Updates for some of our activities: Pies from Bannings on Friday March 28th and Saturday March 29th
2/27/25
If you come for an appointment the week of March 25-29 in 70’s dress theme you can be entered into a drawing for prizes.
2/28/25
Click to Our Founders page to read about Edward Wadsworth.
3/1/25
We are so grateful for our amazing loyal guests who have supported us through all these years. Our Hearts and big and our gratitude is over the top. Thank you.
3/6/25
Key Bank who we have done business with for all 50 years will have some representation
Human Bean will be providing coffee during the week too.
3/11/2025
We will have framed tributes around the salon from many who had their lives touched by our founder.
We also will have photos from a 1975 photo shoot that was done on year one!
Any guest who comes in for an appointment that week or just to stop by for coffee or pie and they are dressed in 70’s attire their name will be entered into a drawing for some fun prizes. :)
3/13/25
Some thoughtful tributes to our Founder
My first memory of Edward Wadsworth I was 18 years old watching AM Northwest when Laura Matthys, who had been recently crowned Miss Oregon 1982, was having her very long hair cut off on live TV by Edward. It was dramatic, and her hair was beautiful after Edward styled it. Little did I know at that four years later, Edward would be doing my hair.
Edward Wadsworth Salon was a Sponsor of the Miss Oregon Scholarship Program, and every newly crowned Miss Oregon went to Edward to have their hair cut, colored and styled. When I became Miss Oregon 1986, I would go to the salon and practice doing my hair under Edward’s watchful eye. Back in those days there was no such thing as “Glam Squad” we all had to do our own hair because if you were Miss America, you would have to be doing your own hair on the road, so no help was allowed while competing. I spent hours practicing with hot rollers, copious amounts of Paul Mitchell products, and teasing my hair into very big, beautifully quaffed hair. It was the 80’s after all. I look back so fondly at my time spent at the Salon honing my skills, wanting to impress Edward with my styling. I wish we had more time with Edward as he passed in the next year. He was a great hairdresser, and his passion always showed. I am thankful for the time I spent with him and considered him a friend.
Jana DeCarli
decarli restaurant
Fortunately, back in the 70’s I attended a “hair show” that Edward was a guest artist at. I had already been to the Sassoon school in San Francisco, so I recognized what he was teaching. After his session was finished, I went up to the stage to chat with him as he was polishing a cut for someone else. I found out he was teaching classes and looking for employees for his new salon. That started a journey that led me from student, to apprentice to ultimately manager of the Lake Oswego Edward Wadsworth salon. He was one of the most important individuals in my career… still working now in my 60th year behind the chair. Thank you to Edward and to Don Dutro for making the salon a success that Edward started 50 yrs ago.
Nona Mann
Shelly
I spent a memorable decade under the tutelage of Edward Wadsworth. He defined and embodied the word "Mentor" long before I actually knew what it meant. It was a high bar that set a tone and standard towards my future as a Professional Hairdresser. His vision of success became attainable and was made possible because he was truly invested in us as individuals. I think anyone that was fortunate enough to have worked with him would agree it was a pivotal time in our lives. I'm so grateful to Edward and our creative team of stylists for their contribution in shaping and honing me to be the person I am today.
Many Thanks,
Shelly (Rathmanner) Steen
Win McCormack
The one thing I strongly remember about him. You know I wrote about the Rajneesh and was an expert on that. Well one time my wife and I were sitting with him and his wife somewhere not in Portland (I think it might have been Sunriver) discussion that subject and he said, “Win, it’s going to come from the inside. Their downfall will come from the inside.” And it did.
Judy H.
Here is some “Memory Lane” material for the celebration.
I met E W in 1978 (I think). Edward was a client of the Advertising Agency where I worked. Although I did not work on his account until later, I was certainly exposed to this “ hair phenomenon from N Y C" who arrived in Portland and quickly set the gold standard for hair design, color, cut and styling. Edward elevated hair fashion to a new level in Portland. ( A few years later, when I did work with Edward our “client meetings” with E W were often concurrent with having my hair cut/styled.).
Along with an impressive list of very satisfied client referrals, his hair "make overs" featured on KATU TV ( with Margie Boule) helped to build the Salon’s reputation very quickly,
Some words to describe Edward: (in no particular order)
Confident
Entrepreneurial
Inspired
Driven
Creative
Perfectionist
Bright
Kind
Respectful
Dedicated
Brave
Teacher
Mentor
PS: I think of Edward every time I walk in salon door. I am grateful for the legacy he created and the un-equaled standard of excellence that continues today. He is a Legend.
J. Hamilton
My Friend Edward Wadsworth
Pat Warren
I met Edward on the set of KATU’S morning show called AM Northwest. He had just arrived in Portland and was the featured Hair stylist on their beauty segment. I was asked to join the show and do the Make up. It was a great pairing as both Edward and I had exposure to what was happening in the beauty business in New York.. which is where the fashion and beauty trends originate.
Edward ended up in Portland via Los Angeles after he did his training in New York. This was the era of the London influence on Fashion and Beauty…. the emergence of Rudi Gernrich, Vidal Sassoon, Twiggy, and the Beatles. The geometric hair dos that appeared on the pages of Vogue Magazine and the heads of skating stars like Dorothy Hamill were the rage.
