Brown, Harold K., 1934-

Biographical Note

Born in 1934 and the youngest of seven siblings, Harold Brown, also known as Hal, grew up in York, Pennsylvania, a small working-class town. After graduating high school, Brown attended Penn State, but left after his first semester in order to play minor league baseball with the St. Louis Browns. After sustaining an injury, Brown moved to San Diego in 1953 to attend San Diego State College on a basketball scholarship. His studies were interrupted by two years of military service, but he returned to SDSC and finished his degree in physical education and speech. Upon graduating in 1961, Brown began a six-year teaching career at a local junior high school. During this time, he also became extremely active in the San Diego Civil Rights Movement. Brown was also a member of the El Cajon Valley Open Housing Committee, which sought to integrate neighborhoods in El Cajon and La Mesa. In addition, he helped to found and chair the local chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). This organization fought unfair employment practices, and organized civil rights marches, demonstrations and sit-ins across San Diego.

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