Oral history with Mr. Harold Ray Presley

              Oral history with Mr. Harold Ray Presley
F341.5 . M57 vol. 746, pt. 2
Funding for this project provided by The Mississippi State Legislature, The Mississippi Humanities Council, The Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at the University of Southern Mississippi.
This transcription of an oral history by the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage of The University of Southern Mississippi may not be reproduced or published in any form except that quotation of short excerpts of unrestricted transcripts and the associated tape recordings is permissible providing written consent is obtained from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. When literary rights have been retained by the interviewee, written permission to use the material must be obtained from both the interviewee and the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on October 5, 1948, Mr. Harold Ray Presley was one of six children born to Noah Edward Presley and Christine Presley. He attended local schools, but dropped out of school in the tenth grade. In 1968 he was drafted into the Army and served in Vietnam in the Twenty- ninth General Support Group. After serving four years, he received an Honorable Discharge and returned to Tupelo.
Mr. Presley was married, and he became the father of two sons and a daughter. Additionally, his family includes Elvis Presley who was his second cousin.
In 1993 he was elected sheriff of Lee County. During his tenure as sheriff, Mr. Presley received numerous awards including the Buford Pusser Award and the " Best of the Best Officers" for five years. Perceiving a need for battling both the demand and supply of illegal drugs, Mr. Presley initiated the DARE Program in local schools to educate young people, several twelve- step programs in the jail to help recovering addicts, and a tough approach to law enforcement regarding illegal drug sales and use. After earning his own GED, he provided GED classes for training and testing inmates; he also started a work- center program for the inmates in his jail.
Mr. Presley died in the early morning hours of July 6, 2001, in a shootout with a kidnapping suspect. In his last moments, Mr. Presley pushed his deputy out of the line of fire, almost certainly saving him from injury or death.
Table of Contents
I. Childhood
II. Lawhon Junior High School
III. The Vietnam War
IV. Children
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