Edward was a bold newcomer who brought to Portland the era of sophistication in hair design. I enjoyed his energy and his ideas… always an innovator and fearless in his application of his hair designs.
I gained the respect of Edward because I had traveled to New York to train at the famous Make Up Center… the watering hole for models, flight attendants, and actrsses. The Make Up Center was the first place where you could buy professional brushes and tools that were previously unavailable to the general public (circa 1978). Way Bandy was the guru of makeup.. his technique using the faces natural contours and the “smart” application of color make his the favorite of Fashion Magazines. His techniques could transform a face from ordinary to “gorgeous.”.
As a team, Edward and I shared the same attitude about hair and makeup… it has to be accessible and easy for a novice to succeed in their beauty regime. Portland was indeed fortunate to have Edward’s legacy live on in Don Dutro whom he mentored. Don is teaching future generations in the art of cutting and styling!
Taylor
Oh my goodness, 50 years! What a testimony in itself to a successful and wonderful Dutro family business. I did not get to meet the talented Edward Wadsworth himself as I came to work with Don and the team in May 1991, after he had passed. As a hairdresser, color had always been my love and I was extremely fortunate as there was an opening for color director when I applied to join the team.
I stayed for 25 years, until I retired in 2017
The Dutro family and the Wadsworth team became family to me and I still think of Don as a brother. My respect for the way they run the business and the standards they held for the team, kept me there and gave me a career to look back on and be proud of.
Don and Cheryl‘s dedication to educating the staff, not only individually as they first came on board, but continuously for everyone every year was and is impressive. We had many great trips to Vegas , California and New York for educational shows. And Don‘s willingness to wrap up the day at the hair show in order to rush off to Disney is one of my favorite memories.
The clientele retention the Salon has is very rare. There are clients still today that have been coming since before I joined the team 34 years ago. Being witness to clients graduating from high school, getting married, having children and raising them, and then having the privilege of doing their adult children’s hair as they continue their own journeys brought me joy. That has been a big part of what gives me such a warm, happy feeling of contentment with how I spent my years as a hairdresser.
Even though I moved to Florida eight years ago, Don reaches out regularly to check in with me and I still consider him and the very talented team I worked with to be lifelong friends. I’m so proud to have worked with and shared my life with them. We grew up together. It was a blessing and I miss them to this day.
EDWARD WADSWORTH GREEN - A Memoir by Richard Herrera
I was attending a hair show at the Red Lion Inn in Portland when I first met Edward. He was on the stage cutting a model's hair and explaining the process. I have to admit that his explanations were well beyond my comprehension. In other wordsI didn't know what the heck he was talking about.
During the break I approached him and told him I wasn't getting it. He invited me to a two day class that he was giving onSunday and Monday. The class was limited to 5 students only. I signed up for the class and felt like I got some of it .........
On the last day he gave each of us a critique. I was the last and I remember his comments well. He said "Richard can cuthair, but he doesn't think he can. His downfall is that he can't explain what he is doing or why he is doing it.
I went back to work in my salon and to say I was frustrated was putting it mildly.
About a month later I saw Edward again at another show. I told him I needed him to teach me in regular sessions becauseit is hard for me to grasp and retain concepts in a 2 day session. He said that his regular sessions were for his apprentices only.
I decided I had to sweeten the pot. I told him I was willing to pay him and in addition I would work in his salon on Saturdays doing shampoos and sweeping the floors. I had 6 or 7 of my own employees at the time. We came to an agreement and my education began.
As I look back I learned more than cutting hair from Edward. One of the most important things he taught me was to beproud of what I did. I was under the impression that cutting hair was not necessarily a worthy profession. Edward's comment was that when clients visited us "We make them feel good about themselves and most need that boost of confidence." He continued to explain that when you work on a client you give 110% every time.
For about 8 months I went to his classes which began at 6:00 pm and lasted until we finished one model and that usually took until 10:00 pm. By that time sweat would be rolling off my head. Once I showed up at 6:05 pm and Edward did notallow me to take that class. He was teaching me the importance of timeliness. His classes were not only cutting hair but lifelessons of time, attitude and respect.
I learned the system under Edward's tutelage and as a result I became a great teacher and was able to explain what and why.He helped me become more successful that I could have been without his life lessons that gave me vision and confidence.
Some of my best memories are of the trips we took together. One of those trips was to LA to meet with some of the Sassoon top cutters. Edward had taught most of them and was taking a look back at what he had accomplished. On our way home I could tell that he was thinking about where he came from and where he was going. He commented to me "You knew what I had to learn didn't you?" What he learned was the value of what he had built. He was also free from the corporate red tape.
Once when Edwards was out of town a client of his came to me to get a haircut because she remembered that I had been in his classes. As I finished she complimented me and I told her she should tell Edward that it was the best haircut she everhad, but she said she didn't want to upset him. I said well, just tell him that and then explain that it was best because Richard had a better teacher than Edward did.
Edward changed my life. He meant everything to me. I think of him often. I miss him.
RICHARD HERRERA
