“I always knew I wanted to be a hair stylist,” Diane Stahle said.
Stahle went to Americana Beauty School Cosmetology in Des Moines, from which she graduated in 1966. She then went back to her home town of Elkader, where she worked for a year post graduation. After that, Stahle decided that she was ready for a change, and said she began the hunt for the best salon in Cedar Rapids.
That salon would be Peg Gaudian’s which was aptly named Peg’s Salon.
“I walked 13 blocks to go to my interview because I didn’t have a car,” Stahle said. “Peg interviewed me and I was later hired.”
Stahle worked for Peg for three years, and during that time got married to her husband, Sam Stahle, in 1968. After her time with Peg, Stahle moved to Solon, where she began working at Hair Craft Salon. Stahle also worked at Elan Stouts Play and Learn Day Care for a time. Stahle provided her clients with all kinds of services, including haircuts, perms, colors, and highlights.
“I enjoyed all of them, [and] didn’t dread anything,” Stahle said of the variety of services she provided. “I loved to make people look good, and I think they all did.”
Although Stahle had a lot of local clients, she said many came from Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and out of state clients visiting family in Solon.
Stahle said that her favorite part of working in the Solon community was the relationships she formed with her long standing clients.
Kurt Stahle, Diane’s second born son, has lots of childhood memories surrounding his mother’s career as a hairdresser. Kurt says he vividly remembers the perm craze of the 70s, particularly the lingering smell, having to be on his best behavior when his mother was working, and all of the interesting clients she worked with.
“Dan Krob who worked for Kellogg’s in Battle Creek, Michigan would bring test cereal from Kellogg’s that hadn’t been released to the public yet,” Kurt said. “First time we had Coco Krispies and Marshmallow Krispies before [they were] available in the stores.”
Stahle typically always worked Tuesday through Saturday, but says she stopped working Saturdays when her third son, Kevin, started playing college football. Besides Kurt and Kevin, Stahle has two more children, Kyle and Kelly.
Stahle was also always well known for the famous clients that she worked with including Mr. and Mrs. Duane Banks (the Head Iowa Baseball Coach), Jon Kinzenbaw (the founder of Kinze Manufacturing), Berry Sharp (the former Chief of Staff at the local Veterans Hospital), and Kay Honohan (the mother of Calista Flockhart, who is married to Harrison Ford).
Overall, Stahle says that she always found working with her clients interesting and rewarding for her and she enjoyed listening to them discuss their daily lives.
“I saw parents and kids and then kids of kids,” Stahle said. “People would share things but I didn’t share anything with anyone else, and I think that’s why people would come because they could trust me and share things. I was not one who would gossip – I didn’t want to be a gossipy salon.”
Stahle also says that she thoroughly enjoyed working in the Solon community in particular and being able to have her friends as clients.
“Some friends would schedule late in the day and we would go out for dinner after,” said Stahle.
Despite the fun times and fond memories that Stahle has from her long career, she took her job very seriously through it all.
“I took my job very serious,” said Stahle. “Did the very best I could and took great pride in my work.”
Although Stahle will miss her career, she is looking forward to spending time with her eleven grandchildren during retirement. Stahle’s retirement party will be on August 22, at the Solon American Legion from 5 to 8 p.m.