Remembering Jay Sebring
Fifty-one years ago tonight, Jay Sebring became one of six people (if you include an unborn baby) who lost their lives in one of the most violent, gruesome, and senseless murders in U.S. history. But Jay was so much more than just a victim.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama as the fourth and final child of an accountant and housewife, he was raised in a very average middle-class existence in Southfield, Michigan. Following graduation from Detroit Catholic Central High School, he enlisted for what would turn out to be a four-year stint in the Navy. That enlistment changed the course of his life, as he found a passion for cutting hair — which he did for the enlisted men during the Korean War.
Finding his calling, he journeyed to Los Angeles, where he changed his name from Thomas John Kummer to the more stylish and sexy Jay Sebring. Following barber school, he spent three years in tutelage at women’s beauty parlors before striking out on his own. His Sebring salon, one of the first salons for men in the United States, became as trendy as its location — the corner of Fairfax and Melrose in West Hollywood. Sleek and modern, with masculine wood paneling in the main salon, Sebring catered to his celebrity clientele, which began flooding the salon, by having a private entrance for them, as well as a VIP room. At a time when barbers charged $1.50 for a haircut, he could command $25 and up…