Jon Dallons in long hair battle with the Paso Robles High School administration. Son of Paso school board candidate. © 2010 The Tribune/Michael Raphael 3/11/1969
High school administrators dream of the days when the biggest controversy on campus was hair length.
Today they juggle funding issues, test scores, curriculum as well as drugs, campus violence, gangs, teen pregnancy…hey I don’t see haircuts anywhere on this list.
This story ripped from the headlines show Jon Dallons, 15, with a Beatle style haircut, (modified to show his ears), black turtleneck, chain with medallion and looking like someone the principal needs to talk to.
Published in the then Telegram-Tribune March 12, 1969:
School board issue?
Long hair beef at Paso RoblesBy Michael Raphael
Staff WriterThe flap over the hair length of the son of a Paso Robles school board candidate is temporarily settled.
Jon Dallons, a 15-year-old sophomore, agreed to the suggestion by Dr. Charles James, district superintendent, to get a haircut.
Dallons, son of John Dalons, 42, who is running for the joint elementary and high school boards, was suspended for 10 school days on Feb. 17 because his hair exceeded student council standards.
“Dr. James would never make it as a student because his hair is longer than mine,” the young Dallons said.
Another ruckus started last Wednesday, over the wearing of medallions, the boy said, when boys and girls were told to take off medallions and necklaces.
Jon was told to get a haircut on Jan.14, and that’s when “the trouble started,” his father said. High school principal Steve Zorich told them he would not allow his son to circulate a petition calling for a rules change to allow longer “current trend” hair, Dallons said.
“We don’t want any trouble on campus,” Dallons quoted Zorich as saying. Then Dallons decided he didn’t want to get his hair cut, but was allowed to stay in school anyway, until his mid-February suspension.
After getting the haircut, Jon was again stopped when he showed up wearing a medallion. He was told to take it off.
The elder Dallons, is owner-operator of Western Quartz Products at 2432 Spring St., directly across from the high school.
He said he is not running for the school board because of the hair issue, but had been intending to run long before it came up because he wants “to see where the money is going.”
Dallons has been in business for himself for 15 years, and brought his business to Paso Robles four years ago. He has attended Bakersfield and Los Angeles City Colleges and spent one year at USC.
He said that communications with school officials has been “pretty good,” but that he backs his son up “all the way.” He said he and his son do not expect a rules change even though Jon thinks “80 percent if the kids will sign his petition.
James said a “school reflects the thoughts of the community,” and both Dallons and James said it is a “conservative community.”
Younger Dallons said he was warned at the last encounter that he had 10 days to get his “marginal” hair trimmed again, and that after that he would be “reminded” to get another cut.
Jon said 10 of the school’s 35 teachers are “coaches of one sort or another,” and are “short hair conscious,” more interested in athletics than teaching.
In Dallons’ letter, he said “the law guarantees and requires me to have an education until 16 without any mention of length of hair.”
That seems to size up the Dallons’ side of the issue. But, as he talks, hair grows and young Jon is again nearing the danger point.
Telegram-Tribune page published Dec. 10 1968 documenting protests.
Conveniently reporter/photographer/friend of Photos from the vault/ Michael Raphael also photographed the relevant punctuation challenged section of the student’s Bill of Laws reprinted here:
Section 3 – Violations
1. Boys
a. Dyed or bleached hair will not be accepted
b. Good judgment and discretion shall always prevail in student apparel and hair styles.
2. Girls
a. Any type of sweat shirt, shorts. capris. pedal pushers and other such apparel will not be accepted except on special occasions designated by the administration.
b. Good judgment and discretion shall always prevail in student apparel and hair styles.
Under these rules apparently the Beach Boys as well as the Beatles are seen as pernicious influences on they youth of our nation. Administrators were having nightmares featuring hordes of fashion deprived young women storming the campus shouting “Viva los pedal pushers, viva los Capris!”
