Otto Oberle Collection

Summary: Donor's father, Otto Oberle, Sr., worked as a barber in Fort Worth during the first half of the twentieth century. He moved to Fort Worth from Germany in 1914 and opened a barber shop in the Neil P. Anderson Building where he and his staff offered free haircuts to children from three local institutions - the Masonic Home, the Tarrant County Orphan's Home, and the Lena Pope Home. Later, Oberle worked with legislator Doyle Willis to make it a requirement for barbers to be licensed in the State of Texas. The items in this collection relate to Oberle's career as a barber.

  • Three black and white photographs of Oberle's barber shop, circa 1920s.
  • Various newspaper clippings regarding Oberle, 1920s-1940s.
  • Fort Worth Kiwanis News, Tuesday, March 27, 1934, Texas Hotel, 12:15 Underprivileged Child Program, official weekly publication.
  • Program for the Sixth Annual Convention of the Texas Association of Barbers, "It Pays to Look Well," held at the Westbrook Hotel, Fort Worth, Texas, May 9-10, 1932.
  • Letter of congratulations from the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce upon Oberle's election as President of the Associated Master Barbers of Texas, August 23, 1940.
  • Letter of thanks for his work with underprivileged children from R.M. Bowen,President of the Kiwanis of Fort Worth, December 9, 1934.

Neil P. Anderson Barber Shop during Look Well Week 1928

Pictured: "Look Well Week" at the Neil P. Anderson Barber Shop on June 9-16, 1928. Otto Oberle, Sr., is fifth from right.