A crowd gathered in Manatee County to see Terry Wilson get his head shaved on May 21. Wilson, 56, said he'll be using his formerly flowing locks to help others.

  • Retired firefighter is donating his ponytail to Pantene's "Beautiful Lengths" organization
  • Hopes the hair will "do some good for somebody"

Growing his tresses out was a privilege Wilson, a retired firefighter, said he never took for granted.

As a child, his father wouldn't let him have long hair. As an adult, his supervisors at the fire station weren't big on it, either.

“I started at the fire department when I was 19 years old, so I’ve always had short hair,” said Wilson. “I always told my kids, when I retire from the fire department I’m going to grow my hair long.”

As his hair continued to grow, he became very involved in Desoto, a non-profit which provides money to several charities in the area. Recently, he decided it was time to say good-bye to his locks. He invited members of Desoto to help him shave it off.

Together they found his hair a new home.

“I’m thinking it’s crazy to grow it this long and not do something positive with it,” said Wilson. “There’s something positive to do with it. So, Pantene was our choice of who to give it to. Hopefully it will do some good for somebody.”

Wilson said while he’s glad he grew his hair out, he doesn’t plan on doing it again anytime soon.

His hair is going to Pantene’s "Beautiful Lengths" organization. From there, his hair will be made into a wig and given to a woman who’s lost her own hair from undergoing cancer treatment.