Lenwood William Harris, Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 1, 1944 to Dr. Lenwood W. Harris, Sr. and Gloria K. Harris. He was the first of nine children. Harris attended Overbrook High School in the Philadelphia area, where he lettered in both track and football before graduating in 1961.
In 1965, Harris became a general member of the Fellowship while attending North Carolina A&T. He was a part of the charter line at North Carolina A&T, but his orientation took place at Winston-Salem State University. Harris later attended Burlington County College, from which he earned an Associate of Arts degree in both Liberal Arts and Computer Programming, and Thomas Edison State College, from which he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts.
Nearly five years after the completion of his orientation period in 1969/1970, Harris became the Fellowship’s first National President. He proved to be an effective leader. When asked why he became a Groove, Harris said that it was the “only organization that answered my heart’s calls.” Under his administration, the Fellowship developed guidelines to form a constitution and other bylaws regulating all Groove activities and its members. The first national headquarters in Washington, D.C. was also established during Harris’ tenure.
In his professional career, Harris worked in various positions for a total of 30 years. For the first 15 years, he was a teacher in adult education in Washington, D.C., and then worked for Scholastic Magazine & Book Services as a sales representative. For the next 15 years, he was a software developer for companies in the publishing industry, including Taylor and Francis. While there, Harris helped to revolutionize the publishing industry’s smart tracking sales software.
Harris was married to Melanie Harris (now deceased) and has three children: Kim, Monique, and Katherine. He resides in Willingboro, New Jersey, and is still involved in Groove activities. His brother Louis is also an active member of the Fellowship.
