When Eleonore Dunn began working as a hair stylist in 1976, Elon University students still called themselves the Fighting Christians.

The kilns and easels that make up the current Arts West building were the shelves of a Winn-Dixie grocery store, and the Elon Town Center was a small hair salon called Renegade. This is where Dunn took her first job as a hair stylist after moving to Elon from Germany in 1965.

University professors and the Elon College football team were among Dunn’s first customers at Renegade.

But working at Renegade wasn’t always easy for Dunn. She said she faced ethnic discrimination from her clientele and, in some cases, her employers.

“They would say, ‘I don’t want that German cutting my hair,’” Dunn said.

In 1977, she left Renegade. A barbershop had just closed on the same block in Elon. Seizing the opportunity to move in, Dunn and a few of her regulars from Renegade made the transition to operating an independent salon called Eleonore’s Hair Design, which offers haircuts, perms, color and waxing, and still remains on Williamson Avenue today.

The 1970s were a much simpler time for Elon, Dunn said. She witnessed dramatic growth in the student population as well as changes in physical size and appearance of the campus.

[quote]There used to be a neighborhood separate from Elon. Now, there are much fewer residents. The university wants to take over. -- Eleonore Dunn, owner and operator of Eleonore's Hair Design [/quote]

The most significant change, she said, has been how the university and the surrounding community of Elon work together.

“There used to be a neighborhood separate from Elon,” Dunn said. “Now, there are much fewer residents. The university wants to take over.”

Dunn also said Elon’s local government has become closely affiliated with Elon University. Local officials are quick to institute policies that the university wants to see put in place. She said communication between the school administration and the town was much clearer during Dr. Fred Young’s presidency at Elon.

“With Dr. Young, we had a community and we worked together,” she said.

Today, Eleonore’s Hair Design receives business from Elon alumni and retired professors, but students rarely wander into the salon. Dunn draws most of her clientele from the Town of Elon, Burlington and Greensboro.

At 68 years old, Dunn said she does not wish to retire yet. She said her issues with Elon’s administration are nothing compared to the loyalty she has to her customers, many of whom are elderly and rely on her for regular appointments.