Alfred Dean

1926 - 2010

BiographyOn October 22, 1926, Alfred Dean was born in Herron Hill. He moved to New York where he graduated from beauty school, but eventually returned to Pittsburgh to be with his father. In the mid-1970s, he became the first African American hairstylist at the salon in Horne's Department Store.. Dean did not graduate from high school but dropped out to pursue a dancing career. He later joined the navy in 1947 where he got sent on assignments in many different places around the world. After that, he made the decision to use his good sense of style to start styling women’s hair as he discovered it allowed him to be engaged in two things he loved: women and style. Before working at Horne’s salon, he was employed for 22 years at another salon in Brooklyn but moved to Pittsburgh after the death of his aunt. He was employed by Arnold Zegarelli at Horne’s mid-1970s. Dean was known for his incredible sense of style and his talent with a curling iron, breaking through racial barriers and creating hair styles for both white and black women. After Horne's closed, Dean opened a salon on the Boulevard of the Allies called Izzazu. He died on January 12, 2010, due to complications with prostate cancer.
The other items along with his jumpsuit are a belt, boots, scissors case, three curling irons, two caps, a beret, shoes, a coat, ponchos, two sweatshirts, a sweater, an ensemble, a hairdressing cape, blouses, pajamas, suits, a jacket, dress shirt, shirts, a duffle bag, hair pick, hair comb, box, hair clip, hair clipper, a briefcase, and a trophy.

Balingit, Moriah. “First Black Stylist at Horne’s Salon.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Newspapers.com. p.15. 18 January 2010.