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Tribute Prepared by Woody "Pat" Dewberry
 During the years, 1951-1964, “Charlie” Dewberry was the town’s most admired and accomplished barber. Countless young men whose pictures have appeared in Gleason’s high school annual during those years usually sported a fresh haircut from “Mr. Charlie’s” barber shop. Many years have gone by, but, looking at the haircuts from that era, Charlie’s craftsmanship with shears and clippers is still visible in those pictures to this day. As a professional businessman, a barber doesn’t rank very high on the business totem pole such as doctors, bankers, druggist, or some of the other business professions, but every one of these businessmen came to Charlie’s barber shop because of his professional grooming abilities and his modern clean shop. One other thing, Charlie could cut a flattop haircut better than anyone. Many school boys from elementary to high school liked the popular hairstyle and some of Gleason’s businessmen liked it, too. Charlie, who worked briefly in Lansing, Michigan near the Michigan State University campus, learned early on the flattop haircut was becoming a very popular hairstyle to the young men attending the university. Charlie grew a large clientele of “flattop” customers while he was in Lansing and it was only natural when he came to Gleason and opened his barber shop in space rented from Mr. Frank Margraves, next to Mr. Frank’s sweet potato warehouse that many boys and men trekked to the barber shop to get their very first flattop. The flattop haircut was popular for many years. Later, during the early “rock & roll” years, Charlie was cutting flattops with the now famous “ducktail”. Charlie jokingly told his friends and customers that every man needs four good men in his life, a good doctor, good banker, good mechanic, and of course, a good barber!
Charlie was born June 3, 1904 to Callie (Raines) and Robert Lee Dewberry in rural Conecuh County, Alabama near the town of Brewton. On June 30, 1944 Charlie and his bride-to-be, Gladys Beauton Tilley, along with a couple of their friends drove to Corinth, Mississippi and were married by a JP (Justice-of-the-Peace). They had one son, Woody Patton (Pat), and one daughter, Peggy. Charlie, who was raised in a Pentecostal family since his father was a Pentecostal minister, didn’t attend the local Baptist Church with his wife and children and therein lies the story of how he became such an excellent checker player.
Wednesday nights were prayer meeting nights at First Baptist Church where Charlie’s wife and children attended, but Wednesday night was also a night for Charlie to go to Barber & Hagler’s Pan Am (before the oil company name was changed to Amoco) service station owned by Raymond Barber and Finis Hagler. Someone usually had a checker board game underway and the best two-out-of-three winner would take on the next person waiting to play. When Charlie played he seldom lost a game and it was even more seldom for him to lose two-out-of three, thus he played many games of checkers against some of the best players in and around Gleason. Later, Mr. “Froggy” Everett, before he became Gleason’s Chief of Police, owned a gas station across the street from Hattie’s Dairy Bar and the men and the checker games moved to his place of business after the Pan Am station closed.
During the latter years of the 1950’s Mr. Paul Brundige opened a new farm feed mill and the checker games became even more popular. There would often be two games in progress at the same time. Usually, the winner of one game would take on the winner of the other game. Charlie was modest about his winning, but inside there was always a competitive fire to always play the best, and to beat the best. To many who were serious about the game, and particularly the less notable players, Charlie was “crowned” as king of Gleason’s checker players. It was a title of respect and Charlie enjoyed their appreciation for his checker playing skills.
Being in the public as the town’s barber and not wanting to offend a customer who might be of a different political persuasion, Charlie became a voting Republican in 1952 after many years of voting as a Democrat. Voting as a Republican in Weakley County where Democrats ruled the “political roost”, so-to-speak, the only voters who were more rare than Republican’s were those who labeled themselves as an “Independent”. It was when Dwight Eisenhower first ran for President and promised to end the bloody Korean War that Charlie voted for the first time as a Republican. Living and working in Gleason where many in Weakley County had strong feelings for Democrats and the Democratic Party, Charlie supported and voted Republican and to those who knew his political persuasion he good-naturedly took their kidding. Being the “people person” that he was, he gave some kidding of his own to his many Democrat friends without being offensive, or losing a good customer.
In 1964, Charlie and his family moved to Memphis and he resided there until his death on April 22, 1989. Since Gleason and Weakley County was considered as “home”, Charlie was buried nearby at Dresden in Sunset Cemetery. Later, in 1996, his wife was laid to rest beside him.
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