CHICAGO (WGN) — Betty Clawson is a spitfire at 83.
“I choose not to retire. I think it’s kind of like a ministry. When you’re making a difference in others’ lives, then it’s not a job, it’s an opportunity,” Clawson said.
Since 1993, she’s run Dudley Beauty College on Chicago’s South Side.
The late Joe and Eunice Dudley were the owners of Dudley Beauty Products, a professional line of multicultural hair care established in 1967.
The couple persuaded Clawson to become the director of the college. They handed her the keys to the place, so to speak.
“I think the beauty industry will be growing because it offers you the opportunity to become an entrepreneur. Beauty is something that will never go out of style. I mean, it’s always something that people are going to want to learn how to do,” Clawson said.
She started at the college in 1993 and has taught more than 7,000 students.
“I wish there was a way, some way that I could just share what it does for me,” Clawson said. “There are people out there that work with me, either in North Carolina or here, that are on that wall that have made a difference in the world and I keep adding to that. It lets me know that I have a purpose.”
Clawson describes herself as a country girl from North Carolina. Never once did she intend on settling in the big city of Chicago.
But the Dudleys knew she had it in her, and they helped her realize she had a calling.
She may be the teacher and director at the college, but many of her students see her as more of a motherly figure.
Dudley alumna Y’Lonn Parker, a medspa owner in Chicago, looks to Clawson as an inspiration.
“It was like I joined a family. It felt very nourishing, very inspiring. We used to open the mornings with doing a gospel song,” Parker said.
That family recently received a boost from Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD Foundation and Cécred, which awarded eight of Clawson’s students scholarships totaling $25,000.
“When we had the opportunity to select schools this year, Dudley was a no-brainer,” said Dr. Kari Williams, Sr. Director of Hair Science & Education. “Being able to talk to the owner, talk to the instructors, see their passion and their dedication to their students. We really wanted to invest in a program that’s consistently investing in their students but also offers diverse education and curriculum.”
Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, owned a hair salon and was a cosmetologist herself. The two have been investing in the beauty industry since 2024, providing scholarships to diverse cosmetology students to help them reach their dreams.
For many of the recipients at Dudley, the scholarships have been life-changing.
“Just trying to pay that tuition and my daughter’s tuition. It really helped a lot,” Lanny Hardy said.”
“It breathed new life into my desire. It made it all possible. The places I’ve been in life, you pay tuition, you run out of tuition money, you find tuition money, you don’t find tuition money, but this has been a blessing,” Yanda Ruffin said.
And believe it or not, the Knowles family had a connection to Dudley products back in the day.
“So Beyoncé’s mom was a Dudley customer as a cosmetologist, isn’t that ironic?” Clawson said.
Clawson has won many awards, received numerous accolades and contributed to her community for years. But what matters most to her are the connections she’s made along the way.