Barber Sells Neil Armstrong's Hair For $3,000 - Armstrong Threatens To Sue

[matcom]

<snip>

CINCINNATI -- The first man to walk on the moon used to come into Marx's Barber Shop in Lebanon about every month for a trim. That stopped when Neil Armstrong learned that owner Marx Sizemore picked up some of the former astronaut's hair from the floor of his shop and sold it for $3,000 to a Connecticut collector.

"I didn't deny it or anything," said Sizemore, who recently bought the shop. "I told him I did it."

Armstrong commanded NASA's Apollo 11 mission in 1969, becoming the first person on the moon. He left the space program in 1971 to teach aeronautical engineering at the University of Cincinnati.

He still lives in suburban Cincinnati but is an extremely private person who seldom appears at public functions and never grants interviews. He used to talk to his barber.

"He asked me to pursue trying to get the hair back," Sizemore said. "I called the person I sold it to and told him. He was not interested in giving it back. I called Neil back and told him that. Then I got this letter from his lawyer."

The letter threatens legal action if Sizemore does not return the hair or contribute his $3,000 profit to a charity of Armstrong's choosing. The letter contends that the sale violates an Ohio law designed to protect the rights of famous people. It also asks Sizemore to pay Armstrong's legal expenses.

"I'm basically stuck between a rock and a hard place," said Sizemore, 36, who spent the $3,000 mostly on bills. "I told the lawyer I'm not going to pay him. The ball's in his court. If he doesn't act on it, I'm not going to act on it. If it dies out, I'll be happy."

The lawyer, Ross Wales of Cincinnati, did not return a call seeking comment.

http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2005/06/01/armstrong_threatens_to_sue_ohio_barber/

[Bunny]

1. What's next? Going through his trash to get his used Q-tips, or

Kleenex? What a disgusting thing to do!

[Shell Beau]

4. No more disgusting than selling

Britney Spears positive pregnancy test and chewed gum! Yuck!

[northzax]

6. disgusting, perhaps

but Armstrong left his hair on this guy's property for disposal however he saw fit. Armstrong is perfectly within his rights to stop patronising this barber, and to tell everyone that he sold hair, but there I figure it stops.

And garbage, once it leaves your property, is fair game as well.

[zbdent]

8. Garbage doesn't even have to leave your property to become fair

game.

There was a law passed a while ago which said that, if the bags were "torn" and open, then what could be seen could be held against you in a court of law.

I wish I could find an example of this, but it basically means that a police officer can do an illegal search on you if his "pet dog" happens to tear into your garbage, and he notices anything untoward while "reprimanding the dog" and "cleaning up the mess" . . .

[Spinzonner]

2. I expect they'll end up splitting hairs in court

[jswordy]

3. Uh...matcom...shouldn't the subject line be...

DUMBASS BUYS NEIL ARMSTRONG'S HAIR FOR $3,000?

LOL..... :rofl:

There are folks with more money than brains.

[qnr]

5. While I agree with Neil, I have to say that in my opinion, hair generated

by a body that had been on the moon would be well worth collecting.

[jswordy]

7. Yep, cuz he's going BALD! "Hair today, gone tomorrow!"

[Javaman]

9. Armstrong once my hero, not anymore....

Armstrong visits this barber for years. Finds out the barber sold Armstrong's hair so he could pay BILLS! Then tries to sue him!

I have heard several stories about Armstrong over the years and all of them along these lines. He is an old cretin. Period. The guy is an American Hero, yet never gives interviews, never signs autographs, etc.

Him now going after a barber, and we all know how much money a barber rakes in each year! Damn, he must be a thousandaire by now! If not a Hundredaire! The poor damn guy was paying off some bills in this fine economy.

I now maintain and have done so for a long time, Aldrin should have been the first on the moon. He is the real hero here. He promotes science, exploration, challenges todays society with looking toward the future, gives interviews and signs autographs and is a generally nice guy.