By Anne Levin

James “Jimmy” Mack
(Photo by Adam Welch)

Princeton Council paid tribute to longtime barber James “Jimmy” Mack at its meeting Monday evening, November 25, at the municipal building.

As a large crowd of Mack’s family, friends, and neighbors looked on, Councilman Leighton Newlin and Mayor Mark Freda read a special proclamation honoring Mack as a fixture in the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood since the early 1950s.

Newlin called Mack “a great human, a great humanitarian, a good person, a great family man, a good friend, a mentor, and one hell of a barber.” To visit Jimmy’s Barber Shop at 141 John Street was to be part of “a sanctuary of community where the air vibrated with the hum of clippers, laughter, and soulful melodies, creating a vibrant tapestry of shared experience,” he said, before launching into a brief rendition of the Martha and the Vandellas song “Jimmy Mack.”

The atmosphere at the shop was “a dive into rich conversations about life, sports, politics, and culture, with Jimmy as both the stylist and the storyteller,” Newlin continued.

Born in Roanoke, Va., In 1931, Mack served as a machine gun operator on the U.S.S. Midway during the Korean War. It was during that service that he saw a notice advertising for a barber on board. He trained for the job and became one of 10 on the ship, “skillfully cutting hair while fostering camaraderie among sailors,” Newlin said.

Upon completing his service in 1952, Mack moved to Princeton, where he had several relatives. He worked at Nat’s Sanitary Barber on Witherspoon Street before opening his own shop in 1962, cutting hair until his retirement in 2014.

“Jimmy dedicated his life to serving the Princeton community, including generations of students from Princeton University, creating a legacy that continues to inspire,” the proclamation reads. Mack has been “a pillar of grace and support, nurturing not only his own family but also the larger community as a member and role model.”

The proclamation called Mack “the last African American business owner in a historically rich neighborhood once filled with family-run enterprises.”

Mack and his wife, Audrey, were given a standing ovation at the conclusion of the presentation.

Also at the meeting, Council introduced two ordinances. One is about outdoor dining areas on sidewalks, and the other has to do with salaries of municipal employees. The public hearings for both are scheduled for the next public Council meeting on Monday, December 9 at 7 p.m. Visit princetonnj.gov for details.