08/13/2026
Long before Scouting America became the diverse organization it is today, Stanley Harris worked to make sure the opportunities of Scouting reached young people from every background.
Born October 31, 1882, in Trade, Tennessee, Harris grew up in Avery County, North Carolina. An avid outdoorsman and educator, he became involved with the emerging Scout movement while working with the YMCA in Kentucky. After learning about the Scout movement developing in Great Britain, Harris received a charter from Lord Robert Baden-Powell in 1908 to establish one of the earliest Scout troops in the United States. Just two years later, he was among the charter members involved in the founding of the Boy Scouts of America.
Harris joined the BSA's national headquarters in New York in 1917 and soon became a leading voice for expanding Scouting's reach. He helped support the development of Scouting opportunities for African American youth, including the establishment of an early all-Black Scout troop in 1916. During the 1920s, he also helped organize an early all-Native American Scout troop.
In 1926, Harris founded and directed the BSA's In*******al Service, an effort designed to encourage greater participation in Scouting among young people from different racial backgrounds. His work was particularly significant during an era when racial segregation was deeply embedded in American society. Harris and his colleagues helped expand access to the leadership, citizenship, outdoor adventure, and character-building opportunities that Scouting offered.
Harris's influence extended well beyond Scouting. In recognition of his work, he became the first Caucasian to receive an honorary doctorate from Tuskegee Institute. He retired from professional Scouting in 1947 but continued serving his community in Boone, North Carolina, including leadership roles with the Boone Chamber of Commerce and the outdoor drama "Horn in the West." He also remained involved with local Scouting until shortly before his death.
Stanley Harris died in Greensboro, North Carolina, on August 13, 1976, exactly 50 years ago today. His legacy is remembered through a North Carolina historical marker in Boone, but his greatest legacy may be the thousands of young people who gained access to the opportunities of Scouting because he believed those opportunities should be available to everyone.
On August 13, 1976, early Boy Scout leader Stanley Harris died in Greensboro.
Born in Tennessee, Harris was raised in Avery County. He taught school, but eventually ended up working for the YMCA where he took a special interest in introducing boys to the outdoors.
After reading about the Boy Scout movement, which was then getting its start in Great Britain, Harris applied for and received a charter in 1908 for one of the first Boy Scout troops formed in the United States. Two years later he served as one of the charter members in the official founding of the Boy Scouts of America, and seven years later he joined the Scouts national organization.
Harris made significant gains in introducing African American boys to scouting. He was made the head of the In*******al Services division of the Boy Scouts, and given the task of promoting in*******al scouting across the nation. He supported the founding of the first all-Black Boy Scout troop in 1916 and, during the 1920s, helped organize the first all-Native American troop. In 1926, he organized the Scouts’ In*******al Service, an initiative to boost racial diversity.
Harris retired from the Scouts in 1947 and moved to Boone where he remained active in the community.
Marker located in Boone, NC: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/18/stanley-harris-1882-1976-n-48
