going to go see ‘Whisperin.’ Well, the name caught on when his players were

asking where they could get a haircut. Jim would say, ‘Go to Whisperin’s.’ That’s

when the nickname became official.”

Like Sutton, Stanley left Danel with a decorative piece for the barbershop, a

piece that stands on the windowsill next to the building’s entrance. A wooden plank

engraved with “Whisperin’ Richard’s” was created by the Sigma Nu fraternity and

given to Stanley after he saw the fraternity using it as part of its mock barbershop,

Danel said.

That wasn’t the only object the fraternity gave away. Outside of the

barbershop is a red and white barber pole that the fraternity used on its mock

barbershop. Today, the pole has become a symbol, identifying The Varsity as a place

to get a haircut. If that weren’t enough to grab the public’s attention, a black canopy

shades the sidewalk outside the front door with the words “Varsity Barber Shop”

printed in white gothic text.

When it’s time to sit in the big chair to get a haircut, Danel is quick to get a

conversation going with those who are shy. Topics range from the unpredictable

Oklahoma weather to stories about some of Danel’s famous customers or his travels

around the Midwest. Religion and politics are off-limits because the barbershop isn’t

a place for arguments, Danel said.

Graham Terrell is a customer who visits The Varsity twice a month, usually

showing up minutes after the 7:30 a.m. opening time so he can get a quick fix before

heading to work.

“I heard about Whisperin’ Richard two years ago,” Terrell said. “I got tired of

paying $15 for a haircut, so I came to The Varsity. Turns out that was one of the best

decisions of my life. It’s refreshing to come in and talk about what’s going on in

Stillwater with Richard. Plus he does great work with those clippers of his. It’s great

because I come in and he already knows how I want my hair done.”

Don Hutchinson, 78, is another popular face at The Varsity. Hutchinson, like

Sutton, has been a customer for more than 50 years. One thing separates

Hutchinson from the Cowboy basketball icon.

“I have my own chair here,” Hutchinson said. “Sometimes I’ll come in to chat

with Richard. I like to sit in this chair, pull out a newspaper and just talk. He’s

become one of my best friends.”

Trenton Meyers, a UPS truck driver, is always on the move, but when it’s time

for a trim, he finds ways to take time out of his day to swing by The Varsity.

“I drive all over the place so sometimes it’s hard to make a visit,” Meyers said.

“I usually come in close to closing because that’s when there aren’t many customers.

Sometimes I ask if my arrival is a nuisance.”

“No sir it is not,” Danel says, giving Walton a nudge on the arm.

Conversations with customers are a reason Danel has been a barber for this

long, said his wife, Dot.

“He loves his job and loves his customers, no matter the age,” Dot Danel said.

“If you love your job, why should you quit? The barbershop is a big part of his life.”

Not only has the barbershop become a big part of Danel’s life, it has become

part of Dot’s, as well.

“It’s quiet at home when he’s at work,” Dot Danel said. “But he finds ways to

spend time with the family, whether it’s with me or family in Oklahoma and other

states. I’m just happy that he is doing something that he loves.”

When it comes to attracting customers in today’s society, businesses place

ads on TV, newsprint and the Internet. Danel doesn’t need to.

Word-of-mouth, friendly prices and a unique story telling ability has and will

continue to bring in Oklahomans until Whisperin’ Richard decides to whisper into

retirement, which doesn’t appear to be anytime soon.