Three barbers carrying a bit of history about Huntsville and having a combined 130 years of experience met up with each other by chance Wednesday morning at G&O; Barber Shop at 1013 Sam Houston Avenue.

Stan Gregory, Jack Townley and Don Currie have worked with one another in the barbering business since the 1950s.

Gregory and Townley are retired.

Currie, who has worked at G&O; since 1985, is retiring from there Nov. 27 and moving to Houston.

Currie said Townley had an appointment to get his hair cut and just sat in the chair when Gregory walked in to visit with Currie and current G&O; owner Merle Tennant.

“I saw the opportunity to have something done on us,” Currie said.

Gregory, who has 46 years of experience, began barbering in 1958, going to work for Townley at Townley’s Barber Shop.

Gregory and Raymond Outlaw started G&O; in 1960 and Gregory operated it until 2004 when he retired.

Gregory sold the business to Jerry Turner, who sold it to Currie in 2006. Currie sold the shop to current owner Merle Tennant on March 22, 2009.

Jack Townley, a World War II veteran who earned a Silver Star, has 40 years background in the barbering business.

Townley said both he and retired Army Lt. Col. M.B. Etheredge retired from the National Guard in 1985.

Townley operated his barber shop in downtown Huntsville from 1954 to the 1985 and the Lowman Student Center Barber Shop on the Sam Houston State University campus from 1961 to 1985.

Currie went to work for Townley at the LSC barber shop in 1970 when he first moved to Huntsville.

He worked at the LSC shop for 2 1/2 years before moving downtown where he worked at Willie Ferguson’s shop.

He cut hair at Quinn Bennett’s Barber Shop from 1972 to 1982 and he also cut hair at Texas A&M; University for five and a half years.

Ferguson purchased Townley’s Barber Shop and Bennett bought the shop from Ferguson.

Currier said there have been some enormous changes in Huntsville since he moved here.

Those include housing developments around town and development of Elkins Lake, the new apartment buildings and “I saw Sam Houston State grow to what it is today.”