Stanley Harris Sr. was born on October 31, 1882 in Johnson County, Tennessee. He went to high school in Montezuma, North Carolina and then continued his education in Athens, Tennessee at U.S. Grant University. He wene to post graduate school at American University in Harriman, Tennessee. Mr. Harris had many different occupations throughout his life including salesman at a furniture store in Lexington, Kentucky, assistant secretary of YMCA in Frankford, Tenessee, and boardman on the National Council of Boy Scouts of America in 1917. He moved back to Watauga County in 1948, where he was part of the Watauga Centennial and secretary of Chamber of Commerce. He was a big influence on bringing industries to Boone, North Carolina.

Mr. Harris talks about the effects the Great Depression had on him while at that time he was emplyed by one of Rockafeller's orgnizations. He does explains how the banks were affected and what he believes caused the Great Depression based on his experience with the stock market. When asked about his childhood, Mr. Harris recollects his experience working, explains his family education, and describes the religious community. He then talks about Boone and describes how the minority groups of Boone are treated.

Stanley Austin Harris was born on October 31, 1882 in Trade, Tennessee, and reared in Avery County. The son of a Confederate officer, after graduating from Tennessee Wesleyan College in 1903, he worked for the Young Men's Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.) in Kentucky where he was introduced to the British Boy Scout movement. He chartered a troop from the British Scouting movement in 1908, two years before the Scouting program was established in the United States.

He started working for the Boy Scouts of America in 1917 until his retirement in 1947 at the national office in New York City. In 1926, he was the director of the Interracial Service where his responsibility was to build positive relationships with African American and Native American communities across the nation.

The Harris family lived in Boone while he worked in New York City, but would commute by train every few weeks. In 1942, Stanley Harris was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities from the historically black university Tuskegee Institute; the first Caucasian to receive this honor. Upon retiring, he lived in Boone and was very active with local businesses and civic groups.

During the interview he focuses largely on his retired life and talks about his childhood, the Depression, and Boone history.