4 A
❘
WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ APRIL 20, 2016
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
RYAN CRONK , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
E XTRAORDINARY P EOPLE
C ATHERINE J. R OURKE
For the Siuslaw News
_____________
Geraldine Lucio
trusted friend. Sometimes I’m more
of a therapist than a barber.”
Her grandfather cut hair until his
80s and his shop has remained open
for 65 years. Her dad still operates a
barber shop in San Antonio as well.
“They both wanted the freedom
that comes with being your own
boss,” Geraldine said. “I guess it
runs in the family, and I’m following
their footsteps.”
So did her brother Raymundo,
who sought that same freedom and
found it by opening his own barber
shop in their hometown.
“I tried working at corporate jobs,
but my heart wasn’t into it,” she
said. “So I attended a Sassoon
Academy but didn’t care for the pre-
tentious salons. I had an interview
scheduled at one and never made it
through the front door. It lacked
family atmosphere.”
That’s when the familiar barber
pole called to her. With the family
entrepreneurial spirit in her bones,
Geraldine realized she was born to
be a barber.
“I definitely carry the family DNA
for cutting and styling,” she said.
“Seeing how happy my family mem-
bers were in their barber shops, I want-
ed to enjoy that same camaraderie I
experienced there as a child.”
T
he lady is a barber. And a
pilot. AND a motorcycle
rider.
With a heart and smile as big and
wide as the skies she flies, Geraldine
Lucio also remains dedicated to
charitable causes. Earlier this year
she was nominated for the 2015
Florence First Citizen Award for her
active support of the Can Hunger
Concert, the Salvation Army’s Red
Kettle Campaign and others. She has
also donated haircuts to veterans and
various fundraisers.
“Community involvement is really
important to me,” she said. “I’m also
into anything that gets my heart rac-
ing.”
While it takes a lot to slow down
this free-spirited adventurer and bar-
ber, the city of Florence stopped
Geraldine right in her tracks during a
road trip in 2008.
“I saw Old Town and knew I had
a fit like Cinderella into her slipper,”
she said. “It was the perfect historic
setting for my dream to honor my
family tradition by opening an old-
fashioned barber
shop.”
“A barbershop offers more than just
Geraldine grew
up in Floresville,
a haircut. It’s a gathering place for
Texas, with two
conversation with a trusted friend.”
barbers: her father
—GERALDINE LUCIO
and grandfather.
She spent
Saturdays at her dad’s shop sweep-
Geraldine found a position with a
ing floors and enjoying the “family-
popular barber shop in Austin ranked
oriented feeling” as generations of
as the “Best Haircut” by Texas media.
families shared chatter and laughter
While Geraldine felt right at home, she
in between snips and clips.
didn’t know at that time that her real
“A barbershop offers more than
home awaited her on the Oregon coast.
just a haircut,” she said. “It’s a gath-
Once she discovered Florence, she
ering place for conversation with a
never looked back.
“There’s a true homey feeling
here,” she said. “It’s totally down to
earth.”
Geraldine opened the Old Town
Barbershop on Bay Street in 2015
after completely remodeling the
space. Vintage fixtures and furnish-
ings include antique barber chairs,
the oldest dating back to 1901.
“They’re like thrones,” she said.
“Essentially what I’m doing is bring-
ing my grandfather’s barber shop
back to life. Anyone who comes in
here will enjoy a classic barber shop
experience, with authentic chairs,
personalized cuts, a cup of coffee
and good conversation.”
Geraldine looks to the future with
the latest styles, but also guides clients
to choose the most attractive cut for
their features instead of new trends.
“I want everyone to be satisfied,”
she said. “There are no cookie-cutter
approaches here — only personal-
ized cuts. I plan to keep a balance
between the past I want honored and
the future I hope blooms.”
As a Lucio barber, Geraldine now
contributes to the family’s 90 years
of combined experience in the hair
business, a legacy in which she takes
great pride. Her plans include sup-
porting local artists by displaying
their art on the shop walls.
“The freedom of the job is what I
really love,” she said. “For me, bar-
bering offers the freedom to express
myself creatively and to be who I
really am. I love meeting so many
people and working with different
hairstyles each day. It’s more about
my personality than the job itself.”
