Rex Ottinger is probably the most famous person in Roanoke, Indiana. Roanoke is a small town about halfway between Fort Wayne and Huntington, along US 24 in northeast Indiana. Rex became a barber in Fort Wayne in 1959 and opened his own shop in Roanoke in 1963. My grandpa has gotten his hair cut by Rex for years, and I did too when I was still getting my hair cut...I have extremely long hair now! Getting an appointment with Rex can be hard, he's usually booked up a few weeks and people arrive as early as 6am to beat the crowds on days when he takes walk-ins.

Rex's shop is like a step back to the nineteenth century with his old chairs, checkerboard, and gold lettered window. The shop doesn't even have a phone. Customers come in person to make appointments or they call Rex at home in the evenings.