JACKSONVILLE – During the restoration of U.S.S. Orleck, Orange Park’s Hair by Lee and Friends has sponsored a barbershop at the ship’s museum.

Salon owner Lee Goodnight met Taylor Shaw, Orleck’s “Girl Friday” and assistant event coordinator, who had taken a cosmetology course in high school. But due to the COVID shutdown, she could not take her state board examination.

They struck up a friendship and Goodnight promised her the first haircut once the barber shop was operational. That happened on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Goodnight surprised  Shaw with a certificate documenting her haircut. Shaw received only a token trim since she is growing her hair for a Locks of Love donation this summer.

Beth Mynatt, co-owner of The Carpet Tree in Jacksonville and a long-time client of Goodnight and president of the Navy League, was also in attendance.

Goodnight hopes to organize a cadre of 20-to-25 licensed barbers and cosmetologists willing to volunteer a Sunday afternoon once or twice a year to offer free haircuts onboard the ship. Certificates would be available in the ship’s store for those who wanted to document their haircut. Goodnight is also planning to bring Kutting for Kids, the city-wide cut-a-thon to benefit Locks of Love, to the ship this summer. It would also be a fundraiser for the ship. Hair donors would be given a sponsorship form and asked to raise money for the ship’s maintenance.

Barbers and cosmetologists who want to participate in either project should contact Goodnight at (904) 264-2244 or Lee@HairByLee.com.

The current barber chair in the shop is barely adequate. Anyone willing to donate a functional period (1960-1980 vintage) chair should contact Goodnight.