Joe Louis Dudley Sr., a pioneer in the haircare industry, died on Feb. 8 at the age of 86, leaving behind a legacy of achievements and fond memories. As the New York Times reported, Dudley built an empire from his and his wife’s kitchen, eventually founding schools that trained generations of cosmetologists. Dudley’s business began as a family affair, he stirred the formulas in a steel drum with a large spatula while his wife, Eunice, created the labels and their children screwed the tops on the bottles after the mixtures had cooled and set by the next morning.
From those humble beginnings, the Dudleys took over S.B. Fuller’s business in Chicago, whose products they sold while in college at North Carolina A&T, before moving their business back to Greensboro and building a plant , which also sold Fuller products. Dudley, like Fuller, would go on to be described as a sales evangelist and was also a man of deep Christian faith , often employing those who had been incarcerated or experienced drug problems.