Amos Florence Jr., 82, an artist with scissors and comb

THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN barbershop was always more than just a place to get a haircut or a styling. It has traditionally been a haven where men and women could escape the tribulations of the times and discuss the important issues of the day.

South Street between 15th and 16th streets was famous as a gathering of barbershops and beauty salons that catered to the African-American community.

And among the more popular of the practitioners of the art of the scissor and the comb was Amos Florence Jr., called "Process Junior," and the unofficial "Mayor of South Street."

He is even the subject of a mural on 52nd Street near Cedar Avenue in West Philadelphia.

Amos Florence, whose shop at 1513 South St. drew customers from all over the city to receive the ministrations of a true artist of the hair, died Monday of complications of lung cancer. He was 82 and lived in South Philadelphia.

Amos got his nickname because of his skill with the "process," a hairstyle for black men that he helped develop in the '50s. The inspiration for the popular look came largely from the black actor Billy Dee Williams, whose slicked-back hair was much admired by men and women.

The process requires straightening the hair then finishing the job with neat finger waves.

"The final step was a tedious, precision-filled procedure that our Dad perfected," said his daughter, Dr. Veronica "Ronnie" Florence-McPherson.

But Amos was also skilled with other styles favored by black men, including the very painful conk, the Afro, cornrows, the box, or high-top fade, the Kojak (the bald look, of course), and others.

The conk, which mainstream Americans might have been introduced to in the film "Malcolm X," about the black leader, required applications of a concoction that a writer once described as "strong enough to blow the doors off an armored truck."

"I agree with whatever style is going to make you look clean and slick," Amos once said. "Good grooming is a way of life."

"Dad was a perfectionist from early on," said his son, Calvin, "so he did all he could to be the best."

To perfect his art, Amos traveled to other cities to see how barbers there practiced their trade. He worked for a time at the Golden Globe in New York City, owned by the boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, and at the "Process King" in Newark, N.J.

He opened his first shop in 1952 at Broad and Bainbridge streets, then later moved to 15th and South, where his reputation was cemented.

"Everyone, including men, women and children of all ethnic backgrounds, were warmly greeted and made to feel welcome in the shops," said his daughter, Patricia Florence Moore. "Dad gladly showed off his photo albums and shared humorous times spent in his barbershops through the years.

"Although he was becoming progressively weak, Dad continued to go down into the shop on a daily basis until October 17," said daughter Ronnie. "He was in his element."

Amos was born in Bainbridge, Ga., to Amos Florence Sr. and the former Viola Clark. He was the sixth of their nine children. After moving to Philadelphia, he attended Bok Vocational High School where he studied barbering. He married Christine Joyner in 1948.

During the heyday of South Street, many of the entertainers who performed at Peps, the Showboat, Emerson's and the Postal Card frequented Amos' barbershop. They included Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Erskine Hawkins, Redd Foxx, Nipsey Russell, Slappy White, Georgie Woods and others.

As a way to say thanks to his customers, Amos would hold regular open houses and an annual Christmas party and invite one and all to his shop for fun and fellowship.

Besides his wife, son and daughters, he is survived by three sisters, Eartha Lee Coney, Agnes Parris and Rosetta Keaton; a brother, Bobby Florence; five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.

Services: Memorial service 11 a.m. today at Zion Baptist Church, Broad and Venango streets.