
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 28, 1994                   TAG: 9412280091
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

MILTON PITTS, EX-PRESIDENTIAL BARBER, DIES

Milton Pitts, 82, barber and hairstylist to Washington's high and mighty whose most famous clients included four presidents, died of a heart ailment Sunday at Georgetown University Hospital.

In addition to his work at the White House, where he had cut the hair of presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Bush, Pitts maintained his own Washington establishment near the White House for 27 years.

He was recruited as presidential barber by President Richard Nixon's staff and gave Nixon his last White House haircut the day before the president resigned in 1974.

Former President Gerald Ford, whose hair was also in Pitts' care during his years in office, said, ``Milton was not only a super barber, but a wise, knowledgeable and gentle, warm friend.''

When Jimmy Carter took office, Pitts suddenly found himself sharing his hair cutting and styling chores at the White House with a pair of ``unisex'' hairstylists. Pitts left the White House, where he had worked Tuesdays and Thursdays, abandoning it to the interlopers.

When Ronald Reagan took office and Republicans returned to the White House, so did Pitts. He remained the loyal presidential barber until 1993, when it became obvious that President Clinton had other thoughts on hair care than entrusting it to Pitts' veteran hands. The veteran quietly packed his tools and left his tiny barbershop near the Oval Office.

Pitts continued to work at his own establishment until his death.

by CNB