Key Players
Clarence L. "Curly" Harris
Curly Harris was manager of the Woolworth store during the sit-ins. He went to work part time at Woolworth while in high school. He worked full time at the Durham Woolworth store while putting himself through Duke University. He managed Woolworth stores in various North Carolina and Virginia cities before coming to the Greensboro store in 1955.
Before the sit-ins, Harris had elevated the Greensboro store to 54th in sales among the nation’s 3,000 Woolworth stores. His lunch counter served more meals per day than any other Woolworth in the South. Harris retired in 1969, and he died in July 1999 at age 94. He had four children.
Audio (MP3's)
Curly Harris talks about how he took signs down and how he could have worked with the sit-in participants(1:43)
Harris recounts what happened on Feb. 1, 1960 (3:30)
Harris foreshadows the magnitude of the sit-ins (:40)
Harris decides to integrate (3:22)
Harris says he regrets not integrating (1:27)
Jo Spivey remembers Curly Harris and the significance of sit-ins (1:10)
Jack Moebes tangles with Curly Harris to get photos of sit-ins (1:50)
Curly Harris calls a staff meeting the next day, from 1/20/84 interview with Charlies O. Bess (2:05)
The mayor's reaction to sit-ins and Harris' refusal to integrate, from an interview with George Roach 11/17/78 (:50)
The mayor urges Curly Harris to do something, from interview with George Roach on 11/17/78 (1:24)