 In his civilian career he helped create the first aerial application "crop dusting" business, and later retired as vice-president of Pan American Airways.Harold R. Harris was born on 20 December 1895 in Chicago, Illinois, as a son of Ross Allen Harris and his wife Mae Plumb Harris.He showed an interest in aircraft at an early age, and at the age of 15 skipped school to attend the 1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet at Dominguez Field, the first ever air meet in the United States.