On 80th birthday, Prattville woman gives the gift of hair
Published: February 19, 2007
When Betty Hollon’s lost purse was returned intact more than two years ago, the retired nurse vowed to repay the finder’s honesty with a charitable act of her own.
Last week, she made good on that promise.
Hollon, who was born in Mississippi and moved to Prattville in 1939, celebrated her 80th birthday on Thursday with her first haircut since 2004. The shearing of her nearly waist-long tresses served to fulfill her commitment to “pay forward” the blessing she received when her purse and all its contents were returned by Prattville newcomer Bobby Parrott shortly after it was lost.
“I was thrilled to find somebody so honest and caring,” the octogenarian said just prior to having her hair cut for donation to Locks of Love. “I wanted to recognize Mr. Parrott’s honesty and good deed by doing something for others.”
Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization, provides hairpieces for financially disadvantaged children who suffer from long-term hair loss caused by various medical conditions, especially alopecia areata, for which there is no known cause or cure.
“I had read in the paper on at least three occasions of people donating their hair to Locks of Love,” said Hollon, whose hair is as dark as it was when she was a younger woman. “By good fortune, my mother had very little gray hair when she passed away at age 83, and my hair has stayed mostly dark all my life.”
The incident that culminated in Thursday’s donation began when Hollon placed her purse on top of her car as she prepared to deliver a political ad to the local newspaper for her husband Bennie, to whom she will have been married 60 years in December.
She forgot to retrieve the purse before leaving her home, and it fell off the vehicle as she turned from Dozier Street onto South Memorial Drive.
Parrott, an employee of Cardwell Corporation in Montgomery, and his family had moved to the Fountain City only a few weeks prior to the incident. He said his main goal upon finding the handbag was to get it back to its rightful owner.
“My son (Cody, now 15) and I had just stopped by to visit my wife (Kay, a stylist at Fashion Plaza Style Salon), and Cody saw the pocketbook laying in the median of (South Memorial Drive),” the Good Samaritan said. “We pulled over and picked it up, then looked in it and found some ID. We called Mrs. Hollon, she came and met us, and we gave it back to her.”
Parrott, whose wife provided the haircut and a new perm for Hollon, said his actions were second nature and that he was thrilled to be the bearer of good news.
“I was glad I could make Mrs. Hollon’s day,” he said. “I always try to do what’s right. My wife and I are trying to raise Cody to make the right decisions. I believe that, what you do for somebody comes back to you two-fold.”
Hollon, who was forced to stop donating blood because of several medications she is now taking, said her aim is to repeat her recent offering.
“I enjoyed my hair, and I’m going to miss it,” she said. “I might let it grow enough that I can do this again.”
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