2 Quotes & Sayings By Prentiss Upmost Harris
Prentiss Upmost Harris was a prominent American educator, author, and civil rights activist. He was born on July 18, 1895, in Hopewell, Virginia, to James Henry and Lucy I. Harris, as the first son of the family. Harris had four sisters and five brothers. Harris attended elementary school at the Carlisle School in Carlisle, Virginia
In 1914 he graduated from Carlisle High School and moved with his family to New York City where he worked as a clerk at a brokerage house. Harris enrolled at New York University and earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1918. He then earned a Master of Arts in English in 1919. Harris married Maude Louise Thompson on July 12, 1917, at the First Presbyterian Church in Hopewell, Virginia.
They had two daughters: Ruth Ida Harris (1917-2005) and Lucy Louise Harris (1918-2003). Harris began teaching school in 1920 in Atlanta, Georgia. He taught grammar school for four years before being appointed principal of the Hampton Institute, where he worked until 1925. He became an instructor at Hampton Institute's School of Industrial Education when it was converted into an industrial school for training black workers for industry.
He was promoted to superintendent of the Hampton Industrial School for Negro Girls in 1927. When that school changed its name to Hampton Junior College in 1930, Harris also became its superintendent. In 1933 he became an assistant professor at Howard University's School of Education where he wrote several textbooks including "Mathematics for Teachers" published by Macmillan Publishers in 1936; "Teaching English" published by Macmillan Publishers in 1945; "Teaching Physical Education" published by Macmillan Publishers in 1949; "Teaching Social Studies" published by Macmillan Publishers in 1950; and "Teaching Arithmetic" published by Macmillan Publishers in 1953. His other books included "Self-Esteem Is Your Key to Success", published by the Howard University Press (1948); "The Way to Increase Your Income", published by Howard University Press (1951); "How to Plan Your Time", published by Howard University Press (1963); "When You Are Old", published by Howard University Press (1964); "A Guidebook for Teenagers", published by Howard University Press (1967); "The Complete Guidebook for Parents", published by Howard University Press (1971); and his autobiography "A Life Of Learning", published by Crowell & Company (1972