Members of American Legion Post 30 visited the home of 97-year-old Korean War era veteran and Edgefield native Calvin Bartley to honor him for his 52 years of Post 30 membership.

On August 19, 2025, Commander Winston Boddie, Adjutant Jane Doolittle, and Treasurer Doug Timmerman presented Bartley with the inaugural issue of Post 30’s challenge coin and hat pin. The coin and pin mark a new tradition at Post 30 and Bartley was the most deserving recipient in recognition of his years of dedication and in acknowledgement of his military service.

Though he didn’t see combat, Bartley was stationed with the Air Force in England and Morocco, providing critical U.S. operational support during a milestone in American military history.

Bartley cut hair on the side while in the military, yet upon returning home he didn’t go directly into the family business. Instead, he tried his hand at a few occupations, including working at the Milliken textile factory in Johnston and for the Department of Transportation as a truck driver and equipment operator.

Eventually, he joined his younger brother, John Bartley, who had been cutting hair since age 13 while standing on a milk crate until he matured. Both sons learned to barber from their father, Dacus O’Neil Bartley, who first opened shop in the basement of the Plantation House Hotel before moving across the square between the county library and the Rainsford office building in the 1950s.

Calvin Bartley and Post 30 members (l to r) Winston Boddie, Doug Timmerman, and Jane Doolittle

Calvin Bartley’s son, Neil Bartley, described the shop’s three chairs purchased in ‘30s as “monstrous, chrome things with leather seats and padded backs.” Among the many local boys who slid into those seats over the years were future Post 30 members Doug Timmerman and Roger Ellis. Ellis recalls many $1.00 haircuts under Calvin Bartley’s hands until enlisting in the military, leaving Edgefield, and instead getting buzz cuts wherever he was stationed. Timmerman was told that, at two or three years old, he was John Bartley’s first customer, confirming the story that John was so young and small that he had to stand on a crate. Timmerman also fondly recalls rolling up on his bicycle, his dog running alongside, to get a trim from Calvin. While his dog waited outside, Timmerman parked himself in the waiting area where neighbors smoked and gossiped until one of the Bartley men was ready for them on a first-come, first-served basis.

It was a different world, recalls Neil Bartley. The Edgefield square housed a Western Auto on the bottom floor of the Rainsford building, Belk occupied the county library space, and a drug store was located nearby along with the Carolina Sales dry goods store. Life was slow-paced, but hardworking. The only days off were Sunday and a half-day on Wednesday. “They tested the fire alarm at City Hall Wednesday at 12:00,” Neil said, “and you might get run over from people leaving town.” He added, “It was exactly as you hear people say. They ‘rolled up the sidewalks’ at noon.”

Sometime in the late ‘60’s or early ‘70’s, Calvin Bartley lost half a thumb and some fingers of his left hand owing to a misadventure with a table saw. Nevertheless, he continued cutting hair for several years while transitioning to employment as a local forester with Champion International (which later sold to International Paper).

Bartley remains an Edgefield County fixture and recently celebrated his 78^th wedding anniversary with wife Betty (Dorn) whose mother founded the local Hickory Hill Dairy.

For more and half a century, Bartley’s fellow veterans have enjoyed his friendship and valued his contributions to the community. It’s an honorable life of quiet service, both in and out of uniform.