POPULATIONS OF ENDANGERED SPECIES. LOOK AT HER CUTE FACE TONIGHT. TONIGHT WE'RE
HIGHLIGHTING A PIONEER IN THE
BLACK HAIR CARE INDUSTRY. DR.
WILLIAM MORROW STARTED AS A
BARBER IN SAN DIEGO IN NINETEEN
FIFTY BEFORE CREATING A LINE
OF PRODUCTS INCLUDING THE AFRO
PICK HE IS ALSO CREDITED WITH
INVENTING THE POPULAR 80S
HAIRSTYLE THE JHERI CURL. MAURO
DID ALL OF THIS WHILE MANAGING
A RADIO STATION AND A NEWSPAPER
NEWS8 HEATHER HOPE SHARES HIS
STORY WELL, IT'S NOW A CENTER
FOR EMPLOYMENT TRAINING BUT
RIGHT UNTIL ABOUT THE MID 1990S
THIS USED TO BE THE VERY SITE
FOR DR. WILLIE MOREL'S BARBER
SHOP AND HAIR EMPIRE. I GOT A
CHANCE TO MEET WITH HIM NOW AT
82 YEARS OLD I SPOKE WITH HIS
DAUGHTER ABOUT HIS HAIR LEGACY
THAT STARTED RIGHT HERE IN SAN
DIEGO. HE WANTED EVERYTHING AN
ACCOMPLISHED ONE AT THE SALON
IN THE BEAUTY PART OF THE
NEWSPAPER HE HAD THE RADIO
STATION AND DR. WILLIE MONROE'S
DAUGHTER CHERYL MAURO SMILES AT
HER FATHER ROSE FROM POVERTY TO
CREATING A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR
HAIR EMPIRE. I DID AT ONE POINT
HAD ABOUT 220 EMPLOYEES BORN IN
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA, THE SON
OF SHARECROPPERS WILLIE MORO
WAS A SELF-TAUGHT BARBER AND
CHEMIST. I KNOW A LOT ABOUT
BLACK HAIR, STRAIGHT HAIR,
CURLY WAVY HAIR YOU NAME IT.
I'M A HAIR GUY. HERE'S MONROE
SIX YEARS AGO AT 76 YEARS OLD
AT THE MUSEUM EXHIBIT IN HIS
HONOR AT THE CALIFORNIA CENTER
FOR THE ARTS ESCONDIDO. I LOOK
AROUND THE WALLS HE AND MY OH
MY GOODNESS, HOW COULD ONE GUY
DO ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS
HIS HUMBLE HAIR BEGINNING
STARTED IN 1959 IN THIS RED
VELVET BARBER CHAIR WHERE HE
CUT LOCAL BLACK LEADERS HAIR
AND EVEN MICHAEL JORDAN AND
FROM THIS CHAIR IS JUST MACARY
JUST TOOK OFF. MORREAU TRAVELED
AROUND THE WORLD IN THE 1970S
CONTRACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT
OF DEFENSE TO TEACH AND CUT
HAIR ON MILITARY BASES AND IN
WAR ZONES WHERE HE WROTE
SEVERAL BOOKS HE HAD TEXTBOOKS
AND HOW IN PICTURES AND MANUALS
AND HE DID A MAGAZINE CALLED
CURLICUES OUTSIDE REALLY
MURROW'S ICONIC SOUTHY SAN
DIEGO BARBERSHOP ON MARKET
STREET STOOD AN AFRO PICK THE
TOOL HE CAME TO INVENT YOU KNOW
HE CUT OFF KAHNERT HE WAS GIVEN
A U.S. UTILITY PEN FOR CALLED
THE EASY AND THEN HE CUT THOSE
TEETH ALL AND PUT IT ON A BLOW
DRY NOZZLE SNOUT YOU CAN STILL
BUY MAURO'S PATENTED HAIR
PRODUCTS ON SALE TODAY. MYRL
MANUFACTURE HIS OWN HAIR CARE
LINE FROM THIS LEMON GROVE
WAREHOUSE CALLED THE CALIFORNIA
KEARL COMPANY CREATING MILK
CARWARP HAIR CREAM COLD WAVE
AND HOLDING SPRAY. MERLE'S FACE
FEATURED ON HIS OWN PRODUCTS
AND HE WAS ALSO IN CHRIS ROCK'S
MOVIE GOOD HAIR IN 2009 HE WAS
TRULY NOT JUST THE BARBER BUT
HE WAS A SCIENTIST SO HE COULD
MAKE UP STUFF ALWAYS INVENTING
IS SAID TO HAVE ORIGINATED THE
POPULAR 1980S HAIRSTYLE THE
JHERI CURL BEFORE ITS NAMESAKE
CREATOR JERRY REDDY. THE
DEMURRALS CURL VERSION IS EIGHT
YEARS BEFORE THE
COMMERCIALIZATION ONE WE KNOW
IS CHEERING NOT STOPPING THERE.
MURROW MADE IT INTO MEDIA
STARTING THE SAN DIEGO MONITOR
IN 1986. HE WANTED TO GIVE
AFFORDABLE ADVERTISING FOR
BLACK BUSINESSES. CHERYL MORROW
TOOK OVER THE NEWSPAPER AND
SPOKE AND WE DID A SPECIAL
EDITION. WE JUST SAVED HIM IN
1979, MORROW RAN SAN DIEGO'S
FIRST BLACK RADIO STATION.
NINETY TWO POINT FIVE FOR OVER
A DECADE BEFORE THE ECONOMY
SHIFTED IT BEGAN TO DECLINE. I
THINK THAT'S ONE OF MY FATHER'S
REGRETS. YOU KNOW THE NOT BEING
ABLE TO CARRY ON BLACK RADIO
CHERYL CARRIES ON THE TORCH IN
HER FATHER'S RETIREMENT
MANAGING AND STORING HIS
HUNDREDS OF HAIR TOOLS AND
EQUIPMENT IN THE HAIR AND
TURNING IT LOOKLIVE LOOKLIVE
CHERYL DOES A PODCAST CALLED
WILLIS' BARBERSHOP HIGHLIGHTING
HER HAIR HERO IN A SAN DIEGO
BLACK HAIR PIONEER. HE GOES ALL
IN WHEN YOU HAVE A