That independent streak also lured
Geraldine into the seat of a Cessna
172 where she’s working on her
pilot’s license.
“I love the freedom of drifting
through the clouds, with no traffic
lights,” she said. “It’s a total escape
— just me and the sky and my rac-
PHOTO BY CATHERINE ROURKE
Bay Street offered “the perfect historic setting” for Geraldine’s
old-fashioned barbershop in her family tradition.
ing heart.”
Geraldine slows down that heart
by practicing yoga, but opens it up
for the needs of the Florence com-
munity. Her next fundraising event
will take place at her barbershop on
Friday evening, May 6, when she
hosts the “Green Carpet” fashion
show and clothing drive. The gala
will showcase clothing by area
designers and artists to benefit
Helping Hands Coalition, just one of
many local causes dear to her heart.
“I want to cut hair for generations
of families,” she said. “I’ve already
become acquainted with so many
wonderful hearts and souls here. I
want to create memories and fun
events for the Florence community
that help people at the same time.”
______________________
Catherine J. Rourke is an award-
winning writer, journalist and book
editor who teaches creative writing
at the Florence Regional Arts
Alliance. She may be contacted at
CJReditor@gmail.com.
LETTERS
left — it is only 46 years old.
It seems the only tax base in this town is property taxes
since we do not have any industry or large commercial com-
panies supplying taxes. How much more is the taxpayer sup-
posed to take on and still be able to afford to live in their own
home?
Don’t think because you are a renter that this does not apply
to you because it does. As soon as your landlord gets an increase
in taxes, that amount will be passed on to you.
I urge everyone to vote no on this school bond.
James McCoey
Florence
Choose a political party
While I applaud Lane County’s public service voting
announcement (“Check Voter Registration as May Elections
Near,” April 16, page 6A), it is misleading.
Oregon’s Primary Election for president, May 17, is a closed
election. You must not only be registered, but must be a member
of a candidate’s particular political party to vote for them.
All registered voters will get ballots to vote for local candi-
dates. But, if you are registered as Non-affiliated, Independent,
Green, Libertarian or any of the other parties and want to vote
for a presidential candidate, you must switch your registration
by April 26.
You can always switch back before the General Election in
November, if you feel strongly about your affiliation.
Don Patton
Florence
Vote ‘no’ on school bond
In the upcoming election, Florence voters will again be asked
to approve another school bond. This one is for a new high
school. The Siuslaw School Board is telling us that “we won a
federal lottery in the sum of $4 million” for our schools. Now
all we have to do to receive that sum is come up with another
$36.9 million. So all we now have to do is to tear down the
existing high school and build a new one.
According to the “Siuslaw School District Bond — Just the
Facts,” they want the taxpayer owning a $200,000 assessed
value home to believe they will only pay $20/month or
$240/year toward the bond. When in reality, that’s only the first
Elect Woodbury
year assessment.
In the 25th year of the bond, that same homeowner will pay
$496/year. This is due to an increase in assessed value of your
home at 3 percent compounded each year. Since the board does
not know what percentage rate they will get on the bond, the
total cost for this bond could go as high as $70 million when all
is said and done.
On your current tax statement, there are currently six separate
taxes and bonds that total approximately 44.8 percent of your
total tax bill. I personally pay $2,031 a year for our schools. So
I urge you to review your current tax statement so you can see
how much actually goes to the schools now.
I urge you to go to the high school and take one of the walk-
abouts that will show you this school still has many years of life
Woody Woodbury is running for Lane County Justice of the
Peace. I have known Woody for nearly 10 years. His honesty
and integrity are beyond reproach.
I have always found him visible in the community, approach-
able in all settings, and accessible — if you need Woody, he is
there for you. This is exactly what he brings to the people of
Lane County.
As a retired law enforcement officer, it is critically important
to have a magistrate with those three qualities not only for the
community he serves, but for local law enforcement who need
an approachable and accessible magistrate to do their jobs
effectively.
Please join me in voting for Woody Woodbury for Lane
County Justice of the Peace.
Maurice K. Sanders
Retired Florence Chief of Police
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