In fairness administrators were freaking out at this time as violent protests were breaking out on college campuses. Disruptive protests at Berkley and San Francisco were fresh in many minds. What short sighted administrators were failing to note was the protests were not caused by hair length.
Uh, this just in, hair length did not create the issues surrounding civil rights, free speech and the Vietnam War.
Jon Dallons’ medallion reads “Verseav 21 Janu. 19 Fev.” Post a comment if you know what the significance is.
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Three significant events took place on the 21st of January, 1919, which I used because the other words appeared European. The first was the announcing of the Irish Parliament and Constitution by rebels in, of course, Ireland. The second was the huge general strike in Seattle began. And the third, which might be the reference to “Verseav” was the Versailles get-together to decide who got what after the WWI began on that date.
But then, is Fev the same as February in French. If so, all bets are off.
this just tickles my funny bone. we at slosh were complaining about being allowed to wear pants,sorry, the girls. so the guys wore granny dresses. here the same thing. it was a rebeling time for sure back then. after i saw girls wearing hot pants to school and now some of the boys wearing their pants so loose they fall down. this just seems silly, even for back in the “old days”
All this talk about hair got me to whistling a favorite David Crosby song from that era:
Almost cut my hair.
It happened just the other day.
Its getting kinda long.
Could have said it was in my way,
but I didn’t and I wonder why.
Feel like letting my freak flag fly.
Yes, I feel like I owe it to someone.
Must be because I had the flu for Christmas.
And I’m not feeling up to par.
It increases my paranoia.
Like looking in a mirror and seeing a police car.
But I’m not giving in an inch to fear.
Cause I promised myself this year
I feel like I owe it to someone.
But when I get myself together.
I’m gonna get back in that sunny southern weather.
And I’ll find a place inside to laugh.
Separate the head from the chair.
I feel like I owe it to someone
Justin Bieber and his acolytes would inspire the same response today: “Get a haircut, you hippies!”
Wow! This was a defining year for the young and restless who couldn’t resist the lure of a rebellious counterculture. It was the “look at me” generation of risk-taking, envelope-pushing, hyper-educated kids. Life was about leaving the mainstream for the jetstream of more enjoyable mind-altering pastimes.
Paso Robles wasn’t left out in 1969′s culture wars. Boy’s shoulder length hair, the musical “Hair,” and Twiggy’s hair were all “in.” The crew cut was anathema for anyone except those college guys who majored in pen protector jobs. The cool crowd now played guitars in their bedrooms or garages, threw out their Hot Rod magazines and bought every CSNY and Beatles albums that arrived, including the White Album that I drove to SLO to pick up in November, 1968, when it first came out.
You were really in the “in” crowd when you played guitar with friends – in their backyard in the afternoon – while smoking dope and drinking. The star of this “show” had extremely long hair, is still playing venues around the world. Yes, he’s from Paso.
I thank God I survived this adventure – and finally cut my hair.
My father was Steven Zorich. I have to say this little blurb really brought a smile to my face. I would have been around 7 or 8 when we lived in Paso and he was the Principal. A coal miner from Ohio and a decorated WWII vet, my dad was obviously old school and one tough dude. You simply did not cross him. “Buzz” haircuts were de rigueur around our household for many years well into the ’70′s. You can imagine the angst this caused us with our schoolmates at that time. We became quite good at fisticuffs to say the least!
He went on to serve with distinction as a Principal in various schools in San Diego county for many years after leaving Paso Robles. A complex personality to the end, taking no quarter and asking none. The embodiment and personification of the Greatest Generation, he passed 3 years ago this last May leaving a trail of improved lives in his tumultuous wake. I still miss him sorely.
The mystery is solved. The word should be verseau which means water carrier in French. The dates also in French are Jan. 21 – Feb. 19 which are the dates for the astrological sign Aquarius, also known as the water carrier. So I guess he was a hippie.
What a clever thing to wear.