For anyone who might have wondered, Yes, his real name is Boris and he is a hair stylist. Moreover, he’s the third &045; Boris Levins III.

The Dallas County native grew up in Plantersville. He’s happily married. He and his wife Sherri have three sons, McCain, 10; Briar, 3; Haysten, 2; and a daughter, already named Marit, expected early in 2004.

Boris’ Cutting Edge, located at 3001 Citizens Parkway, formerly housed a children’s program. Levins has been renting it since 1996.

Levins has a substantial clientele built over more than 20 years of work in the area and elsewhere. He estimates he does 22-25 haircuts a day, Monday through Friday, which averages about 125 a week.

Levins loves his work, has never wanted to do anything else. To watch Levins cut hair is to observe someone who has a passion for what he’s doing. And he’s fast. No long waits here.

A person’s hair &045; especially for women &045; is absolutely critical to self-esteem, Boris noted. Time and again, he said, someone will come in whose hair needs lots of work and who obviously does not think much of herself or himself. Then, with a spiffy new &uot;do&uot; they’re a new person. There’s a glow, a self-confidence that was not there before.

And for Levins, that is the ultimate in job satisfaction, to see that transformation in self-image.

Levins first became interested in cosmetology while waiting for his girlfriend to get out of class at Wallace Community College. Her class was located right by the cosmetology instructional room. He would find himself sitting on a bench and looking through the window, fascinated with what he was seeing.

Before long he signed up for a course, which led to another and then another. He completed his program and was licensed and started cutting hair. He’s been doing it now for some 22 years, with time out for two years in the Army.

Levins has clients who come from a wide area. Two of them have been with him for the whole time that he has been cutting hair. He even has one client who comes from Columbus, Ga., a woman who tried mightily but could not find anyone who could cut her hair the way she liked it where she lives.

Every three weeks, according to Levins, she arrives with her hair wet after a four-hour drive, he does the cut and then she turns around and drives back to Georgia. Some time ago, she announced that she was going to find someone in Columbus to do her cuts. Within a couple of months, Levins said, she called back and said, &uot;Don’t say a word. Put my name in your book. I’m coming back.&uot; And she did and still does, he said.